Forty-nine years old Kale Abrader Sarki of Ward No 9 of Mundan Deupur Municipality, formerly Ward No 3 of Mahadevsthan Village Development Committee, has reason to rejoice. With support from Lutheran World Federation Nepal, he recently secured a three-room house, with solar lights and toilets attached on it.

“I am very thankful to Lutheran World Federation Nepal which handed me a home to live. Otherwise, I didn’t have any option but to live in a temporary shelter or to take a loan in high interest. I don’t have any burden now,” said Sarki, who has also contributed a certain amount in the form of labor.

Supported by Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe Germany, Lutheran World Federation Nepal, an international humanitarian agency, has been constructing the houses for socially disadvantaged, marginalized, elderly people and single women in different parts of earthquake districts. Mundan Deupur Municipality is one of them where it has been building the houses with its local partner Shanti Janadarsha Sewa Kendra.

Along with Sarki’s home, Lutheran World Federation Nepal has already completed 154 others in Mundan Deupur Municipality. The he agency has already handed over 58 houses in Baluwapati, Gairibisauna, Jaiisthok, Mahadevsthan and Nayagaun.

Out of 387 houses Lutheran World Federation Nepal got to build in this municipality, 9 are at the stage of excavation, 55 are at the stage of lintel, 118 are in the final stage with roof, 17 sill, 7 stitches, 4 foundations and 17 plinths. Out of them 5 houses are yet to start and 1 building is yet to clear the site.

The houses are built with the criteria and conditions set by NRA. Lutheran World Federation Nepal is closely working under the guidelines of NRA in other districts as well.

At a time when NRA is yet to distribute the second installment of money, Lutheran has already handed over the majority of houses to the beneficiaries showing effective ways to implement in the reconstruction drive.

Like Sarki, many earthquake victims in Mundan Deupur Municipality, who had signed agreements with Lutheran, are in the process of moving to their homes before the Dashain or coming winter.

Lutheran and its local partners provide all supervision and technical support to the construction of houses as part of building back better.

Manisha Mijar, 19, another Dalit of the Mundan Deupur Municipality, is busy to paint her three-room house, which is at the final stage when this scribe visited it on August 27.

“For someone having lived for almost three years in the temporary shelter with limited space, this new house gives me and my family full space as well as solar lights and toilet,” said Mijar, a student of class 12. “This is really great.”

There are three NRA approved modalities of the houses in this area as constructed by Lutheran World Federation Nepal. Along with 300.000.000 as per the agreement; beneficiaries have to bear the remaining cost of the houses. Lutheran World Federation Nepal, however, bears the training cost for masons under the build back better program.    

The first building with two small rooms for elderly and single women costs Rs. 412,000.00. Similarly, another two-room model with wider space costs Rs. 537,000.00 and three rooms Rs. 642,000.00.

“Federation has been constructing the houses under the approval of NRA and the beneficiaries are NRA enlisted people,” said Nibha Shrestha, its governance and regional program coordinator.

Along with the houses in Kavrepalanchwok, the Federation has already handed over 151 houses in Rasuwa district. Out of 47528 reconstructed houses, INGOs contribution is more than 3000.

According to the website of Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development, INGOs are far ahead in terms of completion of the houses. At a time when there are a lot of public criticisms about the role of INGOs and NGOs, the reality is different. Lutheran World Federation Nepal has shown how effectively an organization can work in reconstruction.