Information provided by Goh Lam Kia
Translated by Wu Hsiao-ting
Photos by Willy Ang
A powerful earthquake, registering at magnitude 5.6, struck the Jajarkot District of Karnali Province, western Nepal, on November 3, 2023. It claimed 157 lives, making it the deadliest tremor in Nepal since 2015. The quake also resulted in severe damage to buildings in the area, including numerous homes and schools. Tzu Chi volunteers in Lumbini, located over 300 kilometers (186 miles) away, swiftly mobilized for disaster assessment.
The geological landscape of the highland disaster area differed significantly from the plains of Lumbini. Unlike the thatched or earthen houses commonly seen in Lumbini’s rural areas, villagers here used an abundant supply of rocks to build their homes. Observing teachers and students working in open-air classes after the earthquake, volunteers offered to construct temporary classrooms until more lasting facilities could be built. School authorities planned to erect permanent buildings on the original sites to replace the damaged ones, so volunteers opted for prefabricated structures that could be easily disassembled or relocated elsewhere. Cement boards were used for flooring instead of traditional cement, facilitating future removals or relocations.
Due to resource constraints in the mountainous region, building materials were transported from Tzu Chi’s base in Lumbini. A work relief program was initiated, with assembly workers recruited locally in the disaster area. Under the guidance of Tzu Chi construction volunteers, villagers quickly acquired the necessary skills to assemble the classrooms. The income they received from the program was expected to help them through the difficult times.
The construction of temporary classrooms began on December 3, 2023, with volunteers from Lumbini dedicating their New Year to helping in the disaster area. Simultaneously, the Tzu Chi team in Lumbini was also actively engaged. Volunteers, along with villagers participating in a work relief program, raced against time to prepare building materials, including doors, windows, and wall panels, for delivery to the disaster zone via truck.
In total, Tzu Chi erected 30 classrooms across five schools, benefiting 1,700 students. Malaysian volunteer Zhang Bo Lin (張栢林) elaborated on the construction, explaining that the classroom roofs consisted of three layers: plywood at the base, sponge insulation in the middle, and galvanized zinc panels on the exterior, providing both insulation and soundproofing. “We opted for thicker wall panels compared to those used in standard prefab houses to minimize potential damage caused by children running around and bumping into them,” he further explained.
Zhang particularly expressed gratitude for the villagers involved in the cash-for-work program in Lumbini, who preassembled a portion of the prefab structure materials and welded frames before having them transported to the disaster area. “Due to poor road conditions in the mountainous areas,” he added, “trucks had to be replaced with tractors halfway through their journeys to the disaster area.” Some schools were inaccessible even by tractor, so villagers worked together to move building materials by hand to construction sites.
Upon completion of the classrooms at each school, volunteers distributed textbooks to students, along with handmade soap and knitted hats made by participants of Tzu Chi’s vocational training classes in Lumbini.
The nine classrooms for Bheri Tribeni Secondary School were completed by mid-January, amidst temperatures hovering around zero degrees Celsius (32°F). Construction then commenced for four additional prefab structures intended for use as school dormitories. Several villagers had become aspiring Tzu Chi volunteers. On January 4, they traveled to Lumbini to participate in a Tzu Chi blessing ceremony. They were seeds that might help Tzu Chi’s love take root locally.
An Overview of Tzu Chi’s Disaster Relief Efforts in Nepal
- Nepal experienced severe flooding in 1993. Tzu Chi promptly offered aid and subsequently, in 1995, completed four Great Love Villages with permanent housing in three districts.
- In 2015, a powerful earthquake struck Nepal. Tzu Chi volunteers from various countries collaborated in a relay effort to carry out the foundation’s relief efforts, with one team arriving to take over from another. They distributed aid, provided medical services, served hot meals, and erected temporary classrooms in affected areas, including Bhaktapur. Their collective endeavors helped more than 210,000 people. (Repeated services are counted as separate aid recipients.)
- Following another significant earthquake in November 2023, Tzu Chi built 30 temporary classrooms across five schools in Jajarkot District. The foundation also plans to supply building materials to affected households to support them in rebuilding their homes.
