Rebuilding Homes, Communities, Families
Nepalis trained as masons by USAID put their new skills to work
Krishna Bahadur Majhi — a member of the Majhi Gaun community — lives with his wife, Ramani Majhi, their children and his father in the Dolakha district of Central Nepal. For generations, his traditional fishing and farming community survived on fish caught in the nearby Tamakoshi River and food grown on small terraced farmlands.
Since earnings were always scarce, community members struggled to make ends meet. With few opportunities to improve their economic status, many in Krishna’s village migrated to India and the Middle East in search of better economic opportunities.
Unfortunately, in 2015, the Gorkha earthquake and aftershocks destroyed Krishna’s home, along with all the homes in his village. The traditional stone-mud and brick-mud houses there could not withstand the severe trembling.
“After the earthquake, the whole village was in trouble,” said Krishna. “All of our houses collapsed.”
But the homes in Krishna’s village represent only a fraction of the 816,000 homes that were destroyed by the devastating earthquake, which claimed over 9,000 lives, caused over $8.6 billion in damage, and spurred a massive reconstruction effort.
While still struggling to overcome the shock of the earthquake, Krishna received another devastating blow. He learned that his sister-in-law lost her fight against typhoid. Since her husband, Krishna’s brother, passed away long before the earthquake, their four children were left with no one to care for them.
“The pain my nephew and nieces faced was more terrible (than the earthquake),” said Krishna.
In this time of need, the entire Majhi Gaun community pooled its resources and built a temporary hut for the orphaned children. However, with no source of income, it was very difficult for them to survive. For almost two years, they lived on their own, with Krishna and other relatives providing them with food and other support. While Krishna and Ramani wanted to adopt them, it was not possible due to their own financial condition.
In 2017, the couple attended a mason training organized by USAID’s Baliyo Ghar (Strong House) Project in their village. Baliyo Ghar, a USAID project implemented by the National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal, trained new masons to spur reconstruction efforts; established reconstruction technology centers, construction models, and demonstration homes; and sent mobile units into communities to help homeowners understand how to rebuild. After graduating from the training, they began working as masons, helping earthquake survivors and other homeowners build new homes and buildings that are earthquake safe.
“Living was difficult ever since our houses collapsed in the earthquake. As soon as we received the masonry training, we immediately built our homes,” said Ramani. “We have rebuilt both the houses with a single kitchen now.”
After rebuilding their homes, the couple stepped to the forefront of their community’s reconstruction efforts, earning an average of NPR 700–800 (approximately $6–7) per day. As the lead mason, Krishna has helped to rebuild 87 of the 106 earthquake-damaged houses in the Majhi Gaun, and the rest are under construction. Grateful for an opportunity to earn money to care for her family, Ramani works when she is not busy caring for their children. Their collective earnings enabled them to adopt their three nieces and nephew, expand their family to 10 and enroll all their children in school.
“It took me and Ramani time to develop the financial strength to look after my brother’s children alongside our children,” said Krishna. “We are able to take care of them, because we earn now. We would have never been able to look after them all if we were not trained to work as masons. Earlier, we couldn’t save even for ourselves by selling fish.”
Krishna now works as both a mason and fisherman, and he is confident that taking on a second profession will enable him to earn more in the years to come.
“I hope this year I will earn more to make my family stronger,” said Krishna. “Nobody fishes all day…I can work as a mason in the day and go fishing at other times.”
While a busy mother, Ramani also is happy that she has a profession as a mason now.
“I feel that skills like masonry are important for women as well,” explained Ramani. “Earlier, I used to be just a housewife, but now I am earning on my own to feed the family.”
Given the high demand to rebuild earthquake-damaged houses and construct new homes, most of USAID’s trained masons in Majhi Gaun — including Krishna and Ramani — plan to continue working as masons in the future, earning the income needed to strengthen the local economy.
“People in the neighboring villages are also looking for help to rebuild their homes damaged or destroyed in the earthquake. There’s going to be a lot of work,” said Ramani.
Both Krishna and Ramani want to work more so that they can earn enough to care for their expanded family. Since their children are growing fast, they are also starting to save for their higher education.
USAID’s mason training has empowered Nepalis, such as Krishna and Ramani, to be at the helm of Nepal’s reconstruction efforts, ensuring that communities have safe homes for generations to come. Masonry training has also created new opportunities for this once traditional fishing and farming community — and other rural communities — to earn more money and improve their economic opportunities. This new income source means that locals no longer need to migrate in search of jobs. Using new skills and training, they can contribute to Nepal’s economic growth as the country continues to rebuild, safer, and more prepared than ever before.
USAID-trained masons are integral to the success of the Government of Nepal’s homeowner-driven reconstruction program. The largest of its kind in the world, this national program is disbursing over $1.2 billion in cash subsidies to homeowners to build earthquake-safe homes.
Since the 2015 earthquake, USAID has trained more than 23,000 professionals — including 5,000 new masons — on earthquake-resilient construction techniques. These masons are now at the forefront of the effort to build back a safer Nepal, and are contributing to a self-reliant, resilient country.
About the Authors
Pamala Horugavye is the Senior Development Outreach and Communication Specialist for USAID’s Mission in Nepal. Pravaran Mahat is the Development Outreach and Communication Specialist for USAID’s Mission in Nepal.
