Of Rice and Tarps

About 30 kilometres from the capital city of Kathmandu, Falame in Ryale Village Development Committee (VDC), Kavre, is a small village of about 90 houses. Located on a high hill, the community there has lost most of the houses, but there have been no injuries, and aid (mostly in the form of food supplies) has been coming in since the third day after the earthquake. All the aid in this Tamang village so far has been from private or non-governmental sources but routed through the local government office, and the frustration this has created in Falame demonstrates some of the complexities of aid delivery and coordination.

Faudi Tamang of Falame works at an LP-gas distribution centre in Kathmandu. On hearing about the devastation in the village, his employer offered to get in touch with Indreni Samaj, an NGO he was involved with, and send relief through the organisation. The village did receive sacks of rice and dal, and some tarps. But the aid package was smaller than what Faudi was promised, and the quantities, especially the five tarps they received, were wholly inadequate for the village which has lost most of its 90 houses.