Showing posts with label 2010 Haiti earthquake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010 Haiti earthquake. Show all posts
Monday, June 15, 2015
Saturday, June 06, 2015
Reconstruction In The Aftermath Of The Nepal Earthquake
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| List of Prime Ministers of Nepal (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
This tragedy, the biggest in the country's history, having caused damages to the tune of half its GDP, can be a point beyond which lie years of despair, or it can be a take off point where the country and its global friends decide to take the country to new, unprecedented heights. The people and the political leadership have a role to play, and the international community has a role to play.
I, for one, am for treating this tragedy as a departure point for taking the country and its peoples to new heights of economic vibrancy. There have been countries that have done that in the aftermath of devastating wars and natural calamities. That path requires the Government of Nepal and the global community to subject themselves to the highest standards in online transparency for all deliberations, all plans, all executions of those plans, all expenditures, all services delivered, all projects started and completed, all watchdog roles. Done right that transparency could end up being the number one source for needed funds as ordinary people in multitude countries might donate as time goes on.
The second component is a need for boldness of vision. There has to be a realization that there is no going back to the way things were. A new future has to be imagined.
The political leaders of the country need to finalize the details of federalism and announce elections to the state and local governments in November. I think a compromise position would be to retain the 75 districts and create six states named Janakpur, Lumbini, Rapti, Koshi, Gandaki, and Karnali. The absence of elected governments at local, district and state levels makes the hard task of reconstruction rather impossible. After agreeing on the constitution the political parties should form an all party national government for the remainder of this parliament's term. I think Baburam Bhattarai, the Maoist leader, is best qualified to lead. He also happens to hail from the district that was the earthquake's epicenter. But since his party is only the third largest, it should be willing to make major compromises in the process like giving up the idea of ethnic names for federal states, giving up the idea of a directly elected president, and agreeing to fewer berths in the cabinet than it might otherwise get.
Boldness of vision requires that you decide to shift the capital from Kathmandu to the Terai plains directly south where you would create a new megacity. My suggested name for it would be Hipat, where people from Himal, Pahad, and Terai live together. This would allow for new homes for millions of people.
Food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters are needed still. This monsoon season will likely see the worst landslides the country has ever seen. And the country remains unprepared. That is the first order of business. But simultaneously some longer term plans have to be made and executed upon.
This proposed new megacity would be a grid city of 200 square kilometers, with four lane one way roads every 100 meters.
A road every 100 meters in a city that is 20 kilometers by 10 kilometers makes for about 300 roads. Every country in the world should be approached to sponsor one, and the road would be named after the sponsoring country. Some countries might not be able to chip in, some might build more than one, maybe five, maybe 10. If a country builds more than one, the roads after the first would be named after its biggest cities. The 200 square kilometers of land that would be acquired would be valued at the new city price, and apartments of equivalent values would be given to the landholders.
People in places like Gorkha or Sindhupalchok or even Kathmandu who have lost their homes would be encouraged to move en masse into this city. You would hand over your land and house at the market rate to the government, and in the case of the hill districts they would be turned into forests. For your land and house in Kathmandu you would get credit at perhaps below market rates since the land is so expensive in that city. You would get equivalent amounts of living space in the new city. So if you have a six room house in Kathmandu, you would hand it to the government, and you would get six rooms worth of apartments in the new city. The government would turn around and sell your house to companies in the tourism industry that would remake them as retrofitted lodges for tourists built in the traditional styles.
The garden buildings in the new megacity would be built by private real estate companies from Nepal, India, China, Bangladesh and wherever. They get the land from the government. They have to build within a year or two. Each building must be at least 10 floors. The ground floor and four other floors go to the government to dole out to the original landowners, to the displaced families in the hill districts and Kathmandu. Each building's rooftop would be covered with solar panels. That might generate sufficient electricity for the city.
This city would need a canal from the Narayani river for drinking water, a fast track tunnel road from Kathmandu to Hetauda, the Nijgadh international airport completed in a hurry, and the eastern Terai developed as a feeder region. A railway track in mid-Terai, and a highway by the Nepal India border, and a Hipat-Janakpur-Patna-Kolkata Industrial Corridor.
If there will be a million displaced people, most of them farmers, many of them can be employed by the government for upto three months a year to engage in massive reforestation schemes all across the country. The outer ring of the new megacity perhaps should be set aside for textile factories where they can work. The city itself will generate employment opportunities.
The beauty of this suggestion is it keeps the costs low. The major expenses to be provided through foreign aid stay at the big infrastructure level. Otherwise the city pretty much pays for itself.
If you can pack 10,000 people per square kilometer, that's two million people in 200 square kilometers. If you can pack 20,000 people per square kilometer, that's four million people. One million earthquake displaced, three million new residents. If you double the size of the city in five years, because it was such a good idea, next thing you know fully one third of the country is living in this one city, and that is an environmentally friendly proposition. It is much easier to provide services to residents of one big city than to 4,000 scattered villages in remote mountains. Much of Nepal's hills and mountains need to become thick forest land.
Summary: Foreign Aid On Reconstruction Should Focus on Big Infrastructure Projects
- A road every 100 meters in a new megacity that is 20 kilometers by 10 kilometers
- 300-500 electric buses to run on those roads round the clock
- Rapid completion of the Kathmandu Hetauda fast track tunnel road
- Water canal from the Narayani river to the city
- A train track in mid eastern Terai
- A highway along the Nepal India border
- A Hipat-Janakpur-Patna-Kolkata Industrial Corridor
१० लाख मानिस का लागि रोजगार
नेपाल राज्यको संविधान 2015
वन फंडानी नगरी बनाउनु पर्छ महानगर हिपत
हिपत-जनकपुर-पटना-कोलकाता Industrial Corridor
हिपत, जनकपुर, कोलकाता
Hipat Megacity
Elon Musk सँग बाबुराम ले गफ गर्नु पर्ने भो
हिपत, काठमाण्डु
Thursday, June 04, 2015
Red Cross Under The Microscope
In Search Of The Red Cross' $500 Million In Haiti Relief
When a devastating earthquake leveled Haiti in 2010, millions of people donated to the American Red Cross. The charity raised almost half a billion dollars. It was one of its most successful fundraising efforts ever. ..... The American Red Cross vowed to help Haitians rebuild, but after five years the Red Cross' legacy in Haiti is not new roads, or schools, or hundreds of new homes. It's difficult to know where all the money went. ..... the number of permanent homes the charity has built is six. ...... the organization spent $69 million on emergency relief, $170 million providing shelter and $49 million on water and sanitation efforts. ........ millions of dollars given for new hospitals, vaccination programs, and disbursement of tents and water tablets. The charity says it has done more than 100 projects in Haiti, repairing 4,000 homes, giving several thousand families temporary shelters and donating $44 million for food. ...... Much of the money never reached people in need. ...... The Red Cross gave much of the money to other groups to do the hands-on work, resulting in additional fees. ..... First the Red Cross took a customary administrative cut, then the charities that received the money took their own fees. And then, according to the Red Cross' records, the charity took out an additional amount to pay for what it calls the "program costs incurred in managing" these third-party projects. ...... In one of the programs reviewed by NPR and ProPublica, these costs ate up a third of the money that was supposed to help Haitians. ....... about three years ago the Red Cross came with glossy booklets saying it was going to build hundreds of new homes, a water and sanitation system and a health clinic. None of that happened. ...... The men say they think it's possible that the Red Cross will still build them homes. ...... When shown a Red Cross promotional brochure about the project, the men are stunned. ...... The original plan was to build 700 new homes with living rooms and bathrooms. The Red Cross says it ran into problems acquiring land rights. ..... McGovern went to a luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington and said that a fifth of the money the charity raised would go to "provide tens of thousands of people with permanent homes ... where we develop brand-new communities ... including water and sanitation." ..... The charity built six permanent homes and, according to their own account, no new communities. ..... The review also found that officials spent some of the money teaching residents to wash their hands with soap and water — and that the residents did not have access to either soap or water. ..... After several emails, the Red Cross acknowledged that the "130,000 Haitians" figure is made up of people who went to a seminar on how to fix their own homes, people who received temporary rental assistance, and thousands of people who received temporary shelters — which start to disintegrate after three to five years....... Archaic land title and government requirements make building in Haiti very difficult and time-consuming, but other charities have built almost 9,000 homes so far ....... He says the project has been successful because the majority of the staff and managers are also Haitian — and are passionate about rebuilding their country..... "All this work that you are looking at now, the calculation was made by Haitian people, Haitian engineers, Haitian architects, Haitian foreman," he says. "We know what to do."..... The Red Cross does not seem to have used that strategy. In one internal memo, the top manager of the Haiti program complains that Haitians were not being hired for top positions — and in some cases were treated disparagingly................ In a 2011 memo, the then-director of the Haiti program, Judith St. Fort, wrote that senior managers had made "very disturbing" remarks disparaging Haitian employees. St. Fort, who is Haitian-American, wrote that the comments included "he is the only hard working one among them" and "the ones that we have hired are not strong, so we probably should not pay close attention to Haitian CVs." ...... "Going to meetings with the community when you don't speak the language is not productive," says Carline Noailles, one of the former staffers. Sometimes, she recalls, Red Cross staffers would skip such meetings entirely........ According to an internal Red Cross budgeting document for the project in Campeche, the project manager — a position reserved for an expatriate – was entitled to allowances for housing, food and other expenses, home leave trips, R&R four times a year, and relocation expenses. In all, including salary, it added up to $140,000.
Monday, May 18, 2015
The Earthquake And Internal Migration
This earthquake has been the biggest disaster the country has seen in its entire existence. The Nepal Army and the Maoists took five years to kill as many people as this earthquake killed in a swift minute. The civil war did not see these many damaged buildings, not even close.
There will be some internal migration as a result. And most of it will be not through the Nepal Government. People will vote with their feet. They will simply move. I never felt bad about Bhutani refugees setting up camp in Jhapa. As in, what are they doing here? Internal migrants in Nepal post earthquake will move, and will go where they might want to go. They might seek refuge many places, some of them might end up in the Terai districts, so be it. It is not like they have a choice. They will move as a last resort. Because abandoning home is not a choice people look forward to. They stay put, come high or hell water. But sometimes that is not an option.
I would prefer to separate earthquake related topics from the ongoing political debates in the country. Although I don't see why democracy needs to take a break. The back and forth of political discourse will help relief work. Federalism is a separate topic.
As for the larger question of internal migration, I want the Terai to become such an economic powerhouse that Nepalis anywhere in the country no longer feel the need to go to Malaysia or Qatar. If they go, it is as tourists, or much higher wage earners. It is within the concept of a modern nation state that citizens of a nation state can live and work anywhere in that country. That applies to Parvates, that applies to Teraiwasis. But when you drag your feet on federalism like Sushil is doing, when you knock four million Madhesis off the voters' list like Madhav Nepal did, then you get in the way of that modern state forming. As soon as you start playing with the northern boundaries of the Terai districts in the debate on federalism, you are sowing the seeds for ethnic riots in the country. Ethnic riots do not make a modern nation state.
As for the earthquake, erecting a tent city for about 50,000 in one place in some place like Chitwan might not be such a bad idea, but then this government is not exactly all about good ideas. A tent city, by definition is temporary in nature. People are expected to go back to their homes in a year or so. It would be a good idea to facilitate cottage industries, so people not only have a roof over the head, but also livelihood.
The tent city should have schools and health clinics. It should have TVs. Computers with internet access. It should have soccer and volleyball fields. Cricket, maybe. It should have regular cultural programs by visiting artists. Adults, and children, should go to school.
And if there is suitable land, heck, why not erect a permanent city for them? A city for 50,000. Build cheap earthquake proof homes. Make it a planned city. I mean, if you are starting from scratch. It might even be possible to find a corporate or country sponsor for the whole project.
Maybe the idea should be to erect multiple cities. Modi talks of "100 smart cities." And he was not responding to an earthquake. But let the earthquake be an excuse for Nepal to think along the lines of at least 10 new cities. They could be along the Kathmandu-Pokhara highway, along Arniko highway, in Chitwan, in several Terai districts.
Get 10 corporate/country sponsors and erect 10 new cities across Nepal. People get to swap their land in their wiped out villages for a house in the new city and a small loan for a new livelihood. The government takes their land and converts them into forests. Entire hillsides see new trees planted on them. These dwellers will probably have to give up farming and get into small cottage industries.
Or set up one big factory per city to mass employ a bunch of the people. Labor intensive industries might make sense. The corporate/country sponsors might help find markets and buyers.
When the old gets destroyed, weep. But after you are done weeping, see that new things are now possible. New, better things.
These are not slums, these are cities that you are trying to create.
There will be some internal migration as a result. And most of it will be not through the Nepal Government. People will vote with their feet. They will simply move. I never felt bad about Bhutani refugees setting up camp in Jhapa. As in, what are they doing here? Internal migrants in Nepal post earthquake will move, and will go where they might want to go. They might seek refuge many places, some of them might end up in the Terai districts, so be it. It is not like they have a choice. They will move as a last resort. Because abandoning home is not a choice people look forward to. They stay put, come high or hell water. But sometimes that is not an option.
I would prefer to separate earthquake related topics from the ongoing political debates in the country. Although I don't see why democracy needs to take a break. The back and forth of political discourse will help relief work. Federalism is a separate topic.
As for the larger question of internal migration, I want the Terai to become such an economic powerhouse that Nepalis anywhere in the country no longer feel the need to go to Malaysia or Qatar. If they go, it is as tourists, or much higher wage earners. It is within the concept of a modern nation state that citizens of a nation state can live and work anywhere in that country. That applies to Parvates, that applies to Teraiwasis. But when you drag your feet on federalism like Sushil is doing, when you knock four million Madhesis off the voters' list like Madhav Nepal did, then you get in the way of that modern state forming. As soon as you start playing with the northern boundaries of the Terai districts in the debate on federalism, you are sowing the seeds for ethnic riots in the country. Ethnic riots do not make a modern nation state.
As for the earthquake, erecting a tent city for about 50,000 in one place in some place like Chitwan might not be such a bad idea, but then this government is not exactly all about good ideas. A tent city, by definition is temporary in nature. People are expected to go back to their homes in a year or so. It would be a good idea to facilitate cottage industries, so people not only have a roof over the head, but also livelihood.
The tent city should have schools and health clinics. It should have TVs. Computers with internet access. It should have soccer and volleyball fields. Cricket, maybe. It should have regular cultural programs by visiting artists. Adults, and children, should go to school.
And if there is suitable land, heck, why not erect a permanent city for them? A city for 50,000. Build cheap earthquake proof homes. Make it a planned city. I mean, if you are starting from scratch. It might even be possible to find a corporate or country sponsor for the whole project.
Maybe the idea should be to erect multiple cities. Modi talks of "100 smart cities." And he was not responding to an earthquake. But let the earthquake be an excuse for Nepal to think along the lines of at least 10 new cities. They could be along the Kathmandu-Pokhara highway, along Arniko highway, in Chitwan, in several Terai districts.
Get 10 corporate/country sponsors and erect 10 new cities across Nepal. People get to swap their land in their wiped out villages for a house in the new city and a small loan for a new livelihood. The government takes their land and converts them into forests. Entire hillsides see new trees planted on them. These dwellers will probably have to give up farming and get into small cottage industries.
Or set up one big factory per city to mass employ a bunch of the people. Labor intensive industries might make sense. The corporate/country sponsors might help find markets and buyers.
When the old gets destroyed, weep. But after you are done weeping, see that new things are now possible. New, better things.
These are not slums, these are cities that you are trying to create.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Political Cynicism At The Very Top
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| English: Top leaders of Nepali Congress –spokesperson Arjun Narsingh KC, vice presidents Prakash Man Singh and Ram Chandra Paudel and acting president Sushil Koirala—during the Central Working Committee meeting held at its central office in Sanepa, Lalitpur on Wednesday, September 15, 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Saturday, May 09, 2015
The Nepal Government Should Compete For Funds
Much has been made about the Prime Minister's Relief Fund. There is an easy solution: compete. Nobody stops the government of Nepal from making a strong case and going out there and raising money. It should respond to the criticisms, and it should make a case, and it should go for it.
It is all about ROI, return on investment. It is a business term, but it also applies to governments.
It is being said that the Nepal Government, given the pledged funds by the various governments, will do a much better job, the ROI will be much higher, than if those foreign governments spent the money themselves. Haiti is being cited as an example. Heck, I am one of the people shouting Haiti! Haiti! Haiti!
Well then, make a case. Why is your ROI greater? How? By how much? Let's see some numbers. There are enough well educated people in Nepal, inside the government and outside, inside the country, and in the diaspora, to be able to do that.
Based on that case, lobbying efforts can be organized. If you want the $20 plus million pledged by the US government to go directly into the Prime Minister's Relief Fund, lobbying can be organized in Washington DC. Heck, there is an even better way. Do it online. America is a democracy. If enough Americans get convinced by you, and they act to reach out to their Congressman and Senators, the work will get done. A democracy responds to its citizens.
It is all about ROI, return on investment. It is a business term, but it also applies to governments.
It is being said that the Nepal Government, given the pledged funds by the various governments, will do a much better job, the ROI will be much higher, than if those foreign governments spent the money themselves. Haiti is being cited as an example. Heck, I am one of the people shouting Haiti! Haiti! Haiti!
Well then, make a case. Why is your ROI greater? How? By how much? Let's see some numbers. There are enough well educated people in Nepal, inside the government and outside, inside the country, and in the diaspora, to be able to do that.
Based on that case, lobbying efforts can be organized. If you want the $20 plus million pledged by the US government to go directly into the Prime Minister's Relief Fund, lobbying can be organized in Washington DC. Heck, there is an even better way. Do it online. America is a democracy. If enough Americans get convinced by you, and they act to reach out to their Congressman and Senators, the work will get done. A democracy responds to its citizens.
Friday, May 08, 2015
In The News (9)
भारत सरकार, भारतीय सञ्चार, आम भारतीय र नेपाल
सेनाको मुख्यालयलाई अमेरिकी र इजरायली प्राविधिकको ‘रेड स्टिकर'
A new generation will help Nepal rise up and rebuild
राहत र उद्धारका क्रममा प्रत्यक्ष संलग्नहरूको प्रशंसाको स्पर्श एकदुईवटा सञ्चारकर्मीको व्यवहारका आधारमा सबै भारतीय सञ्चारमाध्यम फिर्ता जाऊ' को अभियान जारी हुँदा त्यसले नेपालीमा कृतघ्नताको अंश बढी र सहिष्णुताको कम रहेको सन्देशसमेत बाहिर जानेछ। ....... वर्तमान चरणमा नेपालमा भारतप्रतिको अविश्वास या उसको अलोकप्रियता खासगरी आन्तरिक राजनीतिमा विगत नौ वर्षमा भारतको खुला प्रवेश, 'माइक्रो म्यानेजमेन्ट' सँगै आन्तरिक असुरक्षा उत्पन्न गर्ने एसडी मेहता प्रवृत्ति जिम्मेवार छन्। ....... दूतावासले पैसा खर्च गरी सरकार गिराएका उदाहरण किताबहरू र आधिकारिक सूचनाका आधारमा आएका छन्, जसको दूतावासले खण्डन गरेको छैन। पूर्ववर्ती सरकारको छिमेक नीति असफल भएको मोदीको भारतीय जनता पार्टीले स्वीकार गरिसकेको छ। ....... उता एसडी मेहताको गतिविधिलाई आलोचना नगर्न त्यसबेलाका भारतीय राजदूतले नेपाली नेताहरूलाई चेतावनी मात्र दिएनन्, त्यसमा सफलता नै हासिल गरे। तर त्यसले 'सरकारी' भारतको नियतलाई सबभन्दा बढी प्रश्नचिन्हमा ल्यायो नेपालमा। ......Haiti's earthquake generated a $9bn response – where did the money go?
नेपालमा २०६३ को परिवर्तनपछिको नेतृत्वदायी राजनीतिक समूहले पूर्णत: विश्वास गुमाएको छ मुलुकभित्र।
....... त्यो समूह भ्रष्ट छ र नेपाली जनताको संलग्नता तथा अनुमोदनमा उनीहरूले राजनीति सञ्चालन नगरेको पनि स्थापित भएको छ। यहाँको राजनीतिक नेतृत्व परिचालित र परचालित भएको तथ्यसमेत स्विकारी भारतले नेपाल नीति समीक्षा नगरेकाले नै नेपालको चार दलीय सिन्डिकेट जस्तै ऊ पनि यहाँ अलोकप्रिय हुँदै विश्वसनीयता गुमाएको हो। ...... जुद्धशमशेरको ९० सालपछिको सोच, उपलब्धि र कार्यान्वयनको पृष्ठभूमिमा सुशील कोइरालाको गठबन्धन सरकार अत्यन्त संवेदनहीन र असक्षम देखिएको छ। ...... दलमा युवा र विद्यार्थी समूह-संगठनहरूमा खासै दायित्वबोध देखिन सकेको छैन। राहत उद्धारमा संलग्नको संख्या अत्यन्तै न्यून छ।
Uncertainty about the scale and outcome of spending following Haiti tragedy highlightsप्रचण्डले यसरी थर्काए संसदमा
need for greater transparency
........ the international response to the quake was overwhelming. ..... Private donations are estimated at $3bn. ..... about 94% of humanitarian funding went to donors' own civilian and military entities, UN agencies, international NGOs and private contractors. In addition, 36% of recovery grants went to international NGOs and private contractors. Yet this is where the trail goes cold – you can look at procurement databases to track primary contract recipients, but it is almost impossible to track the money further to identify the final recipients and the outcomes of projects. ............ 60% of US-disbursed recovery funding is "not specified" (pdf), as is 67% of Canada's aid to Haiti (pdf). Data for the European commission shows that 67% of humanitarian funding and 43% of recovery funding is to "other international NGOs" (pdf). Data reporting becomes even more opaque when one looks for the specific organisations, agencies, firms or individuals that have received grants or contracts in Haiti. Detailed financial reports and rigorous impact evaluations are hard to find. ........ most organisations only publish case studies or other descriptions of their work; negative outcomes or failures are almost never documented ..... It is a contradiction that the Haitian government is asked to improve transparency when the international aid community itself fails to provide adequate information to the public. ......... We publish the financial information relevant to the execution of our budget. All we ask is for the same transparency from our donor friends ......... Haiti received an amount almost equal to its gross domestic product, but several hundred thousand people remain in tent camps set up in the aftermath of the quake. ...... the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), a multi-stakeholder scheme with a standard for publishing information about aid spending, and Publish What You Fund's aid transparency index. ..... Transparency is a critical step towards better project design and implementation in Haiti and other poor countries. Donors, NGOs, private foundations, private contractors and other civil society organisations must report to IATI and must do so in a timely manner.
देशका प्रधानमन्त्री र गृहमन्त्रीले यतिबेला लम्बेतान विवरण प्रस्तुत गरेर अहिले पनि परम्परागत रुपमै ठूलठूला शब्द बोल्ने तर काम केही नहुने ‘परम्परा’ मात्रै धानेको हो कि भन्ने चिन्ता प्रचण्डले प्रकट गरे । ...... अझै पनि देशमा ठूलो भूकम्पको खतरा कायम रहेको विगत १४ दिनले देखाएको जिकिर गर्दै भने– ‘सरकारले यसलाई सुन्न चाहेको छैन या सुनेर पनि सुनेजस्तो गरेको छैन ।’भारतले थप १ लाख त्रिपाल दिने
भारतको गृह मन्त्रालयले दिएको निर्देशनमा कोलकाताबाट पुर्वी नेपालको नाका हुँदै १ लाख त्रिपाल पठाइने भएको छ । यसअघि गत सोमबार मात्रै पश्चिम बंगाल सरकारले १ लाख त्रिपाल नेपाललाई सहयोगमा पठाएको थियो । मुख्यमन्त्री ममता बेनर्जीले थप २० हजार त्रिपाल सहयोगमा दिने घोषणा गरिसकेकी छिन् । ..... तर, भुकम्पपीडित सर्वसाधारणका लागि आवश्यक राहत तथा उद्धार सामग्री पठाइरहेको दिल्लीस्थित दुतावासले यो काम थालेको १० दिनमा पनि कहींकतै जिल्लामा पनि सामान पुगेको जानकारी पाएको छैन । .... यस बीचमा बिमान सेवा, रेल्वे र ट्रक ढुवानीबाट ४० टनभन्दा बढी सामग्री नेपाल पठाइएको तथ्यांक दुतावाससँग भए पनि कुनै जिल्ला वा सम्बद्ध निकायबाट यो सामान पाइएको जानकारी आउन सकेको छैन । भारतीय विमान सेवाको सौजन्यबाट दैनिक प्रति बिमान १ टनसम्म सामग्री ढुवानी भैरहेकोमा यसमध्ये अधिकांस सामान काठमाडौंस्थित बिमानस्थलमा अड्किएर बसेको छ भने रेल र ट्रक ढुवानीमा गएका सामानबारे पनि जानकारी आएको छैन । .... अहिले पनि दिल्लीस्थित दुतावासमा १० टनभन्दा बढी राहत सामग्री थन्किएर बसेको अवस्थामा छ ।भूकम्पपीडितलाई विदेशबाट पालदेखि पानीसम्म --- सबैभन्दा धेरै सहयोग भारतबाट
भारतले सबैभन्दा बढी १ लाख ९३ हजार ४ सय ४ थान त्रिपाल तथा एक लाख ४० हजार २ सय ९४ थान कम्बल राहत उपलब्ध गराएको छ । भारतले चामल, चिनी, नून, चिउरा, चाउचाउ, मेटे्रसदेखि पानीसमेत उपलब्ध गराएको छ ।...... यस्तै, उत्तरी छिमेकी राष्ट्र चीनले १० हजार ४ सय ३५ थान कम्बल, २ हजार १ सय ७९ थान टेन्ट, एक हजार एक सय कार्टुन पानी उपलब्ध गराएको छ । ..... सरकारले अढाइ लाख भन्दा बढी त्रिपाल वितरण गरिएको जनाएको छ । सरकारले सार्वजनिक गरेको तथ्यांकअनुसार भूकम्प गएदेखि विहीबारसम्म ठूला परिमाणमा खाद्य तथा गैरखाद्य सामाग्री वितरण गरिएको छ । ......रोनाल्डोद्वारा नेपालका भूकम्पपीडितलाई सात करोड सहयोग गर्ने घोषणा
अहिलेसम्म दुई लाख ६६ हजार ८ सय १८ थान टेन्ट वितरण गरिएको छ । .... सरकारले एक लाख पाँच हजार २ सय ३४ क्वीन्टल चामल वितरण गरेको जनाएको छ ।
सेनाको मुख्यालयलाई अमेरिकी र इजरायली प्राविधिकको ‘रेड स्टिकर'
‘प्रधानसेनापति गौरव शमशेर जबराले क्लवमै बसेर महाविपत्ति सामना गर्न सेनाले सञ्चालन गरिएको ‘अपरेसन संकटमोचन’को कमाण्ड कन्ट्रोल गरिरहनु भएको छ। साथै प्रधानसेनापतिबाहेक वलाधिकृत र वलाध्यक्षको कार्यालय पनि क्लवबाटै सञ्चालित भएको छ।' ..... वैशाख १२ गते प्रधानसेनापति राणा पाकिस्तानी सेनाको निमन्त्रणामा पाकिस्तान भ्रमणमा जाने तयारीमा थिए।Reflections on the earthquake
प्रधानसेनापति राणा आफनो निवास भत्किएपछि पालमा बसिरहेका छन्।
We have been so habituated to criticizing the government and blaming them at every juncture that we have perhaps forgotten that it is we Nepalis who created this system in the first place. This system that is doomed to fail. .......... As we are rebuilding Nepal, we need to ask ourselves what kind of a governance system we have been living in if no one is satisfied with it.नेपालका लागि सोँचेजस्तो राहत उठेनः संयुक्त राष्ट्र संघ
A new generation will help Nepal rise up and rebuild
The sad irony is that we knew the big one was coming, but no one expected it. ..... Our people are icons of bravery and our homes legendary for their instant warmth and hospitality. They say people visit Nepal once but come back for their friends. ...... But we are also afflicted by man’s failings. Nepalese have endured centuries of social discrimination and exploitation from despots and modern day oligarchs. A long civil conflict killed thousands and chased away a generation’s opportunities for economic and social progress. Millions of youths have left the country to seek their futures elsewhere. We are still ranked close to the lowest end of the poverty index. ...... The messy vortex of Nepali politics has left little space for nation-building. Corruption is endemic and little of any economic benefits filter to the poor. Even in the best of times, the political leadership is mocked daily for its ineptitude. ........
A grass-roots movement is taking place among its young, educated and talented people. They are back to show the entrenched old guard how it should be done: entrepreneurship, a passion for social enterprise and a fearlessness to question the establishment.
....... In the immediate aftermath of this calamity, the one thing that stood out was the instant compassion and a can-do resourcefulness of a new force in our country. The pushcart vendor who gave all of his fruit to the tent-city occupants, the soldiers and police constables, the selfless nurses and doctors working without rest, the thousands of volunteers braving the odds: They are Nepal’s finest, all working tirelessly through the nights to rescue those trapped under rubble.
BibekSheel Nepali: Earthquake Response Task Force
A few suggestions (first, great work, as in great work on the ground, but also great work putting together this video --- almost equally important):
- Put out shorter clips (3-5 minutes) almost daily, mostly to do with work on the ground. Your public Facebook page is your hub.
- Always conclude by asking for donations. Make it easy for people to donate.
- Target the global Nepali diaspora, but don't ignore the locals. Set up a missed call mechanism perhaps?
- "Sell" the numbers. Moving around information is almost as important as moving around food, water tablets and basic medicine. Show the world you have a great bang for the buck. Impact per dollar, if you will.
- Don't restrict yourself to Nepali donors. Anyone anywhere on the planet can donate. In fact, consider spending 1% of your proceeds on Facebook ads. Or get donors to sponsor that.
- The short term needs are food, water purifying tablets, and basic medicine, and tents/tarpaulins. The immediate long term needs are house reconstruction. Build the big picture by gathering information from every possible source. How many are impacted? How many have need? How are the needs being met? What is the unmet need? Show that you are doing good work, but it is a drop in the ocean. That you provide a great bang for the buck (low overhead), but you face a resource crunch.
- Getting that information out there, those concrete numbers, would be a big help. Ordinary Americans (and Indians and British and Japanese and others) will donate directly to you if you communicate well. Facebook is that platform. 100% real time online transparency is the weapon to use.
- This video is great, but also upload another one with English subtitles.
- If you can show the world that what you are doing is 20 times cheaper than the foreign governments and agencies trying to provide end to end solutions, that just might end up being your top contribution. That might not get you the foreign government funds, but ordinary Americans (and Indians and British and Japanese and others) will step in.
- Good work is not enough, it also has to scale. Looks like you went from 50 to 500 to 1100 volunteers. Go to 5,000 to 50,000. It has to be that fundraising is the only constraint. And that fundraising has to be on a war footing, and global. Nepalis who participated in your virtual #withNepal event now need to help you with this. You rope them in by creating your daily 3-5 minute video which always end with a strong pitch for people to donate.
- Also play a watchdog role. People in the affected areas should learn to call you to say things like "I am from such and such place, this is the scale of devastation, and we have not received any help yet" or "Help came but went to all the wrong people, the true needy did not get it." Those audio recordings could be part of the video clips. Raw audio.
- Work closely with the group (I believe KLL) that is doing the crowd sourced map. That is the closest thing to 100% online transparency we have right now.
- Always try to communicate the big picture. As in, there is a need for 500,000 tents, we have sent out 1500, other organizations and agencies have sent out 200,000 as of ___________ and we believe there is an unmet need of _________ tents.
- The hotline is an awesome idea.
- Create one task force just for a robust online discussion on what might be the best options for reconstruction of houses. What is everyone else saying? What are some of the best ideas in the local context? What is the need on the ground? What kind of help can be expected? What might be some of the local self help ideas? What mistakes are to be avoided?
- You say resurgence. What do you mean?
- Now might not be the best time. But keep collecting all possible data/information that can be seen as evidence of incompetence and corruption on the part of those in power, and at the right time, maybe in a few weeks, when one round of help has already reached most of those in need, start a political campaign where you say we can do better. And there the membership through missed call needs to go national. Because those who messed up can not be allowed to stay at the help for five years. And this Relief/Reconstruction/Resurgence will be at least a five year marathon. Give people an alternative. A sound political alternative. In short, plot a political offensive.
- Also act a watchdog to foreign governments and agencies. Challenge some of their mental frameworks. Challenge them on the maximum bang for the buck. What is their ROI (Return On Investment)? Is it poor? Share that with their taxpayers. Give them options to work through organizations like yours.
- Which are the Top 10 organizations? With the maximum impact, efficiency, transparency?
- Do not ignore Kathmandu valley. The valley also has need. It also has resources. And it might be your "Delhi!" The political stepping stone.
- Start an Adopt A Family program. You connect a sponsoring person or family globally to a family in need in Nepal. The help is for house reconstruction and basic livelihood needs.
- Reach out to Elon Musk. Ask him to pitch in. If he does, the media publicity that will generate will bring in much more from many people. Ask Musk to build a Mangal Tower in Kathmandu in place of Dharahara. Free WiFi across the Valley. FYI: Musk has a soft spot for the Khan Academy. You should be able to tug him.
- The goal of the daily 3-5 minute video is fundraising. That's it. Let there be no doubt.
- Go directly to platforms like Indiegogo for the same.
- The last 10 seconds in the video are not well done. If someone wants to donate, all the information should be right there. Your PayPal account ID, your Western Union ID, bank account. No?
- Summary: Great work, keep it up, scale like crazy.
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