People who have been left homeless by the recent earthquakes in Nepal are being taught how to build temporary shelters using salvaged materials before monsoon season arrives in June.
A magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, killing over 8,000 people and injuring several thousand more. On May 12, a magnitude-7.3 aftershock killed 76 others and injured an additional 2,000. The aftershock also killed 17 people in northern India.
The temporary shelters are constructed with metal pipes and metal sheets salvaged from destroyed houses. The shelters can be built with the metal from eight or nine corrugated roofs, which makes the design economical. Both ends of the round, igloo-shaped structures are left open. People can shield themselves from the elements by covering the ends of the temporary shelter with sheets or salvaged windows.
The shelters are being provided by Project EK, a citizen action group. The project is supported by FNCCI Operation Relief. It is being funded by Namaste Café in the United States. Each shelter costs about $100 to build.
The shelters were designed by Eli Kratzmann in Pakistan. Guides and instructions on how to build the shelters are available on the internet in both English and Nepali. The organizers want to make the information widely available so that organizations and individuals can build as many of the shelters as possible. They want local leaders to be able to teach others.
Members of Project EK showed villagers in Shikarpa prototypes before they began building the shelters so they would understand how to do it. Villagers are able to build the shelters themselves in only a matter of hours. Nine shelters were built in Shikarpa in a single day. People have also personalized their shelters to make them feel more like home.
Project EK is accepting donations to build more shelters through the Teach for Nepal organization.