Moving Mountains in Nepal

Mira lived with her husband and two children in Godavari, a slum in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. She was a seamstress, adding to the household’s meager income by sewing sweaters to help others through the brutal highland cold. They didn’t have much, but they saved what they could, and were eventually even able to add an extra room to their modest home. The family’s future seemed solid as the mountains that surrounded them.

Then the 2015 earthquakes hit, the home split in half, and Mira’s life was turned upside down.

Now homeless, the family sought refuge in a temporary tent, forced to adjust to a new life without infrastructure, healthcare facilities or livelihoods. Still, the fact that Mira and her family survived the tremors that killed more than 8,800 and injured 22,300 provided a source of strength.

Federation partner JDC tapped into that strength. With guidance from a local NGO, they offered her training classes in sewing and tailoring. Courses that help Nepali women recover their livelihoods, along with childcare services and psychosocial counseling, are part of JDC’s ongoing relief efforts in the country, supported by Federations’ Nepal Emergency Fund. It’s a critical aspect of JDC’s global relief work, and their efforts to help some of the world’s most vulnerable women thrive in 70 countries around the world.

"I feel empowered," Mira says. "I'm getting more confident in my ability to return to my daily routine."

Things are already looking up. In the last few months, Mira and her husband have repaired part of their home and returned to live there. She continues to be a member of her sewing and tailoring group, now serving as its treasurer. Most importantly, she can imagine a better future once again.