The 7.8M earthquake on April 25th, 2015 brought about massive destruction and devastation to people across Nepal. Okhaldhunga was one of the severely affected districts. Our radio station in Okhaldhunga was destroyed by the earthquake but that did not prevent our staff from broadcasting. At about 2pm under the open sky, the radio team gathered on the street to set up the radio equipment to resume reporting and broadcasting, by around 6pm we were back on air. It was a hard night, as it rained and our radio staff were under a temporary shelter made from tarpaulin and the beds they slept on were wet from the rain. It was around 10pm when they felt their exhausted bodies and weary minds hungry for a good night’s rest and sleep. Just as they were turning the radio operations off for the day, they received a phone call. With a heavy heart and uncertainty, Binu, the station manager, answered the call.
“Sister, I am Jyoti Tamang from Patle. You run the disability program. My brother is also disabled; please come and talk to him. The villagers hate him.” Binu replied, “Okay, as you know the radio is on the road. I will come once I’m able to make some arrangements.”
The next few weeks went on with dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake and then the impending challenges of the monsoon season. It wasn’t until several months later, on 28th October, that Binu was able to make the journey to visit her home, which took about two days due to the distance and the rough terrain.
On the morning of the 29th, Binu reached the house of Jyoti Tamang’s mother, Lali Maya Tamang. It is a small dilapidated hut made of bamboo and thatch. They had no door to their hut and it was very dark and gloomy inside as no light was able to enter.
Inside the hut the living conditions were poor, a small bed made with wooden planks covered by a thin worn-out sheet. There were two other wooden planks across it on the floor where a nine-year-old with a disability sat.
Binu sat with them and spoke to them for a long time about their living conditions and social stigma and the discrimination that they faced from their neighbors and other villagers for being poor and having a son who was disabled.
During Binu’s conversation with the family, she found out that Lali’s husband had left her after her fifth child, her son, was born with a disability and now she had no means to provide for her family.
They often scrounged and foraged for food. Their living conditions and poverty were so severe that she even confessed to feeding her children dirty water and praying to God and asking him to bless as though it was rice. She only had a small patch of land to grow some maize with which she would take a handful for preparing each meal for her family. She had no money to buy her children clothes and they often wore torn and dirty clothes to cover themselves.
Before leaving the home and hearing about this misery over the years, Binu gifted her our solar radio and felt that an unspoken burden had been lifted after the conversation.
Her interview was later aired on our radio and hundreds of people were touched by her story and donations and support started pouring in. Immediately we were able to provide her with clothes, food, money and other home essentials. With the money she was able to repair her dilapidated hut. We were so touched by the number of people who came forward to help.
But our help and support did not end there. People from across the country and even form overseas donated funds for her. The next visit to her home we met with some local elders and found out that there was a plot of land in the name of her deceased mother-in-law. We made efforts to transfer the land ownership to her which took nearly two years.
The radio had gathered about USD 1800, which was insufficient to build her a home. But at that time, Okhaldhunga Community Hospital were running a housing program for landless people in the area. Our staff approached them and OCH found Lali Maya eligible and finally thanks to their assistance, a house was built for her which is earthquake resistant and had a disability-friendly toilet. Finally on 15th June 2018, the house was handed over to Lali Maya and her family.
However, it wasn’t until a recent visit on 9th April, 2024, that Binu learned of the impact the radio had over Lali Maya’s life. As Binu reached her home she noticed another small building in front of the home we previously built for her. She asked Lali, “Whose is this?” Lali replied, “The earthquake’s.” After the earthquake the government were distributing aid to landless and homeless people and providing funds and support to help build homes for them. Since Lali needed more space, she approached the government officials in her municipality. Lali Maya shared her story of how she started listening to the radio and felt empowered and emboldened to fight for her rights and the needs of the family, which meant knocking on the doors of government offices and persistently pleading her case with government officials. In doing so, she was able to receive government support to build another small building. Lali confessed that she was able to do this because she learned how to talk and had become empowered by listening to the radio. Lali also shares and thanked Binu for her efforts in helping her have a new home and a renewed hope for a better life. She now says that the villagers and community people give her respect and love and she too hopes to help others like her in need.