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Home sweet home: Nine months in a Raleigh house

I was having a meal here in the house when the earthquake struck. At the time my daughter was sick and we were watching TV while eating dinner. Then all of a sudden, all the stones started to fall down. My eldest daughter was outside, so we ran outside to join her away from the house. The house was devastated at the time.

For 2 years after the earthquake we were living in a cottage which we’d built ourselves. We could not afford to build a proper house. It was a real struggle, especially when the cold weathers came. Mice and rats used to come into the house and would eat our crops, which made it difficult as the crops are our livelihood.”

Sajita has been living in her new house for over nine months

In early 2017, Raleigh volunteers worked in Baltar to construct a number of new houses for people whose homes were affected by the earthquake. For Sajita and her family, receiving a new home from Raleigh was a moment of big change.

Raleigh volunteers built 10 houses in the community of Baltar

“I was so happy when I found out we were going to get a new house. It had been a long two years in the cottage. I am happy now I don’t have to worry about rain and storms. We have a permanent house now where all the family can be together, and I am happy that I am now able to collect grains and store them inside my house. We are now safer from the outside.”

Sajita’s house being built in 2017

“Our new house is stronger and is going to be more resilient against tremors. I feel relieved that if another earthquake strikes we will be safer. This has been my biggest hope, especially after seeing my other house fall apart.”

Sajita and her mother at the entrance of their new house

“I feel really happy with the support from the volunteers. When they were building my house the climate was really hot, but they still came and they still helped. We learnt a lot from them and they passed lots of information to my children, like handwashing, and they learnt a lot about us and our culture in Baltar.  They felt like our own children, so when they left it was an emotional and happy moment, especially with my new house standing.”


Raleigh International’s house-building projects ended in 2017. Raleigh volunteers continue to work in communities affected by the earthquake on water and sanitation projects, changing lives for people in Gorkha. 

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