Dear Friends,
Welcome to the latest edition of CECI Nepal newsletter ‘IMPACT’. In this issue you will get a glimpse of our major activities that took place between January and April 2015.
This year brought many challenges but also many opportunities. At the end of April, a devastating earthquake of 7.8 magnitude hit the country killing thousands and displacing millions of people. CECI Nepal immediately started emergency response work, putting regular programming temporarily on hold. The main emergency response included support in shelter, food, health and hygiene and non-food items for the affected families of selected VDCs in Sindhupalchok and Kavrepalanchok Districts. CECI then continued its on-going programs — consulting work with the Skills Development Project, managing its volunteer programs and moving towards completion of commitments to the Multi-Stakeholder Forestry Program. We welcomed new volunteers and bade farewell to outgoing volunteers.
As the relief phase is over, we are now preparing for rehabilitation and reconstruction in the earthquake affected areas. CECI is also preparing for the follow up phase of Program for Accountability in Nepal with World Bank support and Uniterra 3 (U3) with the financial support of the Canadian government. As always, we are strengthening our commitments towards capacity building, good governance, gender equality and social inclusion.
I would like to thank all of our partners including government agencies, donors, civil society and other organizations for their continued support. Finally, I would like to thank Ms Mallika Bhattarai and Mr Phil Robinson for their efforts to bring this newsletter to fruition. I hope you will enjoy reading this.
Keshava Koirala, Country Representative
CECI Nepal