Sindhupalchowk , Nepal 25 September 2015-- The Community Information Center (CIC) was officially opened to the public last week at Sipapokhare Village Development Committee (VDC) of Sindhupalchowk district, some 66 kilometers from Kathmandu. One more such CIC is also established at Irkhu VDC of the same district.

The CICs are targeted to serve information needs of people affected by the earthquake by providing them technical assistance and guidance on building earthquake resilient houses. Similar CICs are being established at two locations each in Dolakha, Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts.

Addressing the inaugural function, chief guest Yug Bahadur Khadka, Information Officer at the Sindhupalchowk District Development Committee (DDC), said that coordination with all stakeholders would be crucial in smooth operation of CICs. He expressed confidence that the local people will get maximum benefit from the centers.

Speaking at the occasion , Santosh Lama, Senior Engineer at UN-Habitat mentioned that the centers will serve as an information hub for communities seeking technical information on ‘building back better and safer’. Secretary of the Sipapokhare VDC, Chet Nath Humagain expressed his satisfaction on the initiatives taken by UN-Habitat and Community Development and Environment Conservation Forum (CDECF) in providing material support for temporary shelters and reliable information on safer construction techniques.

Representatives from DDC and VDC including focal persons from various sectors/clusters, political parties, schools and members of the Village-Water, Sanitation and Hygiene-Coordination Committee participated in the program.

Temporary shelter project in Sindhupalchowk, Nepal

The CICs are established as part of the temporary shelter project ‘Shelter Provision for the Most Vulnerable before & during the Monsoon’ implemented by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in partnership with a local NGO, Community Development and Environment Conservation Forum (CDECF).

The project is funded by the Government of Japan. The project that started in June this year has been providing material support (e.g. Corrugated Galvanized Sheets etc.) for 500 vulnerable families at four VDCs of Sindhupalchowk district (Irkhu, Kubinde, Sipapokhare and Bhotsipa) in building temporary shelter.

The vulnerable families especially the single women, differently-abled and those from Dalit, Janajati communities and who lost their family member during the earthquake were given preference. Along with temporary shelter construction and information services on safer construction techniques, the project aims to promote sustainable sanitation and good hygiene practices at communities.