How providing cash is helping people recover from the Nepal earthquake | Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD)

After the 25 April earthquake in Nepal, the World Food Programme (WFP) started distributing cash in exchange for recovery work. Since the earthquake destroyed most of the harvest that the people of Nepal depended on for food, people in the villages are grateful to be given food and other essential materials in return for helping other members of the community build shelters.

The earthquake destroyed almost every structure in Jhirghari and the livestock that the people depended on for food. WFP distributed eighty dollars to 8,800 households in Makwanpur in two installments. The families who received the money were asked to do some light work such as removing rubble and rehabilitating their fields.

This cash for work programme is being extended to other earthquake affected areas of Nepal in the following weeks. In addition to aiding the communities with resources, the money is also benefitting the local economy of Nepal. "People here had lost everything, but with WFP money coming in, we saw trade increase," said the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce in Palung when asked about the cash for work programme.

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