Barpak, May 24

After the devastating earthquake of last April robbed her of her beloved son and her home, 65-year-old Kalimaya Ghale of Barpak, Gorkha, somehow managed to get through the monsoon.

But one year on, her travails have not ended.

“I shudder when I recount how I roughed out the monsoon from a make-do shelter but it appears my plight will continue this year too,” said Kalimaya, who hasn’t so far received the grant pledged by the government for the reconstruction of her damaged house.

“I heard the state pledging to help reconstruct our houses, but till date I haven’t got anything in the name of reconstruction. The only amount I’ve got so far is the immediate relief amount of 15,000 rupees and an additional 10,000 rupees as winter allowance,” said the grandmother of four, who makes ends meet for her family by crushing stones.

Kalimaya is worried about her grandchildren. “As I’m in my twilight years, I am not worried about myself as much as about the small children and my two daughter-in-laws,” she said, adding, “Many people in the village erected houses on their own, but lacking the wherewithals, I don’t know when I will have my own house ready.”

Like Kalimaya, around 1,400 quake victims are still living in temporary shelters in the village.