Oxfam is entering a new phase of reconstruction response in Nepal one and a half years after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated much of the Himalayan country. And rather than rely solely on traditional tools used in recovery efforts after a natural disaster, it is an initiative based on innovation, high-tech and experimentation.
The suite of experimental methods being tried include using repurposed plastic bottles as vital home insulation, 3-D printers to instantly create spare parts in remote rural locations and a handful of mapping mobile apps — all coming on top of the usual hygiene kits and input vouchers that dominated the first year of recovery.
In early December, Oxfam Nepal staff and partners will use material made from recycled plastic bottles to insulate approximately 50-100 homes in the most affected earthquake districts in the Kathmandu Valley. The insulation pilot, meant to test the effectiveness of keeping shelters warm in the winter and cool in the summer, is just one of a long list of ideas the aid and development charity is supporting or implementing — including a program idea, still in infancy, to create businesses to sell 3-D printed water pipe fittings.
About the author
Kelli Rogers@kellierin
Kelli Rogers has worked as an Associate Editor and Southeast Asia Correspondent for Devex, with a particular focus on gender. Prior to that, she reported on social and environmental issues from Nairobi, Kenya. Kelli holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, and has reported from more than 20 countries.