However, the outlook is now bleaker. Although three months have elapsed since the quake, victims are still complaining about not receiving any kind of aid.Muna Danuwar of Ojhetar in Panchkhal VDC-11 said, "At the time of the quake, I had just become a new mother. My newborn has fallen victim to lack of good nutrition and harsh living conditions." According to her, there were 35 other new mothers in the Danuwar community of the district at the time.
Muna's daughter was just a few days old when the quake struck. "I hurt my back in the incident, while my daughter's ears sometimes start oozing blood suddenly," she said.
Currently, Muna works on a farm to make ends meet. One hears similar stories in the district of new mothers facing hurdles while things limp back to normal.
Children in the affected areas have their own story of misfortune. With all public schools destroyed by the quake, school-goers have been studying in temporary shelters. Even private schools at district headquarters Dhulikhel have been running their classes under makeshift corrugated tin roofing.
While assistance from the government, local and institutional levels has been available, most of the schools have not even constructed temporary shelters for their classes. Except for schools under management committees with a degree of dynamism, schools have left the financial aid they received idle in the bank.
"I have not checked the funds deposited till now in our bank account. We plan to rebuild our school for sustainability rather than settling for anything temporary," said Mahendra Yadav, principal of Aajad Higher Secondary School.
Quake-hit people do not face the sole problem of homelessness. Those in temporary shelters live in fear of possible flooding and wild animals, and the unhygienic environment worries them much.
Following a recent landslide, about 639 households in the vulnerable areas have been shifted to safer locations but life for them is equally miserable still.
"In case of a landslide here, there will not be any place nearby to escape to," said Santa Bahadur Thing, a local of Nagbel in Chyamrang Besi VDC-9. According to him, he has not even received the Rs 15,000 grant ensured by the government to all quake victims. He has now moved temporarily to Malpi in Panauti.
"We could have managed things better if we had gotten some aid. But I have not heard of anyone from this VDC receiving anything. We didn't receive any aid for more than a week even after April 25," he said.
Victims in the remoter places such as Saldhara, Salmechakal, Milche, Gokule and Budhekhani are still hoping to receive some financial aid.
Sujan Rana Magar, a local of Budhakhani, said, "Dhulikhel has been neglecting the VDCs of this area time and again. Neither have we received any immediate quake aid nor the succor of Rs 15,000."
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