Take services to the people
Forcing aspiring migrant workers to come to Kathmandu for all paperwork is unkind […]
One year working to close the feedback loop
By: Sara Rodriguez, Accountability Lab Resident in Nepal One year after I joined the Mobile Citizens Helpdesk (MCHD) team and one and a half years after two massive earthquakes changed the lives of thousands of Nepalis, I visited two of the fourteen districts MCHD works within, Kavre and Sindhupalchowk. Sadly, the scene hasn't changed much since the disaster. Mountains of rubble, temporary shelters made of CGI sheets and wood, and poor communal toilets still dot the landscape in these districts that were among the hardest hit and where we’ve worked since June 2015. While the rebuilding process is indeed slow, the [...]
Gathering and sharing feedback to improve the earthquake response in Nepal
By: Sara Rodriguez, Accountability Lab Resident in Nepal Accountability Lab and Local Interventions Group started the Mobile Citizen Helpdesks (MCHDs) just under a year ago with very limited resources. Right after the first earthquake on April 26, 2015, we mobilized volunteers to provide earthquake-related information to victims and to close the feedback loop by connecting citizens needing assistance with different organizations who could provide relief. Today the MCHDs are a consolidated project that has reached over 60,000 citizens in 800 communities. We are now systematically documenting the progress and the challenges of the emergency relief and the recovery processes. At the same time, we are [...]
Broken lines
By: Maximillian Morch. This article was originally published by Republica. International response to natural disasters continue to fail to address the needs of affected communities Shakti Thami from Suspa village of Dolakha district was working in Charikot, the district headquarters, when the earthquake struck on April 25, 2015. Ten months later, he shares a house with four other families. He is still waiting for government compensation. He is not sure when the money will come. “There’s so much confusion. People in one ward have received funds but we haven’t. We are told the money isn’t coming from Kathmandu, but no [...]
Powerful Citizen Media to Champion Responsible Governments
By: Karolle Rabarison. This blog post was originally published by Media Rise. Interview produced by Katie Gach. I recently sat down with Blair Glencorse, Executive Director of Accountability Lab. The Lab “catalyzes a new generation of active citizens and responsible leaders around the world.” As part of this year’s Media Rise festival, Blair will lead a workshop on media’s role in promoting civic engagement, happening at the OpenGov Hub on September 29, 2015 (register). Media Rise: Last year, Accountability Lab was the Media Rise Pitch Night People’s Choice Award. That contributed to the film school in Liberia where students are making films to [...]
Can you stop a rumor?
By: Alison Campbell, Senior Director for Global Initiatives at Internews. This article was originally published by Internews. In Nepal, a band of local volunteers are trying — with SMS, radio, the Internet, and old fashioned door-to-door reporting. For survivors, the immediate priorities in a disaster such as an earthquake seem clear: Get to safety. Help your family and those around you. Reach the people you love and tell them, “I’m OK.” A Nepal radio reporter interviews earthquake survivors. Credit: Madhu Acharya/Internews But after the initial crisis is over, survivors are faced with a million uncertainties and questions as they try to piece together [...]
With Support From Google Disaster Corps
One of the most important aspects often not given enough attention after a disaster is how technology can be used to build our capacity to do to good. After the devastating earthquakes in Nepal this year, there was a great need to find creative ways to better provide for those in need and make information more inclusive and accessible. This summer, four members of the Google Disaster Corps traveled to Kathmandu to spend two weeks partnering with Accountability Lab and Local Interventions Group to enhance data management in their earthquake relief project, Mobile Citizen Helpdesk. The Google team consisted of [...]
From the ground: Accountability Lab’s Nepal earthquake relief efforts
By: Emily Collins, Marketing and Communications Fellow at GlobalGiving. This blog post was originally published on GlobalGiving’s GlobalGoodness blog. For earthquake relief in Nepal, connection is key. Displaced Nepali citizens found themselves unable to connect with organizations to provide essential needs, like food, water, and medical aid. Accountability Lab is dedicated to making this connection possible. At GlobalGiving, we were fortunate enough to get in contact with Narayan Adhikari, the representative for Accountability Lab: South Asia, and gather a bit of look into what is happening on the ground in Nepal. Through their Mobile Citizen Helpdesk project, Narayan and Accountability Lab have been able [...]