Nepal - Restoring and maintaining open spaces has long been recognized as a key way to increase resilience in disaster-prone areas. Nepal’s open space concept was initiated in 2009 as a flood-related response. The spaces, identified to meet the communities’ projected needs, were used to great effect in the aftermath of the country’s 2015 earthquake.

Sanogaucharan football ground in the Nepalese capital is one of 83 designated open spaces in the Kathmandu valley. Last Saturday it was the venue for a friendly match between IOM Nepal and YUWA, a local youth HIV advocacy organization to raise awareness on preserving and protecting open spaces.

Before the match, volunteers cleaned to pitch and held a rally to encourage the community to participate in the campaign.

“This match forms part of a series of campaigns that place emphasis on the roles of communities and local volunteers in supporting the government’s efforts to maintain these spaces,” said IOM Nepal’s Jitendra Bohara.

The involvement of Nepalese citizens in assisting the government-led campaign serves as a model example for other disaster-prone areas hoping to raise awareness of the need to protect open spaces. Local communities have developed coalitions of women’s groups, youth clubs, local authorities, and businesses to participate in the campaign.

Communities can turn these spaces into sports and recreation areas, as well as incorporating green infrastructure into the urban planning. In doing so, they will gain a better sense of how these open spaces can be used in times of disaster.

The campaign is part of IOM Nepal’s project, “Identification and Management of Open Spaces for Disaster Preparedness”, in partnership with the Government of Nepal, with support from the United States Agency for International Development's Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA). 

The project aims to enhance the government’s preparedness efforts and establish coherent approaches in managing the needs of displaced populations after a large-scale earthquake in remote areas and cities.

For further information, please contact IOM Nepal. Jitendra Bohara, Tel: +977 9801004571, Email: jbohara@iom.int or Ariani Hasanah Soejoeti, Tel: +977 9810175020, Email: ahsoejoeti@iom.int.