Happy Holidays from the Mobile Citizen Helpdesks team!

Over the past 8 months, the Mobile Citizen Helpdesks team has been working hard to make sure Nepali citizens’ voices are heard and their needs are met during the earthquake relief process.

Each month our team of 100+ dedicated, local volunteers surveys 1,400 citizens across Nepal’s 14 “crisis zones”. We are pleased to announce that our most recent Community Feedback Report demonstrates a markable improvement in citizens’ perceptions of the relief process! For the first time since the earthquakes, the majority of survey respondents said that their information needs are being met and that they believe that aid is being provided fairly. We also identified the key issues that remain–ranging from a lack of winter preparedness to an increase in the harassment of women to unsafe school structures. This data feeds into UN-OCHA’s Inter-Agency Common Feedback Project and informs the work of over 25 of the largest agencies and NGOs in the country.

Our volunteers are also actively listening to rumors and concerns in communities across Nepal, and publishing frequent reports to close the information gaps between citizens, aid workers, and government responders. In this week’s OpenMic report, we informed citizens about: the current distribution of free wheat seeds, how to hold their local government offices accountable for the earthquake relief funds they’ve received, when those who contributed to road repair projects will receive payment for their work, the status of government grants for rebuilding homes damaged during the earthquake, and more!

The project continues to ramp up this month as we launch a Follow The Money campaign to help citizens play an active role in demanding accountability.

This exciting impact was made possible by your generous donations. While media attention has died down, Nepal needs our continued help! 69% of citizens said that their needs are not being addressed, and cold weather and a border blockade of basic supplies add new challenges to many earthquake victims’ lives. There are many ways you can continue to support our work and make the earthquake relief efforts more effective:

1. As your friends and family look for meaningful ways to give to this holiday season, tell them about the Mobile Citizen Helpdesks and encourage them to join you in supporting this important cause.

2.  Help us make this work sustainable over time by setting up a recurring gift to the Mobile Citizen Helpdesks crowdfunding campaign.

3. Dedicate your next holiday or athletic event to improving people’s lives in Nepal through the Mobile Citizen Helpdesks. Learn more about GlobalGiving’s simple process to become a “Fundraiser” here.

4.  Help us improve our work by taking our 2015 Impact Survey here. We value feedback from all stakeholders, including dedicated supporters like you!

Thank you so much for your continued interest and support!

eedev