5 %\ 102949 Nepal Rural Housing Reconstruction Program Frequently Asked Questions on Rural Housing Reconstruction Grants WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR HOUSING RECONSTRUCTION GRANTS ? Eligible households will be determined through the Earthquake Household Damages and Characteristics (EHDC) survey, which is taking place in the 14 most- affected districts. Houses eligible for reconstruction grants: i) are owner-occupied, ii) include one kitchen to one house, and iii) do not include an annex structure/house. Experts suggest that about 80% of the eligible beneficiaries will fall under these criteria. The Project's Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) will handle other complex cases (e.g., multiple households in a house, split families, resettlement, land ownership issues, etc.). WILL ALL ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS RECEIVE THE ASSISTANCE ? The Project will fund as many eligible households as possible with the available funding (approximately 55,000 anticipated), while other donors and the Government of Nepal will cover the remaining eligible households. Priority will be given to the most-affected areas and more vulnerable population. How WILL THE ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLD BENEFICIARIES BE INFORMED ? The Government of Nepal will publicly disclose the list of eligible household beneficiaries at the Project relevant sites. How WILL ELIGIBILITY RELATED GRIEVANCES BE ADDRESSED ? The Project's Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) will align with and support the mechanism proposed in the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development's (MoFALD) Grievance Redress and Management Procedure (GRMP), specified in document #2072. Nepal Rural Housing Reconstruction Program How MUCH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE WILL EACH BENEFICIARY HOUSEHOLD RECEIVE ? The Project will follow the Government of Nepal policy and provide uniform assistance packages totaling NPR 200,000 per beneficiary household. IS THE ASSISTANCE PACKAGE INTENDED TO COVER THE FULL REPLACEMENT COST OF THE DESTROYED HOUSING STRUCTURES ? No. The assistance package was only calculated to cover the cost of constructing a housing unit with earthquake resistant standards. Any additional reconstruction costs will be borne by the beneficiary household. Any additional kind of construction (e.g., animal shelters, storage, etc.) will not be covered by the assistance package. How WILL THE PAYMENTS BE MADE ? With the support of the Project, beneficiaries are responsible for opening an account at a qualified financial institution of their choice prior to enrollment. The housing reconstruction grants will be released to the accounts of enrolled beneficiaries in three tranches linked to pre-approved milestones: 1. Upon signing of the Participation Agreement (PA) 2. Upon completion of the lintel/wall (verified by Inspection Teams) 3. Upon completion of the roof (verified by Inspection Teams) WHO WILL REBUILD THE HOUSING STRUCTURES ? Beneficiary households will be responsible for rebuilding their housing structures to meet the inspection criteria. The beneficiary household may choose to rebuild themselves and/or hire labor according to their needs (e.g., masons, carpenters, etc.). The Project will provide training to local artisans, facilitate building of material markets and disseminate information on earthquake-resilient construction techniques, all in coordination with partner organizations to assist the reconstruction process. OW ~Photo: The World 'Bank Housing reconstruction and human settlements were identified in the PDNA as the largest single need, accounting for almost half of the total reconstruction needs WILL THIS PROJECT REPLACE OTHER KIND OF ASSISTANCE ? No. Beneficiary households will remain eligible to receive assistance unrelated to the reconstruction of core housing units. CAN BENEFICIARY HOUSEHOLDS USE MATERIALS OF THEIR CHOICE ? There is no restriction in the use of materials as long as it complies with the earthquake-resilient construction techniques defined by the Project. CAN BENEFICIARY HOUSEHOLDS DESIGN THEIR OWN HOUSING STRUCTURES ? The Project will prepare a selection of preapproved core housing unit designs for beneficiary households. Beneficiaries are free to use their own designs, as long as it is in compliance with the Nepalese Building Code. IS THERE ANY ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENT FOR NEW CONSTRUCTIONS ? Beneficiary households will have to obtain a building permit for new construction and will have to comply with the Nepalese Building Code (NBC). WILL BENEFICIARY HOUSEHOLDS RECEIVE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ? Mobile Teams will conduct regular site visits to provide assistance to beneficiary households. Frequently Asked Questions ARE HOUSEHOLDS THAT HAVE ALREADY REBUILT OR REPAIRED THEIR HOUSE ELIGIBLE FOR GRANTS ? Yes, as long as the household complies with the eligibility criteria at the moment of the survey. Beneficiary households that have already rebuilt or repaired their housing structurewill only receive the housing reconstruction grant in lump sum after being verified by Inspection Teams to ensure compliance with earthquake resilient measures defined by the Project and attaining the Building Construction Completion Certificate from the VDC Secretary. If the rebuilt or repaired housing structure requires retrofitting or other structural improvements to meet the requirements, it is the responsibility of the beneficiary household to implement the changes to receive the housing reconstruction grant. How MUCH TIME WILL BENEFICIARIES HAVE TO COMPLETE THE WORKS ? Beneficiary households will have a maximum of 24 months to complete all project works. .4i. =Ph-.ghi U W Photo Simone D McCourtie The World Bank This material has been funded through the Nepal Rural Housing Reconstruction Program Multi-Donor Trust Fund, thanks to the contributions of: US Agency for International Development (USAID), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the World Bank. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the US or Swiss governments official policies or the policies of the World Bank and its Board of Executive Directors. January 201 6 FUNDED BY Schweizerische E idge nossensc haft ...MANAGED BY 10 Co:n:e:er:tion *suiU SA I THE WOR LD BAN K Confeerazun sizraFROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC