Microfinance for disaster recovery: lessons from the 2015 Nepal earthquake

This report assesses the impact of a livelihood restoration microcredit provided to affected households after the earthquake in Nepal in April 2015.

The 7.6-magnitude earthquake on 25 April 2015 caused not only human casualties, but also considerable damage to the livelihoods of the poor. ADB provided grant assistance for the livelihood restoration microcredit initiative. This assessment finds that post-disaster access to finance has a strong positive impact on the recovery of affected households. The report also recommends how microfinance institutions can promote disaster risk management for poor rural households.