More than 2,000 women have been trained as stonemasons in Nepal to help rebuild the country after the devastating earthquake of 2015.

Half a million homes were destroyed in the quake three years ago, and many communities have yet to recover. According to The Guardian, this is partly to do with political upheaval and bureaucratic red tape, but is also down to a lack of trained builders.

To help tackle the problem, Swiss development agency Helvetas has trained 6,500 masons, a third of whom are women. The UK’s Department for International Development (DfID) provided funding for the project.

Phulsani Tamang, who lives in the eastern village of Baluwapati, said she and her friends initially faced resistance when they began their masonry training. “They said, ‘You are women so you can’t do it and you shouldn’t be doing it,’” she explained.

After she built eight houses in a year, however, attitudes changed. “Now the men walk by quietly when they see us working,” Tamang said. “They don’t dare to make negative comments.”

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Women’s Daily Dispatch: The news you need to know on 25/4/18