Kathmandu, May 8 -- The rain had been falling on and off all afternoon over the Balkhu riverbank. What remained of the settlement-broken walls, scattered debris, patches of open ground where homes had stood days earlier-was slick and grey. Ganesh Shrestha and Rajiv Rai stepped out of Sneha's Care van and began clapping.

''Fuchey, Khairey, Govinde, Seti-aaijo,'' they called out. Come on, little ones.

From behind rubble, from under sheets of corrugated iron, from the far edge of the embankment, dogs began to appear. Some came running, jumping, visibly recognising the two men who had been showing up every day since the first bulldozers moved in. Others held back. A few stood at a distance and barked-wary of the van, which they associated w...