On 9 May 2015, survivors of Nepal's earthquake stood in a queue to receive food near a makeshift shelter in Kathmandu. A Reuters photograph identifies the place, date and purpose of the line following the 25 April earthquake. For people who had lost homes, waiting for a share of food had become part of shelter life.
Relief may cross borders by aircraft and truck, but it must finally be divided among individuals. With roads, storage and supplies constrained, a queue is a simple way to distribute aid in order. It is also a place where survivors must spend time and physical energy to secure a meal. Recovery began not only with damaged buildings, but with the small daily sequence through which food reached each household.