Background
These regions, which lie in high Himalayan valleys where Nepal, India, and China border one another, are among the poorest and most isolated in Nepal. In addition to chronic poverty, the area was particulary hard hit by the Maoist insurgency in Nepal and fighting between insurgents and government forces. Following the 2006 peace agreement, people have been able to return to their homes and are largely free from violence. For the most part, normal life can begin again.
Serious social problems remain to be tackled, however. Clean water and illnesses from drinking impure water are among the worst of the problems. Infant and child mortality are high. Illnesses also cause ripple effects in these agricultural villages: sick children cannot attend school and men and women affected by illness cannot work, holding families in states of poverty. Clean water sources are needed to eliminate the use of dirty water from irrigation canals, open pools (often used by animals for drinking) and rivers.
There is a dire need for education on hygiene and sanitation as well. People simply do not know that drinking contaminated water can cause health problems. And they remain ignorant of easy ways to prevent such diseases from spreading. Basic hygiene information on hand washing, storage and preparation of food, and disposal of human waste (such as building and using latrines) is vital and can dramatically change health standards in a short time.
Action
The project will address provision of clean water sources, hygiene education, and latrine construction simultaneously. Mission East's partner for the project is a Nepalese NGO, the Karnali Integrated Rural Development and Research Centre (KIRDARC). KIRDARC and Mission East will work together to build spring water systems and water storage tanks in 41 villages and to build latrines for the more than 800 families who live there. Hygiene promotion activities will target all the people who live in these villages. Teams composed of hygiene promoters (who will be from the villages themselves) and villagers will learn in their homes about how to prevent diseases with better hygiene. School children will receive the same lessons in school, reinforcing the messages in families. The information will be developed by Nepalese experts and taught by local people, so it will be culturally appropriate, in the beneficiaries' own language, and address directly their specific problems and social issues. |
Project Aims: To improve the immediate living conditions of conflict-affected rural population in Mid West Nepal through reducing vulnerability to waterborne/ excreta-related disease.
Major Donor: ECHO
Project Code: NEP-ECHO-002
Location: Jaira and Kalika VDCs (Humla) and Dhainakot and Photu VDCs (Mugu)
This project is funded by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Department
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