Country profile

Sandwiched between two huge neighbours - India and China - the landscape of Nepal varies from the icy Himalayas to the tropical forest in the Terai. Its culture is a mosaic of 70 different ethnic groups speaking as many as 50 languages and dialects with their own distinct history, costume and culture, while two major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, coexist.

Nepal’s economy is based on agriculture. However, poor soils, difficult terrain, uncertain climate and unequal distribution of resources, exacerbated by internal conflict, have lead to widespread food insecurity particularly in remote rural areas. Although absolute poverty has declined in the last ten years, 31 per cent of the population are still considered to live in poverty and the difference between the rich and poor is increasing.

Nepal remains the least developed nation in South Asia and is ranked 138 out of 189 countries assessed in the United Nation’s 2006 Global Human Development Index. This translates into facts such as – 49 per cent of children exhibit indications of chronic malnutrition (stunting) with some areas (where we are working) showing levels as high as 60 per cent. Nepal despite recent improvement is the 63rd worst country in the world in terms of mortality of children under five years of age.

Nepal’s history of pervasive poverty and centralised power, with resources in the hands of a narrow elite, has given rise to increasing social tension and the emergence of an armed insurgency during the 1990s. A popular people’s movement ended a period of autocratic Royal rule in 1996 leading to the restoration of parliament and an eventual signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement in November of that year.

At present the country is undergoing an unprecedented period of social and political change. There are real prospects for a ‘New Nepal’ based on democratic principles and inclusive economic development for sectors of the population traditionally marginalised (women, lower castes and indigenous people). Realising this opportunity is key to ending entrenched poverty and ensuring the future stability of the country.

Oxfam in Nepal

Oxfam has been funding projects in Nepal since the 1980s. Initially, we focused on health, funding hospital equipment, working with sufferers from Hanson's disease and TB, and long-term support to rural community health services.

The level of Oxfam funding increased substantially with democratisation in 1990 as it became easier for Nepali organisations to work in the new political environment. During the 1990s, the focus moved towards income generation, water and sanitation and adult literacy and also providing assistance to Bhutanese refugee camps in eastern Nepal.

Between 2000 and 2005 the country programme focused on promoting social inclusion of traditionally marginalised groups (dalits, women and ethnic groups) and working with local partner organisations to combat violence against women and trafficking of girls and in supporting flood-affected communities to respond to and reduce the impact of floods and to support improved livelihoods.

Our country programme continues to carry out rights-based programmes that link grass-roots projects to national policies and practices. We continue to focus on the most marginalised groups. Currently we are supporting a variety of Nepali partner organisations to implement three programmes:

Public health and basic livelihoods

Oxfam’s programme focuses on public health and basic livelihoods in remote rural communities in the mid and far Western districts. These areas were most affected by the years of armed insurgency and exhibit some of the worst development indicators in the country.

Public health activities include the provision of safe water supplies and latrines as well as promotion of safe hygiene behaviours. Our livelihoods work focuses on increasing income generation and improving food security through improved production of crops and marketing.

Humanitarian response

Oxfam continues to provide support to flood-affected communities in the lowland Teria area that is prone to seasonal flooding as the monsoonal rains combine with snow melting from the high mountains in the summer. Activities include both response to floods (such as the distribution of shelter kits) and activities to mitigate the affect of floods (such as the construction of safe shelters, the protection of river banks and the protection of wells).

We also provide support to conflict-affected communities including the provision of safe water and latrines. We also run income-generating activities for communities displaced from the mid and far Western districts of the country by the insurgency.

Advocacy and campaigns

The main focus of our advocacy and campaigning work is to support Nepali organisations to overcome discrimination (particularly of dalit men and women and minority groups), violence against women and improve access to essential services (such as health services).

Key activities include research on critical issues such as access to health services, support for lobbying organisations such as the federation of water user groups, and the building of alliances (such as the We Can campaign – see below). This work is particularly important as Nepal begins a process to develop new government structures and policies to address the multitude of poverty-related issues.

WE CAN – end all violence against women (Campaign in Nepal)

The South Asia regional campaign, WE CAN End All Violence Against Women, was launched in Nepal in December 2004 by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Women Children and Social Welfares. The campaign focuses on the mobilisation of individual Change Makers committed to ending the acceptance and practice of violence against women by them and their peers.

The campaign has spread to now include 35 of Nepal’s 75 districts with more than 35,000 Change Makers taking a collective stand against social acceptance of violence. Despite the challenging political environment, WE CAN has engaged a mosaic of Change Makers, ranging from school children, college students to teachers, social activists and professionals comprising men and women of all castes and creeds.

Visit the campaign website www.wecanendvaw.org (regional) or contact us at campaign2endvaw@yahoo.com

 

Last updated: April 08