A Verbal Picture of Nepal
Nepal’s population is approximately 28 million people. But consider the state of these people. Agriculture provides a livelihood for three-quarters of the population and accounts for one-third of GDP. Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world . 65% of people do not have their basic needs fulfilled, 44% are living in multidimensional poverty and 25-40% are living in extreme poverty. The unemployment rate is 46% and inflation was 10.4 % in 2010. Only 52% of the population is literate with female illiteracy very high, especially in rural areas.
While schooling is available many parents keep their children home as they don’t see the value of education and are so poor they need more hands to work and bring in extra income. Hygiene and sanitation are poor and many people, especially children die of preventable diseases. Infant, child and maternal mortality rates are improving, but remain high. Access to safe drinking water and toilets is a big issue.
Eating meals off clean dishes is something many people take for granted. But it is a luxury many people in Nepal don’t have. In the village areas in south Nepal where we work, many people wash dishes with dirty water or leave them on the ground where animals can come and lick them clean or walk over them. Our health awareness team has been raising awareness of hygiene with some of the community groups we work with.
A Good Result
One outcome of this is that several groups have decided to make dish drying racks from local materials. Once dishes
are washed with clean water, they are then placed on the racks above the ground to dry in the sun. Now the drying dishes are out of the reach of cows/goats/dogs and not walked over by chickens/rats. We will be visiting the communities again to see if the racks are still being used appropriately and if there has any been any reduction in diarrhea (a big problem in the villages) since hygiene has improved.
Health facilities in rural areas are generally understaffed, under-resourced and underutilized. These dire circumstances are exacerbated by many of the social problems that generally accompany poverty: alcohol abuse, gambling, domestic violence, sexual abuse and interpersonal conflict which in general is very high.
Attack the issues of lack of safe drinking water, lack of toilets, lack of hygiene and sanitation knowledge and behaviour, lack of disease prevention knowledge, child and maternal morbidity and mortality from preventable causes, minimal care and support for people affected by HIV/AIDS. In summary, attack the lack!
- to improve access and usage of safe drinking water and toilets
- to improve knowledge of hygiene/sanitation, nutrition and preventable diseases
- to reduce stigma and enable others to provide some care and support to HIV affected people
- to encourage women and children to take positive action to improving their own, family and community health
We want to assist people living in slum areas or poor rural communities without current access to safe drinking water or sanitation. Many of these are of low caste or poorer, marginalized ethnic groups, 65% of whom are women.
Children and youth hold the future in their hands so we need to reach them, and also people living with HIV and AIDS and their families.
Information about Julie Here
- Dr Julie Lincoln on Nepal Project Posted on: September 4, 2017
- Upwards with Health in Nepal! Posted on: July 12, 2016
- Grace Care School Improvements - June 2016 Posted on: July 8, 2016
- Nepal - Winterisation Project Posted on: March 7, 2016
- Nepal - Calamity following Earthquake Posted on: January 12, 2016
- Behind the Scenes in Nepal Relief Posted on: January 11, 2016
- Slow progress following earthquake Posted on: October 15, 2015
- Nepal - The Drama Continues Posted on: July 17, 2015
- Nepal's Earthquake Drama Continues Posted on: May 13, 2015
- Nepal Removing the Rubble Posted on: May 8, 2015