why nepal - raleigh...
TRANSCRIPT
Why Nepal
According to the Human
Development Index (HDI),
Nepal is among the poorest
and least developed countries
in the world. Ranking at
145/188 Nepal is the second
poorest country in the Asia
with 23.8% of people living
below the poverty line.
Inequality remains a major
challenge; only 6% of women
are in formal employment,
and only 10% of working
women receive payment for their work. The poor and marginalised are more likely to suffer from
unforeseen circumstances such as climate change and natural hazards – Nepal is the fourth most
climate vulnerable country in the world.
On April 25th 2015, Nepal experienced a devastating earthquake in which over 8,000 people lost
their lives. More than 22,000 people were injured and over 800,000 homes were destroyed. Due
to Nepal’s high levels of inequality and poverty it was the marginalised (the poor, women, and
children) that suffered the most. They lost the ability to provide for themselves even the most basic
needs of food, water and shelter.
Working in Gorkha and Makwanpur two districts that were severely affected by the earthquake,
you will focus on strengthening the resilience of these communities helping them prepare for some
of the challenges that lie ahead.
Raleigh’s Focus in Nepal
In Gorkha and Makwanpur, our work focuses helping the poorest and most vulnerable
communities by ensuring they have the ability to provide for themselves even the most basic
needs. Raleigh works with volunteers and communities to provide access to safe water and
sanitation, build communities that are resilient to natural disasters and climate change, all the
while promoting a culture of youth leadership.
WASH
Only 27% of the population in Nepal has access to basic sanitation, and majority of the people do
not have a latrine1. Those without access rely on local surface water like rivers for bathing and
washing clothes. As a result, Nepal faces a high number of water-borne diseases such as
diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid, gastroenteritis and cholera. It is estimated that 44,000 children die
every year in Nepal from waterborne diseases.2
1 http://www.wateraid.org/np/what-we-do/the-crisis/sanitation 2 https://thewaterproject.org/water-in-crisis-nepal
In the hilly communities of Gorkha
and Makwanpur access to water,
sanitation and hygiene is very poor.
Most people practice open
defecation and are unaware of
basic hygiene practices.3 Women
and children (especially girls)
spend 1-3 hours per day collecting
water, which restricts access to
education, pursuit of economic
gains, and social activities.
Raleigh is committed to improving access to safe water and sanitation in communities in rural Nepal
through awareness-raising, training and construction projects. These projects improve the health of the communities we work with and free up individual’s time to attend school and pursue livelihoods. Raleigh also helps set up community groups such as water management committees, these encourage communities to take advantage of the projects and ensure their long term sustainability.
Community Resilience
Community resilience is something we often
take for granted. For example, in Europe,
when there is severe flooding the health
service, police, local government and other
community organisations are expected to
react. They ensure people are safe,
provided with food and shelter and that
damaged roads and houses are repaired.
Communication between these services
and the affected community means
damages are limited and a return to a
normal way of life is fairly quick. This is
community resilience; the ability of a
community to cope with and recover from
shocks and stresses (such as natural
disasters and economic or social upheavals) and enhance their well-being and that of future
generations without undermining the natural environment or resource base.
Many rural communities in Nepal lack the ability to do this. They do not have the organisation or
access to the services that make it possible to deal with environmental or economic changes.
When disasters such as floods or earthquakes occur, the damage is far greater and the negative
effects much longer lasting. Raleigh hopes to help build resilience in Nepal’s rural communities by
encouraging the forming of community groups, improving access to health and education services
and introducing alternative ways for individuals to make their living.
3 http://rsr.akvo.org/en/project/364/#report
Youth Leadership
Young people are often particularly
vulnerable to the many issues
caused by poverty; however, they
are also best placed to take up the
challenge of addressing these
issues. 27% of the population in
Nepal is between the ages of 15-
29, most of which leave Nepal in
seach of employment. It is
estimated that at least 1,500 youth
leave the country every day. In
order to harness the potential of
young people to create sustainable change, it is important that we work to develop a culture of
youth leadership.
Raleigh believes that young people have the energy, enthusiasm and potential to make a positive
change in their own communities and globally. Your expedition will give you, your fellow volunteers
and the young people in the communities you work with the opportunity to develop a range of skills
and attitudes. By developing young leaders, we hope communities, both local and global, will
continue to work towards a sustainable future.
What will Venturers Do?
There are three phases to your expedition, two community project, and an adventure phase. If you
are on a 5/7week expedition, you will do two of these phases. Your community projects involve at
least two activity types which are always interlinked. These are awareness raising and
infrastructure construction
Awareness Raising
The aim of awareness raising is to have a positive effect on people’s health and environments by
encouraging them to change their behaviour. By demonstrating the positive impacts of different
behaviour we encourage communities to change their habits. This is done through interactive
sessions with focus groups, music, art or drama – we leave it up to the group to decide how they
want to present this.
This type of work is critical for ensuring that any infrastructure you help with is used to its
maximum potential.
Infrastructure construction
The aim of infrastructure construction is to provide communities with the facilities that allow them
to lead healthier and more sustainable lives. Local people are likely to be very capable of building
and maintaining their own infrastructure. Raleigh volunteers contribute by offering an extra pair of
hands and, more importantly, by linking the new facilities with positive behaviour changes. For
example, you might combine the rehabilitation or construction of a WASH facility with promotion of
healthy behaviours such as hand washing.
All volunteers will be given a chance to lead their group while carrying out these activities. With the
support of project managers, they will take on the responsibility of ensuring the group works as a
team achieve the day’s objectives.
You will find out the exact details of your projects when you arrive in country.
Community Phase
In this phase you will be staying with a
rural community and living with local
families. You will work on WASH
(Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), and
community resilience projects.
The WASH phase will focus on
rebuilding or constructing safe water
schemes and sanitation facilities, many
of which were destroyed in the 2015,
7.8 magnitude earthquake. As a way of
guaranteeing the success of the project long after Raleigh leave the site, you will be responsible
for raising awareness on the issues of WASH and improving sanitation practices in the community.
The community resilience phase is about increasing the capacity and capability of rural
communities to withstand and overcome environmental, economic and social challenges. You will
be focusing on working with the community to repair and construct homes in earthquake affected
communities. By doing this you will be providing community members with one of the first level
basic necessities, shelter. The security of having a home will allow members of the communities to
focus on improving their livelihood.
Adventure Phase
This phase is a chance for UK, international and in-country volunteers, to develop their teamwork
and leadership skills while exploring Nepal’s diverse and hilly terrain.
Volunteers will take turns leading the group through the wild mountainous regions landscape and
remote communities. While it is certainly an adventure, this phase also provides invaluable
personal development and cultural learning opportunities giving volunteers the skills to continue
being active citizens in the future.