Past Projects Nepal

Here are some of the projects that our volunteers have completed as part of the WYI Overseas Action Programs (OAP). The OAP is a team program for 18 - 30 year olds which focuses on community development. Each project aims to build a structure which the community desperately needs, in the areas of Primary Health Care, Income Generation and Education & Training.

Safe drinking water and adequate sanitation are basic human necessities, and continuous access to these services is a fundamental human right. Yet, in Nepal many people are deprived of water and sanitation facilities. The Nepal Demographic and Health Survey from 2006 reports the national drinking water coverage of the country at just 82 percent. A large proportion of people belonging to poor and excluded groups, living in areas beyond the sources, or scarce in ground water resources still have not been able to receive drinking water facilities (Nepal Water for Health).

In March, 2007, World Youth undertook a project to provide water to over 50 households in the Suntakhan community through the installation of a 5000 litre reserve water tank. We lived with the local families in Suntakhan, and got to experience first hand how hard it was to live day to day without easy access to water. After a great deal of hard work and overcoming a number of challenges, our small group - along with members of the local community - completed the project and turned on the taps to provide the water which was so desperately needed. A committee of residents was established to manage the tanks use and the tank has made a lasting difference to many local households. Not only has it made life less burdensome by removing the need to carry water long distances, but health and sanitation considerations have also been significantly improved for the tank beneficiaries. Our group of volunteers left Suntakhan knowing that our efforts there had made a positive difference to many people and we were proud of our achievements!

Shane Roos, Team Leader.

In Nepal, women rarely receive the same educational and employment opportunities as men. Although a 2002 law legalized abortion and broadened women's property rights, many other laws relating to property, divorce, marriage, and citizenship discriminate against women. Domestic violence and rape continue to be serious problems and thousands of women and girls are trafficked annually (Freedom House, 2007).

In March, 2005, we ran a project to empower women in Nepal who were living in a male dominated community. We lived with local families in the rural village of Alapot and worked tirelessly to construct a Women's Centre brick by brick. We wanted to offer the women their own space to hold meetings, lessons and, above all, to generate their own income. To inspire this, we ran daily classes with the local women and taught them basic English and practical skills such as sewing, and we even presented them with their own sewing machine! Now, the women of Alapot have raised enough money from their single sewing machine to purchase another seven, and they hold daily sewing lessons in their Women's Centre! The impact we had in their community continues every day, as more and more local women become empowered.

Jess Roberts, participant.

Before arriving in Chaturale we were already aware of how excited the village was about us coming. Not only for the novelty of having 14 Australians living and working with them, but also because of their desperate need to have a clean and properly functioning water tank.

The old tank was in very bad condition. It had cracks throughout the entire structure and a piece of old rusty tin was used as the lid, allowing all sorts of unhealthy organisms, creatures, and debris into the drinking water. The size of the tank was also too small to supply such a large community with enough water. We knew this project was definitely going to make a huge difference to the lives of the people living in Chaturale.

We dug, we picked, we shoveled, and we dug some more. We demolished the old tank with the help of the locals who were always keen for some destructive work! We made the foundations and washed hundreds of recycled rocks to build the new tank. Many batches of cement later the tank was really coming together. The locals were extremely grateful and were always offering a hand to help out. They carried sand and cement to the site for us everyday and patiently smashed rocks into rubble for the roof of the tank.

The completion of the tank was definitely an emotional day. We had all worked tirelessly, overcome many challenges and obstacles, and in the end had created something that was going to have a lasting and entirely positive impact on the village for many, many years. We had given this village something that many of us in Australia take for granted: a consistent water source. The gratitude and appreciation from the people of Chaturale was overwhelming, and we left Chaturale knowing that we really had made a difference.

Stephanie Hamilton, Team Leader

Education in Nepal is slowly developing and thankfully continues to improve with organisations like World Youth. Educational development in Nepal is vital to reducing the poverty rate as well as promoting community development. Unfortunately, the quality, relevance and access of education are critical issues, and sufficient resourcing (particularly physical structures) has always been a problem.

In November, 2005, our group built two additional classrooms for Suntakhan M.V. Secondary School. Their lack of physical structures were at critical levels for the school with classes having to use existing facilities on a rotational system, thus reducing the quality of education delivered. Building the classrooms proved to be an extremely labourious task, though after laying in excess of six thousand bricks the classrooms took shape and the dreams and hopes of a community were realised.

Shaun Fowler, Team Leader