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3.5 million Nepali people do not have access to clean water. Many villages still practice open defecation in waterways. And with indoor cooking fires blazing all day long, respiratory and waterborne illnesses—a leading cause of death among children under five—run rampant. Children are often responsible for collecting water, which can involve miles-long hikes up and down steep, dangerous terrain.
From 2021 to 2024, we built critical infrastructure for the first time in history in three of the Makwanpur District’s remote mountain villages: Gopeghari, Deurali and Dhusarang. This work combats disease, addresses food scarcity and is a foundation for education and employment. Finally, it frees children from the burden of hauling water for hours each day.
Project Status: As of 2024, each village has clean drinking water, electricity and biogas toilets. We’re in the process of conducting a needs assessment in nearby villages to build a similar water distribution system, as well as exploring additional infrastructure improvements in our three core villages.
We brought clean water, electricity and biogas toilets to three villages in Makwanpur through a three-phase project, starting in 2021 and concluding in 2024.
Our model empowers people at the local level with the tools, skills and resources to sustain and grow their communities in a responsible and reasonable manner. This creates a sense of pride and ownership.
Three components ensure long-term management, maintenance and improvement of the entire system.
The empowerment of marginalized tribes and cultural preservation is an important driver behind rural community development.
As existential threats such as climate change, natural disasters and globalization encroach on remote communities inhabited by low-caste tribes, residents are forced to leave their village and migrate to urban environments. This places them at risk for exploitation, human trafficking, poverty and discrimination.
We believe these villages need community-driven solutions that will allow them to survive the changing times. Our Makwanpur Rural Community Development Project takes a villager-driven, solutions-based approach essential to the survival of these communities and cultures that are in jeopardy.
Critical infrastructure like water pipes and electricity is the foundation of advancing education, employment and public health in these rural communities.
