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.