Nepal

A study titled ‘Rapid Systematic Review: The Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness on the Mental
Health of Children and Adolescents in the Context of COVID19’ found that due to the social isolation (as a measure to contain COVID-19 transmission), young people were as much as 3 times more likely to
develop depression in the future with its impact on mental health expected to last up to 9 years later.
The investigators pointed out that there will be a spike in the young people suffering from or seeking
help for mental health issues.

When men speak, women do not speak. When men speak, women cannot enter the room. Women would not step out of the house. They would send a man to purchase things that they would require from the nearby market. They would shudder even to utter a word. And by chance if they do, they were remarked ‘Pothee Baasyo!’ often mocking her for the audacity to speak when men are speaking. Any women in rural villages of Nepal would relate to this remark. The very remark which is embedded deep in their body language hid discreet chuckles and concealed glances. This reality was the story of women from the villages of Kavre, Nepal, a decade ago.  

Emotional and Ecological learning is an interrelated subject which derives inspiration from nature, and works towards behavioral change through various processes of engagement, communication and activities. The teaching is based on introspection and reflecting on one’s own behaviour. GFF Nepal has initiated various activities to enhance these qualities in children.

GFF volunteers, CDS staff, Mediciti Hospital Doctors and Nurses, and representatives from the Panchkhal Government 

Over the past few visits to the women’s groups in Teen Gharey and Jareytar, the issue of a lack of healthcare in the region has been raised, as has the desire for a health camp. The women’s health is unchecked, and the local hospital is too far for the women to travel to. Teen Gharey and Jareytar have not had a health camp conducted in their area for a few years now. The women of the communities are very poor, have limited to no savings, and mainly work in the fields of Kavre.

Image: Cleanup campaign on solid waste held on the 6^th of June in honour of World Environment Day

The Problem

Kathmandu valley generates hundreds of tons of solid waste each day out of which more than 60% is organic, which could still be composted. But since garbage is not segregated, it adds to the amount of trash which poses a direct threat to human health and also the surrounding environment. Kathmandu does not have a proper waste management system or a recycling system currently in place.

Image: Kavre resident, Kanchi Tamang, interviewed by GFF Representative Shona Warren.

GFF Representatives, Shona Warren and Sulochana Thapa, visited two rural villages in Kavrepalanchok, or ‘Kavre’ for short, last week as part of their research for the GFF Village Development programme. They were met by the local women in their special dress and talked to them to understand their way of life in the village, what their main sources of income were, and what the primary needs were.

The Kavre district is just east of Kathmandu and has a total population of 381 937. It was an area that was greatly affected by the 2015 earthquake. There are numerous concerns in the broader region.

Hello Everyone! I am Sulochana Thapa born in Darjeeling hills and brought up in Kalimpong, India. Prior to volunteering with GFF HELPS, I was working with Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment in Darjeeling.

I completed my graduation and post graduation from Bangalore University, India with specialization in Community Development, Medical and Psychiatric Social Work. I have done a couple of internships on issues related to women and children in my earlier experiences in India. I have worked with organizations such as Bosco Mane (working with street children), Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology (working for children suffering with blood cancer), the Association of People with Disability (with a special focus on differently abled children), Pravah (a youth development organization), Hayden Hall organization (working with mother and child healthcare) Mercy Corps (working on the school component of WASH – water, hygiene and sanitation).

This is my first visit to Kathmandu, Nepal. Traveling across different places and serving communities gives me immense pleasure and energy to enjoy my work with the Glenn Family Foundation.

Meet Maiti

20/12/2018

At the age of just 9, Maiti was travelling to Kathmandu with a group of older friends . She had run away from home to find work in the carpet factories. The work was unpaid, the only guarantee she had was of food and a bed at the factory, but she was happy, for the food and for her independence.