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.
Emily RobertsonGynaecological Health Camp in Kavre, Nepal
Image: Cleanup campaign on solid waste held on the 6th 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.
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.
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.
GFF HELPS first entered Nepal in 2018 with our partner organization the Childhood Development Society (CDS) based in Kathmandu. Much like GFF, CDS work to uplift and empower vulnerable communities. So, by utilising CDS’ fantastic track record within Nepal, their team and wider networks, our partnership is a fantastic way to collaborate on working toward these mutual goals. We commend CDS for their incredible work and thank them for sharing their expertise with us.
Our work in Nepal is primarily focused on economic empowerment, education and health. Some of our current and past projects in Nepal include:
SEEP Program
The Self Education and Empowerment Programme (SEEP) created by CDS is a women’s training and microfinance initiative that has shown great success in helping to uplift underprivileged communities. GFF has worked to on several projects to support these groups such as running a health camp and a soap making project. A report on these groups written by our former volunteer Sophie Jones Williams, and an accompanying video can be found below.
Online programs are a key part of our work in Nepal. These projects aim to be a fun environment for children to learn about and engage with key issues such as mental health and environmental sustainability. Teens Café and Online storytelling are two of these projects, which you can read more about on our blog.
Waste Management and Awareness
GFF has also collaborated with local NGO’s to help promote and run programs on waste disposal. Waste is a big issue in the Kathmandu Valley, so these projects have aimed to develop awareness around the problem and empower participants to do their bit in helping to solve it.
Read more about these and other Nepal Projects on our Nepal blog.
"One of the things that working with the beneficiaries of Bal Suraksha Abhiyan Trust taught me was that children have more resilience than most people believe or give them credit for and can endure a number of horrific hardships and still maintain a smile and pure enjoyment."
"I learnt to appreciate that on the whole people are generally good and want to do what they can to help others. Almost every person I met during our stay was incredibly welcoming and couldn’t do enough to help us be comfortable in their country."
