Nepal - background
For most people around the world, Nepal conjures up images of magnificent peaks and friendly warm hearted people; yet Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world
Almost 73% of the people in Nepal are unable to read and write; less than 30% have access to electricity and half of all children die before they reach the age of five.
There are many reasons for the high number of orphans and under-privileged children in Nepal:
Political - Nepal has been suffering a civil war since 1996. More than 11,500 people have been killed in the insurgency. The country now has an interim government but political unrest is a regular occurance, affecting the livelihoods of already struggling communities
Social/Cultural - Generally unmarried mothers are not accepted in Nepal. They are vilified and shamed, their children are labeled with cruel and hurtful names. The father of the child is generally not held economically responsible to support the mother or child. For this reason an unmarried mother will often abandon her child and run away to avoid the shame and social ostracism. If the mother keeps her child she suffers terrible economic hardships trying to support her family.Economic - In Nepal children are considered a blessing from the gods. Due to lack of education many families have too many children and are unable to feed them. Ultimately the financial burden of supporting a large family can guarantee a life of poverty for generations.
Other reasons include starvation, flooding, natural disasters, which unfortunatly due to nepal's geographical position are are regular occurance.
Children of Ramkot village
Ramkot Village
Ramkot child care centre
Village improvement projects
