CHOICE Humanitarian Nepal Operations

“Growing” a Biodiesel Business

2011-06-15T15:12:00.012-06:00

One way CHOICE Humanitarian assists rural communities is by helping them to see the resources and possibilities around them. Two years ago, CHOICE helped the village of Divyapuri, Nepal to do just this. The resource is a simple plant called Jatropha.

The oil extracted from the seeds of the Jatropha plant is used to make biodiesel for standard diesel engines as well as a low carbon alternative to heating oil. Jatropha is resistant to drought, pests, produces high yielding seeds containing an average of 35% oil and grows well in Nepal.

The progress has been phenomenal. The community was trained on how to grow and cultivate the Jatropha plant - from starting the plants with seeds in a nursery, to later harvesting and selling the seeds. Since this projects inception, Divyapuri villagers have purchased and planted 146,000 plants and have grown an additional 45,000 plants in their own nursery. The plants are growing well and will begin yielding seeds next year.In the mean time, with the help of CHOICE, the community has made connections with an oil expelling factory that has committed to purchase their seeds. The community now has plans to grow their business. The community leader, Til Prasad Pathak, said, “The community has a plan to expand the Jatropha plantation in the future and set up their own oil expelling machine.”

This project have a lasting impact on the 6,500 people who live in Divyapuri, setting them on a path out of poverty. In addition to this project, the villagers have also completed a village wide water project. The ground water in Divyapuri contains high levels of arsenic which resulted in many types of skin disease in the area. Now they are drinking clean water and the overall health of the village is improving.

Rock Climbing out of Poverty

2011-05-17T13:57:00.019-06:00

Village woman testing out the new rock clibming route.

Trekking is an age-old pastime in Nepal. People from all over come to the "top of the world" to enjoy Nepal's towering mountains, breathtaking vistas, charming people and exotic culture. Unfortunately, current trekking routes are now being turned into roadways, with speeding trucks that kick up choking dust, detracting from the beauty of the serene mountainscapes. Trekkers travel along these roads, from tea house to tea house, never experiencing the serene and friendly hospitality of a rural village.

CHOICE Humanitarian Nepal is helping a group of rural villages start a trekking route to meet the desires of trekkers in this region. This village tourism business will impact 35,000 people living along the trekking route, from Ramgha to Puranokot.

Tourists will soon have the opportunity to hike between these beautiful villages with breathtaking views of the Annapurna mountain range. They will stop along the way to experience cultural activities, sample local cuisine, and enjoy the hospitality of village families while staying the night in one of their charming traditional homes.

Raj Gurung and Tul Bahadur

Another one of the activities will be the chance to rock climb a 300 foot stone wall above the village of Puranokot. For the past 6 months, Tyler Cline of Salt Lake City, Utah has been training three young men, Tul Bahadur, Lekh Bahadur and Raj Kumar Gurung, to develop a rock climbing business and the necessary rock climbing skills.

All three boys have shown a willingness to sacrifice and a dedication to this climbing business. Tul Bahadur originally had plans to leave his home to search for work outside the village. When asked about leaving Purankot to earn money, he said, "I don't want to leave home, I want to help my family." Now Tul can stay in his village and provide an income for his family. Raj Kumar has turned down a good job in the city with high hopes that this new job will allow him to stay at home with his family as well. Lekh Bahadur travels up to two hours each day to attend the training sessions. On days the group sets off early to train, Lekh eagerly arrives saying, "I come running!"

Lekh Bahadur

Tyler has great confidence in the success of this program because of the boys' hard work, as well as the support of the community. "Most days I can look up from the bottom of the rock and I can see Nepali faces, young and old, looking over the edge of the boulder like children in a candy store, standing on their tiptoes trying to peer over the counter. It is great to see the entire community excited and supportive of the development of this climbing business," says Tyler.

Tyler Cline showing off some climbing gear.

All three of the young men in training have high hopes for the people of their village. Not only are these boys trying to create the first business in Purankot, but they have also collectively chosen to donate a percentage of the business' revenue to the community for future development.

As CHOICE Humanitarian helps open village economies, people like Tul Bahadur, Lekh Bahadur and Raj Kumar will be able to remain with their loved ones in the village they call home and earn an income that will enable them to help support their families. If you would like to support this program, please contact us! info@choicehumanitarian.org

The 401Goat Plan

2011-04-15T12:29:00.011-06:00

Have you ever thought of adding a few goats to your retirement savings plan? The idea is not so crazy to some rural villagers in Dhuseni, Nepal.

Shyam Achhami, a talented mason, and his wife, Shanti, have worked hard throughout their adult lives. They have raised healthy children, and like most villagers, had hoped that their children would reciprocate by helping them in their old age. However, due to the lack of economic opportunities in the small village of Dhuseni, their children have left home in search of jobs, leaving Shyam and Shanti alone.

Now the older couple is having trouble procuring enough income to take care of themselves. Recently, they had to spend all of their savings to pay medical bills for Shanti, who became very sick.

Life seemed very bleak for this aging family. Once active and productive members of the community, both Shyam and Shanti were now burdened with age and financial woes. But now, there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel - or should we say there are goats! The village of Dhuseni, with the help of CHOICE Humanitarian, has begun a goat farming program.

Shyam, and 33 other families have now received loans to buy goats. Shyam drops off the goats in the jungle for grazing every morning and does household chores during the day. Shyam says, "I am happy to start goat farming. Now we will be able to secure funds for all the difficult times." They are so happy to be active again, working hard to support themselves.

Shyam with his goats.

Shyam's goats will multiply quickly as mothers give birth to twin kids every six months. This will give Shyam the ability to sell the baby goats for additional income and to repay his two year loan. Shyam will also receive goat farming training and be connected to experts with knowledge on goat nutrition and overall health.

With just a simple loan, these villagers are finding ways to alleviate poverty in their lives. What a beautiful example of how a small amount of support and training can make all the difference for an entire community! Thank you to all those who support CHOICE Humanitarian. To learn more about how you can help, visit http://choicehumanitarian.org.

Leave us a comment and tell us what you think about this project!

Gas – No Laughing Matter

2011-03-14T12:04:00.016-06:00

Biogas digesters are all the rage in villages of rural Nepal, but

what is a biogas digester?

...and how is it ending poverty in the village of Puranokot?

A biogas digester is a simple technology that takes human and animal waste and turns it into fertilizer for farming and a clean burning gas used for cooking.

For thousands of years, Nepalese women have been cooking for their families over open fires in their homes. With no ventilation, billows of smoke fill the small kitchens, stinging eyes and lungs. The cooking fire located near the floor is a constant worry when small children are around. Hems of the women’s skirts have even caught fire. Severe burns from traditional cooking fires are not unusual nor are the constant respiratory problems that plague many families.

So excited to use her new gas fuled stove!

Installing a biogas digester ends all of these challenges. Biogas digesters help control indoor air pollution and improve sanitation and safety. They also reduce deforestation and the time-consuming job of collecting fire wood. Thanks to your help, four households in Puranokot currently have biogas digesters and 7 more are expected to be completed in May.

Guna Maya

Guna Maya Gurung is one of the mothers in Puranokot who is now cooking by gas. She explains, “I used to cook with firewood. I had a smoky kitchen and used to burn my hands and fingers. That was scary for the kids. The biogas digester is very useful, easy to handle, and now our home is more sanitary with the latrine.”

Thank you CHOICE suporters for making this simple technology available to the villagers of Puranokot to help them live healthier lives.

The Forgotten Village – no less human.

2011-03-11T16:32:00.013-07:00

Failed water system in Andhikhola.

Many years ago a humanitarian organization came to the small village of Andhikhola, Nepal to help them build a water system. In the end, it never worked. To Mana Suba Bhujel and her family, the ruins of the failed water system in her forgotten village have been a discouraging monument – symbolizing to them (falsely of course) that their community is incapable of doing anything new. “People stopped doing any improvements in the village,” lamented Mana Suba. “They had stopped trusting in themselves.”

This is not an unusual sentiment for rural villagers who have experienced nothing but failure with projects implemented by well-intended but misguided humanitarian organizations. Today, villagers in this community continue to walk 25 minutes each way to reach a polluted stream to fill their water pitchers. With the combined efforts of CHOICE Humanitarian, the village of Andhikhola, and a third partner organized by Jolana White from the UK, this is all about to change.

We are currently working together to build strong community leadership, as well as a functioning community water system for Mana Suba and the village of Andhikhola. CHOICE visited the village to talk about what would be required of the community to build this system.

CHOICE employee, Kiran (left), at a village meeting.

Mana Suba, despite her shyness, was an inspiration to all the villagers at these meetings. She encouraged the community members to help with the work. "We need to work together. Our one time struggle will relieve us from lifelong drudgery. All the women will work together to make this project successful," Mana Suba implored. Although cautious and weary, the community agreed to CHOICE Humanitarian’s proposal.

Mana Suba at the village meeting.

CHOICE has designed a new water system and prepared cost estimates for the project. The villager's participation has been increasing steadily as they become more confident in this project - and themselves. They are carrying construction materials uphill 2 hours, breaking rocks and digging trenches. They dug a trench over 2 miles long through the winding cliffs in just 5 days. At this pace, they will complete the project 3 months ahead of schedule.

The villagers are amazed at their accomplishment. One of the villagers, Ram Krishna Bhujel, said, "Before this project, we never knew that we as a community have such a big strength. We were often looked down upon by neighboring villagers, and were considered mediocre and thus not progressing. I am sure we are not much different than our neighbors, and no less human. We surely could have done better, but we have had no catalyst. Now we have CHOICE as a catalyst."

Jolana White, who was instrumental in bringing CHOICE to the village, said, “Without CHOICE, it would be very difficult for all of us to complete this water project. CHOICE is an indispensable partner in trying to bring Andhikhola out of the vicious cycle of poverty.”

By focusing on the people and not just the project CHOICE will help this small village become an example of progress to the communities around them. They will learn to trust themselves again and to work together to relieve the constraints of poverty.

Room With A View

2011-02-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Before the sun had risen, 24 year old Lal Shree Gurung from Puranokot woke up and headed to the Gairi Lamjung Skill Development Center. Lal is the only sibling left living with her aging parents, who, like most Nepalis, get by from year to year on rigorous subsistence farming. Her two brothers had to leave their parents years ago to find jobs in the city to try to help support the family.

Lal Shree in Puranokot, Nepal

Lal Shree joined twenty three other villagers for a "home stay" training by CHOICE Humanitarian, which will be a part of the new Tangrankot-Puranokot Trekking Route. CHOICE Humanitarian is assisting 6 villages in creating a trekking business that will create jobs and income for each community. Tourists will have the opportunity to hike between these beautiful villages with breath taking views of the Annapurna mountain range. They will stop along the way to experience cultural activities, sample local cuisine, and enjoy the hospitality of a village family by staying the night in one of their charming traditional homes.

Speaking about the home stay tourism program, Lal Shree said, "I have a dream to have an income at home and to make my village a model village in the area. I can fulfill both purposes with the home stay program. This training will help us create a tourist friendly environment so we will be able to receive guests, provide them good food and good services."

During the training, participants learned skills on proper cooking, cleaning, water purification, catering, and cultural exchange. They also listened to lectures on many subjects designed to improve their abilities to host international travelers.

Cooking class.

"Those who trek on this home stay route will likely leave having experienced the best cultural experience of their lives in one of the most beautiful places on the planet," said Kiran, a member of the CHOICE staff.

The home stay tourism program is a huge step to introducing economic opportunities in the villages of Lamjung. Lal Shree says, "Ultimately, the home stay program will contribute to the national income. After receiving the training, I realize that the future of home stay tourism is bright in Nepal. It will allow people to work in the village and stay with their families."

Lal Shree practicing making welcome gifts.

One of the most exciting parts of this program is that twenty percent of the revenue generated by the trekking route will go directly to a general village fund that will be used to support additional economic development projects. Perhaps one day you can stay in Lal Shree's home in Puranokot and experience the route for yourself. She anxiously awaits you!

83 Student Scholarships!

2011-01-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

Imagine reading a United Nations report that states just 70% of children in the United States enroll in elementary school, and more than 40% of those children drop out of school before entering junior high. Would you be shocked? Would you be outraged? Disturbed? Motivated to do something?

While these statistics are actually untrue for the United States, they are true for rural Nepal because of the severe degree of poverty that rural families face each day. Students drop out of school because families can't afford school supplies and tuition fees. Thanks to the support of companies such as HIT Web Design, CHOICE Humanitarian can offer children scholarships so they can continue attending school and gain a valuable education. So far this year, 83 students have been granted CHOICE scholarships, including Yuba Raj Gurung, who lives in your partner village of Puranokot.

Yuba Raj Gurung

Yuba Raj Gurung is the youngest of 5 kids. A smart and disciplined student, he walks one hour each way to get to school. Members of his family are subsistence farmers and can only produce food to sustain themselves for half the year. During the other half of the year, they must work as laborers to secure enough food to survive. He supports his family by doing household chores in the morning and evening, yet still manages to get all of his homework done. Up until now, Yuba has been responsible for securing the money necessary to attend school. This has been very difficult for him–he was at the verge of giving up. CHOICE Humanitarian learned of this promising student and is now providing a scholarship to Yuba so he can continue with his studies.

Yuba Says, "I am happy that I can continue my education now thanks to CHOICE providing me with a scholarship."

Because of the support of HIT Web Design, other children like Yuba can also stay in school, giving them the promise of a better future. Thank you for changing the life of this young man, Yuba Raj Gurung, in Puranokt, Nepal.

Who's Blogging about us?

2010-11-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

Erin Waddell bloged about us on the "Change Leadership Strategies Blog."
See it here: We are all the same.

A New Perspective for Puranokot

2010-11-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

Every CHOICE Humanitarian expedition is a little bit different, often producing results that even we cannot anticipate. A recent expedition to the village of Puranokot in Nepal did just that!

For an entire week, CHOICE volunteers worked with local villagers in preparing for the construction of the new hospital. They all worked hard to move rock and dig foundations...but did much more than just manual labor.

The people of Puranokot watched how this expedition group worked together. It was quite different from what the community was used to and they took special note. So, what was the difference?

Women expeditioners helping dig the foundation.

"During the expedition," says Kanya Kasi Gurung, Puranokot community member, "women worked side by side in loading and unloading the stones, digging the foundation, and other work with the men."

Kanya Kasi Gurung, Puranokot community member.

It was an eye-opening experience for the entire village, changing the traditional perspective on the roles men and women can fulfill.

"We never thought the women could do the same work men can do. I was amazed since we never saw the women working like this. During the expedition we saw that the women were working as men and realized that women can do any type of work that men can do. This experience in reality changed the villager's idea about the work," Kanya says.

This expedition opened up new possibilities for Puranokot. Villagers are seeing their roles much differently now and inviting the women to participate in ways they never had before.

Kanya has seen how this experience has also brought change in the work itself. "After the expedition, women were involved in digging the road, breaking the stones and many other important jobs," she says.

CHOICE Humanitarian knows that great things happen when a community invites women to have a greater role in their development. We are excited to see how the example of one expedition will change Puranokot forever.

Thank you for your ongoing support and for your vision of what can happen when we all work together. Puranokot is making great strides to pull themselves out of poverty with your help!

Bishnu in the News!

2010-10-19T09:55:00.000-06:00

"When you go to your sink and turn on the faucet, you expect water to pour out for you to drink. But in many parts of the world, that's not reality. In the country of Nepal it's been one man's goal to make sure running water is a way of life for his people." - Kathy Aiken, KSL News.

Visit ksl.com - One man on mission to improve life in Nepal to view this news broadcast about Bishnu aired on October 18th, 2010.

Honoring Bishnu

2010-08-16T15:20:00.000-06:00

Hundreds of friends, colleagues, and partners of CHOICE Humanitarian will gather in Salt Lake for the annual Gala on September 18th. One of the highlights will be naming Bishnu Adhikari as “2010 Humanitarian of the Year.”

In 1989 Bishnu returned home from Russia where he had earned a master’s degree in engineering. Back in his village, he watched as his then 60 year-old mother had to carry water from a well about one half mile away. At first, he offered to carry the water for her, but she refused. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on him. That day, he promised her and himself that he would dedicate his life to helping to improve the quality of life for his family and for others in his country. Bishnu went on to build a pipe from that well to supply his village with water. He also earned a second master’s degree in international environmental policy. He has worked on development projects for The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and USAID.

Eventually Bishnu discovered the work of CHOICE Humanitarian in Nepal and soon began volunteering while still working for USAID. In 2007, he joined CHOICE Humanitarian full-time as In-Country Director for Nepal. Bishnu has literally touched the lives of thousands of people, many of whom will never know his name. He provided the leadership necessary to bring the CHOICE Humanitarian model of sustainable development to 11 districts and 133 villages in Nepal. In large measure because of Bishnu’s efforts, 21 water projects, 33 schools, and 900 bio gas digestors have been completed. He was a driving force in raising over $4 million toward the building of a ‘green’ teaching hospital in Chitwan, Nepal.

Bishnu (right) getting his hands dirty along side the community.

Bishnu’s work has come to the attention of the highest levels of government in Nepal. In April 2010, Bishnu and other leadersfrom the Lamjung District were granted an audience with the President of Nepal, Dr. Ram Baran Yadav. The President was briefed about CHOICE Humanitarian’s efforts in rural communities including the importance of helping people implement initiatives envisioned and planned by local communities. President Yadav showed a special interest in the CHOICE Humanitarian model. He is keenly interested in the elimination of poverty in Nepal.

Bishnu’s greatest hope for the future? “That international aid will one day no longer be necessary, that local resources and leadership are fully utilized and villages become self-developing.” With a smile, he adds, “I hope one day to be out of a job!”

Please join us in celebrating a most deserving and remarkable man!

by Sharon Spaulding

BIG DEAL

2010-07-15T13:54:00.000-06:00

This just in....Because of the recent meeting between Bishnu and the President the Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission, Jadish Chandra Pokherel, attended the recent inauguration of the Dhiseni School Building and was very impressed with what he saw. According to Bishnu this is a BIG DEAL as he makes all the development policies and budgeting for the entire country! This is great news for CHOICE and our efforts to expand our reach and impact in Nepal.

The "Rockin'" Women of Puranokot

2010-06-25T12:27:00.000-06:00

Recently the director of the Trivani Foundation joined CHOICE Humanitarian on an expedition to Puranokot and excitedly shares her experience.

Can you imagine living in a country where you have to personally build public schools, clinics, and roads? There are many things that the U.S. government offers that other countries don’t have the benefit of giving their people.

Once villagers have been given a vision of what is possible, their determination is unlike anything I’ve seen before. Our expedition teamed up with villagers of Puranokot to help build a health clinic.

We spent a few days digging trenches for the foundation of the clinic. This was hours of back-breaking work with picks and shovels digging rocky earth. I spent an afternoon working side-by-side with 50 and 60 year old mothers and grandmother hauling rocks in baskets that hang from forehead. I've never done anything so physically taxing and yet, I was working right alongside these women who had already spent the entire morning on their daily chores.

It was a very humbling experience for me to witness the courage and strength of the women participate in a project so important to them – a clinic that will offer their children access to health care.

I have a newfound respect for the people I meet in the villages because I realize that with each project CHOICE Humanitarian supports, the villagers work just as hard through manual labor to bring them to fruition.

Kind Regards,

-Meg

Bishnu Meets with President of Nepal!

2010-06-21T13:54:00.000-06:00

Recently Bishnu was privileged to have audience with the President of Nepal, Ram Baran Yadav.

(far left) President Ram Baran Yadav (far right) Bishnu Adhikari

According to Bishnu getting the chance to meet with the President is, “very hard! No general public would ever have such an opportunity.” Bishnu talked to the President about CHOICE Humanitarian initiatives and how the work has created hope and enthusiasm in the community and widened community leader's vision.

The President showed a special interest in the CHOICE Model and especially in the income generating part of the program. He is deeply interested in poverty elimination for his country.

Presidential Residence.

Bishnu explained that this meeting was important to CHOICE Humanitarian because, “the CHOICE Self Development Model has to be explained to all those who can make decision of how to use the national revenue. Bulldozing hills alone is not development. Ultimately, for sustainable development, the local revenue must support the local development. Borrowing all the time is not sustainable.”

Bishnu is not sure what will come of this meeting but he is certain it will have a positive outcome.

"I will never forget this village."

2010-05-17T13:36:00.000-06:00

Namaste,

My name is Zach. I have been volunteering in Nepal for the last 6 months with CHOICE Humanitarian and lived in your partner village of Puronokot for a time. I will never forget this village. Out of the multitudes of villages I traveled to and the hundreds of homes I stayed in, some of the most memorable times were in Puronokot.

Zach with friends in Puranokot.

Most of all I will never forget the children. Dillmaya, my favorite 10 year old villager, and her six friends, would come and drag me and a friend into the jungle. They would take us to pick flowers in their secret garden or fruit off the trees. Most of all I loved that somehow we were able to communicate even though the only English words they knew were "yes" and "no".

The Gurung people of Puronokot have had a very deprived past, with a long history of chronic male drinking and gambling. It has kept them from developing their community. This has all been changing. Since the time Puronokot decide that they needed to change in order to grow they have been moving forward. They found CHOICE Humanitarian on their own and with CHOICE's help created their own proposal, written in pencil on paper, and outlined the programs they felt they needed to develop. This type of energy and proactiveness is uncommon.

Road construction in Puranokot.

One of the most amazing parts of their proposal that I witnessed them working on was a road they designed and began to dig. With the help of CHOICE, they were able to broaden their vision and create a proposal to take to the government. They were able to procure needed capital from the government to fund an excavator to complete much of the work. The villagers have organized themselves and are now donating some of their own money, working 6 days a week to raise additional funds and to dig rocks out of the mountain under the mentoring of CHOICE staff.

At first I didn't understand why the villagers spent so much money and time on this road and why is it such a big deal. I learned that this area is the only area of Lamjung that isn't connected anywhere by road. They are only 25 km from the district capital but because of the mountains, it is a 4 hour drive. Once this road is complete Puronokot will be 30 minutes away from the capital. This will make travel to the university much easier. Sick or pregnant people will be able to receive quality health care, villagers will be able to receive mail, food, and electricity that otherwise wasn't possible. I asked one of the villagers, Phul Maya Gurung, what he thought about the road and he rejoiced saying, "Our children now can go to college from Puranokot because of the road. They don't have to rent a room in Besishahar anymore."

Most importantly they created this all on their own! People without formal education, some illiterate, were able to create a proposal, find the excavator and organize this whole project. They are learning so much about self-sustainability from CHOICE and that is the part that makes it so fascinating for the field staff to watch. Thank you, HIT Web Design for supporting the work and the training that is taking place in Puranokot. With your support they are moving forward and making a lot of progress.

-Zach

Letter from Bishnu in Nepal: Maoist Agitation

2010-05-04T09:25:00.000-06:00

Dear all,
I suppose you have been hearing, from different news channels, of the political unrest in Nepal. Of course, this should have put you in confusion and are happy to get the first hand information on the present political situation in the country.

First of all we all are safe and at work, mostly from our own places coordinating by phone and internet. I talked to Bekha and Juan this afternoon who are at present in Lamjung at Okhalepani. They are safe and happy and are waiting for the transportation to run to get to Pokhara.

The Maoist agitation and all Nepal closure [shutdown] has started from the 1st of May and this is the 4th day. Businesses are all closed and no transportation is running. Those who are near to the office, we walk and work, others work from their home. We all have storage of food for sometime, and we hope that this stupidity will end soon, at least before we run out of the food stocks. Kids are at home playing on the internet and watching TV. Since, all the factories are closed, there is no power outage at homes, so kids are at least happy for the TV. Hey A GOOD OUTCOME OF THE MAOIST BANDH !!! Many, about 2-3 hundred thousand, YCL [Young Communist League] works are in Kathamndu enforcing the BANDH [closure]. Protests are part of life and red is the color of Kathmandu.

Maoists have 3 main demands: 1) Demolition of the present government led by one other communist party-UML and formation of the all party government in Maoist leadership 2) Bring peace deal to the logical conclusion - 3 years a go a peace deal was signed between the conflicting parties - one being the Maoists. 3) Formulation of the new constitution - looks like they themselves are not that interested in this but they are trying to impress us by saying that they are serious about it.
What could happen next?

NO ONE KNOWS!!! At least, I hope this stupidity must end in a day or two so that we can work and make a difference. There is nothing to worry at this point ! We will update you as things progresses.

Many thanks for you all being there...Bishnu CHOICE ICD in Nepal.

Dhuseni, Nepal is graduating!

2010-05-03T13:04:00.000-06:00

This is Dhuseni, one of the CHOICE Humanitarian villages located in the mountainous western region of Nepal. CHOICE started working in Dhuseni in 1999, but had to abandon the village because of the arms conflict between the King’s army and the Maoist rebels.

In 2007, once a peace deal was signed between the conflicting parties, CHOICE Humanitarian returned to Dhuseni and were amazied at what we found. This break had not discourage the villagers. They continued to do what they could on thier own. They implemented the skills and knowledge they received from CHOICE before the conflict and had completing some small projects. They were excited and ready to continue their training with CHOICE.

Now, three years later, all the families in Dhuseni have biogas digesters, leaders are trained to prepare and implement village action plans, and Social Enterprises has become part of their lives.

To enhance the quality of education, a modern school building is about to be completed. In addition, increased leveraging from the local government and other development partners have helped complete a dirt road to Dhuseni, critical for future development. We predict that by 2011 Dhuseni will be a graduated village. This means they will no longer need our support in order to identify their needs, make plans, gather resources and implement projects. They will have become self-developing. This is why we do what we do. This is our ultimate goal. Thank you to everyone who supports CHOICE Humanitarian and for helping Dhuseni get out of poverty

Partner Expedition to Nepal a Success!

2010-04-12T15:12:00.000-06:00

We are excited share this video with you!

The Hope Alliance partnered with CHOICE Humanitarian on a Nepal expedition and this is an amazing documentary about that trip.

Click HERE for video!

Nepal Recycles!

2010-04-08T11:02:00.000-06:00

We recently partnered with an organization called the Tipping Bucket. This is a website designed to "crowd fund" for various humanitarian projects. The idea is that if you can get enough people to donate just $1, you can fund any project. There is a time limit and if the project does not raise the goal amount, everyone gets their money back and the project goes unfunded....their tag line is "change the world or your money back".

We decided to post a small $600 project just to see how it would work and the project was funded 101% within two and a half days...way before the deadline! WOW! Below is a description of the project you helped fund! Thanks for all the support. We will be posting more projects on this website in the future. To find out when follow us on Twitter - @CHOICEorg or join us on Facebook.

--7:25 AM. Chandrapata, Nepal. Two villagers caring a sack and a bamboo basket begin to pick up trash in their village. By that evening the whole village was rallied together to start a community recycling program. What happened to this village was simply the result of two people increasing their vision of what is possible when they all work together, but now they need our help to realize their goal.

Two men, tired of looking at all the trash that polluted their village of Chandrapata, decided to try to clean it up. They began at dawn.

As they moved through the community surprised villagers began to ask them what they were doing and then began to join them. The two men were peppered with questions about what they needed the trash for, if there was a special program launched for cleaning the village and how they could help. The community shared their concerns for how the trash was affecting their community and wanted to learn how to dispose of the garbage properly.

Soon there was a group of 20 villagers picking up trash. They began to discuss who was responsible for this trash and how agriculture and animal husbandry had been affected by plastic. Gagendra KC told how he raises goats and takes them to the jungle to graze. He said, “My goats could not gain proper weight. Later I realized the reason behind this. The goats ate noodle plastic that contained salt, those are scattered everywhere in the street, jungle and field.” Another villager said, “If we did not find a solution to manage this garbage in time, it will have adverse effect in every sector of our life.”

At the end of the day the group decided that there was not a single person to be blamed for this problem but everyone. A discussion for sustainable management of garbage occurred and that very day they created a plan. The local sports club would be in charge of the project and would also benefit from the revenue the recycling program would create.

The community of Chandrapata is willing to put in what they can but need help to realize there dream of a clean community. Below is an outline of their plan and needed resources. Please help Chandrapata become one of the first “green” communities in Nepal.

Request every household segregate bio-degradable and non degradable trash into two different bins in their home.
Recyclable trash will be collected every week by the sports club and sent to a recycle centre and biodegradable trash will be used to make compost manure at the household level. Non recyclable non degradable garbage will be buried in disposal centre.
The sports club will collect revenue from each household for their work and that fund will be used for promoting sport activities of the youths from the club.
The sports club will teach school kids to dispose garbage in proper place.
Choice Humanitarian will help develop a disposal centre.
The sports club will mobilize youth for social work which will keep them from geting into mischief.

Budget for the project: The village will need 60 trash bins, 1 garbage disposal center, and training funds. They are able to contribute $575 and asked for $600 to make up the difference.

Make New Friends! Join us in Nepal.

2010-03-18T15:29:00.000-06:00

Looking for a thrilling adventure and a meaningful experience this summer? We have just what you are looking for! Join CHOICE Humanitarian in Nepal and work hand-in-hand with native villagers for an entire week.

Nestled between China and India in southern Aisa, Nepal boasts the greatest altitude variation on earth. From sea-level lowlands to the towering Himalayan peaks, this charming nation attracts world travelers with its majestic landscapes, vibrant traditions, and warm embraces of spirited Nepalese natives.

PACK YOUR BAGS! The next CHOICE expedition to Nepal will begin on November 27th, 2010! Sign up now and join CHOICE Humanitarian in building people, not jsut projects. Contact Wade Alexander at walexander@choicehumanitarian.org or 801-474-1937 for more information.

Visit our travel blog to see photos of a recent expedition to Nepal. http://choicetravels.blogspot.com/

"Open wide and say Ahhhhh..."

2010-02-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

Living with extreme tooth pain from rotting and decayed teeth is typical for villagers in Puranokot, Nepal. It has long been a priority to offer dental services and now through the work of CHOICE, villagers have found a solution.

A team of dentists will be visiting the village at the end of February to provide training. Rather than perform the work themselves, which would only be a temporary solution to a greater problem, the dentists will be training the local health care workers on how to perform simple dental procedures.

Dental kits along with tools and supplies will be provided so that their work continues beyond this training session. The dentist will also conduct an educational campaign to teach villagers hygiene and preventative measures for dental care.

This is possible thanks to your support and the support of Hit Web Design. Thank you for your lasting contributions.

The Dhulikhel Community Honors CHOICE Nepal!

2010-02-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

CHOICE Nepal started working in the Dhulikhel community three years ago. They came to us and asked for help with a problem that had been plaguing them for the last seventeen years!

Their community water supply was reserved for a small group of rich and political community members. The poorer and marginalized areas of people did not have any access to water. The CHOICE team began working with the community leaders to expand and allow the access of water for the entire community.

Eventually this dream of a community water system became a reality for the Dhulikhel people. On January 2, 2010 the Choice Nepal team was awarded and honored by the Dhulikhel community. They expressed sincere appreciations for the successful project completion and most of all for teaching their community the process of project implementation which they are continuing to use for the development of their community today.

Sacrifice from the heart!

2010-01-15T11:02:00.001-07:00

Employees of HIT Web Design are sacrificing a portion of their paycheck each month to support the village of Puranokot. At the same time the villagers are also making their own sacrifices to bring about development for their community.

Two brothers have graciously donated a plot of land for the new Puranokot Health Clinic and are villagers to be in awe of.

(from left to right)
Indra Jung Gurung, with his wife Kumsari, and Gunmaya with her husband Top Jung Gurung.

Indra is a retired primary school teacher and Top Jumg is a farmer. Currently Top Jung can only grow enough food on his land to feed his family for half of the year. For the rest of the year he works as a laborer on other farmer's land. Despite these difficulties, these two families have donated a portion of land they inherited that was meant to be farmed to grow food for their family. Top Jung and his wife tells us the only way to end this cycle of poverty is to help the next generation.

Site of the new Health Clinic in Puranokot.

When asked why these brothers were so willing to make such a big sacrifice even though they own so little Indra said, "Puranokot is a hub, centering many villages, and without our help this clinic would not be able to be built in an area to help such a multitude of villages. If our donation can bring development and help to our villagers and so many surrounding people then we can be happy in life."

These brothers know how important this health clinic will be for the community because they have seen the impact of their current insufficient clinic. The brothers explained that the clinic is so small it is insufficient to treat more than one or two people at a time. This means that immediately after a patient is attended to they must leave the clinic, even if they are still very sick, still bleeding, or in extreme pain, because room is needed for the next person. The clinic is also incapable of delivering babies. The mothers in the village have to deliver in their homes, which can be unclean and unsanitary, often resulting in maternal and neonatal illness or death.

We are always amazed at what happens in a village when the community is given opportunity and a little support to help them realize their dreams of a better life. We thank you and HIT Web Design, for supporting CHOICE and hopefully because of this we can all say we are a little more "happy in life."

"TEN MINUTES FOR YOUR FACE" program started in Puranokot.

2009-12-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

Women are pulling out their spades and sickles. Villagers are weaving bamboo waste baskets. Children are cleaning more than usual. Even a health committee has been organized. So, what's it all for?

CHOICE Humanitarian understands the development value of feeling pride in one's community. In November 2009, CHOICE held a special meeting with the villagers of Puranokot to promote "10 Minutes to Your Face", a program designed to improve the "face" of the village. After all, a clean and beautiful village is just as important as a clean and beautiful self.

The first impression is the most important impression. So, the villagers have created a plan to contribute 10 minutes each day to the improvement of their surroundings. This plan has already strengthened leaders, encouraged cooperation, and united villagers with a common goal.

The Plan:

1. A Village a Health committee has been organized and it will take care of cleaning/sanitation of the villages.

2. Bio-degradable trashes will either be turned into organic manure or will be burnt.

3. Villagers will weave bamboo baskets and use them in different trash collection centers for collecting non-biodegradable trashes.

4. For non-biodegradable trashes, a dumping site will be developed aloof from the village so that it will be safe from animals, kids and farming land.

5. Every Saturday, villagers will clean roads, streets and watersheds.6. School kids will be taught for keeping their village and school clean from trashes.

This is just one more opportunity for the vilagers to agree on a common goal, create a mutual plan, and work together to accomplish something great. Puranokot is now walking the path towards self-development. We thank HIT Web Design for supporting these vital learning opportunities.

2009-11-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

Bishnu just reported this info about Nepal...

"Nepalese politic has taken a turn again; Maoists have started a prolonged agitation program from last Friday. So far it is peaceful and I hope all political parties will come together to bring Maoists to a negotiating table again."

So far it has not affected the work of CHOICE in Nepal and the November expedition is still scheduled to go. We are all hoping for a quick resolution.

Bishnu in the News!

2009-10-09T11:38:00.001-06:00

Check out this recent article found in the Deseret News about Bishnu's treatment and his work in Nepal.

Click HERE to see article.

Bishnu's Visit to Utah

2009-09-23T11:17:00.000-06:00

We have had the pleasure of having Bishnu in Utah for the past few weeks. He was here to catch up with old friends, update Nepal supporters, create new supporters and receive some needed medical treatments. We have enjoyed having him here and only wish he could stay longer...but there is work to be done in Nepal!

(letter from Chris - Bushnu health update)
Dear friends of Bishnu,

As many of you may already know, Bishnu Adhikari has experienced an extraordinarily difficult year. After a nearly fatal experience last year, it was discovered that Bishnu had developed cancer in his pituitary gland. Bishnu underwent surgery removing the gland and the tumor.

Recently, indications have shown a reoccurrence of the tumor in areas close to the optic nerve and one of the major blood vessels feeding the brain. This means a standard surgery creates intolerable risk of permanent loss of eye sight or death in the case of severing the blood vessel. The best viable option for removing the final cancerous cells is a very advanced technology called a Cyber Knife.

This is an extremely expensive radiation treatment that would have been very difficult to cover. However, thanks to a substantial donation from Salt Lake Regional Hospital and the team of specialist that have been working with Bishnu, the total cost has been cut down to 1/5 of the original costs.

Bishnu’s treatment ends Sep 17th, 2009. We will be billed upon completion of his procedure. We need to raise a fund of $25,000 to cover the hard costs of this work. We are asking all of you to consider participating in covering this expense and/or identify others who may be able to help.

If you have the capacity to make a contribution of $1,000 or more, it will help us achieve the goal more quickly. Of course, all contributions will be greatly appreciated.

You may make your check out to:
CHOICE Humanitarian
7879 S. 1530 W. #200
West Jordan, UT 84088

Please put on the memo line of your check or in a letter with the check "Special Project: Bishnu"

You may also make a contribution on-line at the donation page of our website: www.choicehumanitarian.org
You will also have to option to specify that the contribution is for "Special Project: Bishnu"

Thank you,
Chris Johnson

New Health Clinic

2009-09-08T15:31:00.000-06:00

Nepali Children

In 2008, three hundreds villagers in northern Nepal died of dehydration because they did not have access to basic health care. Today the villagers have to be carried in a basket to the public Health Center in Duradonde an hour and a half away for primary care.

The Nepal government has a dream of building 3900 health clinics in Nepal but does not have the resources to make it happen. With the support of one of our Corporate Village Partners, Heritage Web, CHOICE Humanitarian, and the villagers, a health clinic will be built in Puranokot so lives will not be lost unnecessarily again.

This clinic will not only serve Puranokot but also the surrounding areas and be available to serve the 400 children attending the nearby school. "Now the villagers will only need to travel between 5-20 minutes to the clinic. This can mean the difference between life and death," said Bishnu (CHOICE Nepal Director). What an amazing impact your support of CHOICE is making.

The Power of Education

2009-06-30T16:55:00.000-06:00

Thanks to the support of Heritage Web many great things are happening in Nepal. The children of Puranokot have been given academic scholarships. These children were hand selected because of their high marks in school. Education is the first step in these children's lives to carve out a better future for themselves, their families and their community.

This is Rasmita Gurung, one of the scholarship recipients. She is one of the most intelligent students in her school and loves writing poems and songs. Because of the economic hardship of her family, two of her brothers had to quit their studies but she has never given up hope. Rasmita is so dedicated to her studies that she willingly walks one and half hours each way to attend school. She supports her widowed mother with house chores and in the field and could not continue going to school with out the scholarship.

Education is the first step in these children's lives to carve out a better future for themselves, their families and their community.

Bishnu, our Nepal In-Country Director, is a perfect example of the power of education. He has become a leader in Nepal and a catalyst for change ONLY because years ago someone saw his talent and offered him the opportunity of a great education. You can imagine how excited he is to witness other children experience this same opportunity.

Bishnu Needs a Truck!

2009-05-29T16:04:00.000-06:00

Bishnu and his staff in Nepal desperately need a vehicle to get into the villages. Currently they are taking buses or borrowing a motorcycle to visit the villages that are 4+ hours away. This makes traveling cumbersome and inefficient. Lew Swain, a long time CHOICE supporter, has offered a $5000 matching grant to purchase Bishnu a 4x4 truck if we can come up with another $5000. A truck for the Nepal staff would increase their capacity to accomplish their work. They would be able to go to the villages more often and bring needed supplies more efficiently. If you would like to donate, go to the donation page on our website or click HERE. Be sure to type "Bishnu's Truck" in the comments section. We would love to do this for our hard working staff in Nepal...so please help if you can. Namaste.

SARVODAYA COLLEGE:

2009-04-08T17:57:00.000-06:00

Bringing People Together

(Old Sarvodaya College building)

In 2003, the community of Chandrapata (one of the CHOICE villages in the Lamjung District) used an old primitive high school building and started running college classes in it.

These classes greatly upgraded the educational status, and provided college education to economically deprived students in their village. The building infrastructure is now seriously falling apart and a new structure is necessary to continue with classes.

CHOICE Nepal has brought successful people of the Duradanda Sector together. The community has had a series of meetings to prioritize their needs in regards to the college.

At this point the community has already acquired the land needed for the new building. Bishnu Adhikari (CHOICE Nepal In-Country Director) has led technicians in preparing the master plan of the site.

The full expense of the college will be US$150,000.00 total, with US$30,000.00 having already been committed to. With additional community support, government line agencies, and NGO's coming together, the college will be promptly completed.

Dr. Purna Kanta Adhikari is leading the "educational sector" team in defining the future of education in Duradanda; with the completion of the college and the foresight of the planning committees, many college graduates will be able to live their individual dreams and destiny.

(Master Plan of the new Sarvodaya College)

To read a full outline of "Sarvodaya College Campus at Duradanda" written by Dr. Purna Kanta Adhikari follow this link: http://www.fundacionchoicehumanitarian.org/database/docs/success_stories/37/ba08d3fac33fe2dccece35cc6143547f.doc

2009-03-13T15:52:00.001-06:00

Sanskriti Sadan Archaleni
Project Completion Report
by: Kiran Neupane

March 12, 2009

The community of Archaleni has completed the six-room building construction project of Sanskriti Sadan Secondary School with overwhelming participation of locals and partnering organizations.

CHOICE - Trivani support has created 7-fold leverage in terms of local labor and capital contribution. It has further strengthened the capacity of the community to complete the facility and to the community as a whole.

Sanskriti Sadan School has started using the newly constructed facility. The school is presently running computer and general classes for school kids. Chess Nepal, an organization working in Lamjung has committed support to establish a library in the building with additional assistance from Room to Read International.

School head-teacher, Shiva Shankar,
using computers in the newly constructed building

Total Expenses for Sanskriti Sadan Secondary School Building Construction Project:
Amount Contributed in NRS (Nepali rupees)

1. Trivani 400,000.00 (USD $4800.)
2. Community in terms of local labor contribution 550,000.00 (USD $6600.)
3. Community and School in terms Cash contribution 950,000.00 (USD $11,400.)
4. CHOICE in terms of engineering support and quality control 295,000.00 (USD $3500.)
5. District Education Office - Lamjung 750,000.00 (USD $9000.)
Total Expenses 29,45000.00 (USD $35,500.)

*We at CHOICE would like hold Archaleni up as an incredible example of what one village with vision can accomplish; way to go!!

Field Report - January 2009

2009-01-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

This past December 2008, Dr. Richard Francis and CHOICE trained paramedics Yuba Hari and Shivaraj Adhikari, provided dental services including patient education, to almost 350 patients.

Dancing and celebration filled the evening.

Turlung

Kiran Nuepane (CHOICE--R.D.F. Rural Development Facilitator) met with some of the men from Turlung to discuss how to get maximum participation from the villagers in the construction of the Devi Sadan secondary school. Possibilities of connecting to other resources to expand the support of this project were also considered.

Archaleni

The community of Archaleni is currently painting the newly constructed school. The women's group in the village has raised funds which will be helping with the construction of a community building. This community has strong vision, action, and support, that will help them reach their goals.

Puranokot

The people of Puranokot are happy to be partnered with Heritage Web Design in the C.V.P. (Corporate Village Partnership) program through CHOICE Humanitarian. They would like to thank CHOICE and Heritage Web Design for the support they have provided the community. The photo at left shows the leaders of Puranokot meeting to discuss the projects and needs of the village.

The photo at right shows the new building (on the right) being constructed with CHOICE and Trivani support. The strong walls being built with finely-chiseled rocks are becoming an attraction around the area for best workmanship.

Pasachaur

The school building (photo at right) is being completed with the exceptional support of the community, CHOICE and Trivani. The villagers will use the new rooms for teaching computer to the school kids and they will also set up a library.

The women of Pasachaur (photo below) like to use the community building for running income-generating activities for the village.

The greatest need for the village of Pasachaur is clean and accessible water. They are seeking support for constructing a reservoir and seven tap stands that would serve the entire village. The community is excited and committed to do the hard labor, such as digging trenches, back-filling, and collecting the stones and sand. The only thing standing in the way between clean, available water, is the funding to complete the project.

This community is grateful to be partnered with Rumbi Island Grill, in the Corporate Village Partnership program through CHOICE Humanitarian, and hope to one day meet some of you to say thanks face-to-face.

PASACHAUR "will no longer be shy to take its name proudly!"

2008-12-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

(The following is a summary of the article written by Khiran Neupane - CHOICE Field Specialist)

Most of the villagers in Pasachaur are labor workers and their everyday effort is in making two ends meet. The product of "limited dry cultivating land" is scarce and virtually all need to go outside of the village for labor work to earn their bread. Malnutrition and poor hygiene have prevailed in this community. Pasachaur lies at the distance of one and half hour's walk from Beshishahar; the district headquarters of Lamjung. At one point the village was so backwards and impoverished that the villagers were shy to take the name of their own village. They were afraid of being looked down upon.

We at CHOICE realized that our presence and role would be significant in this situation in order to make real change in the village. We called a village meeting after several visits. Every villager was given a chance to opine whether the school building was their most important need and if they really wanted to contribute to the process. We found all of the villagers very enthusiastic and excited about the project.

We met the World Vision team regarding the construction of the school and assured technically sound construction and community mobilization. They agreed to contribute monies in partnership with CHOICE. The villagers' dream project was soon to be materialized. Karta Singh Gurung, one of the village leaders, later said, "This project would have never been materialized if CHOICE had not been with us."

The villagers' contribution to the project was very significant. They had to dismantle the existing old building, clear the ground (there were heavy bedrocks in the ground), collect rock, sand and aggregates and carry non-local materials from the road to the project site. CHOICE technicians thought it would take a month to clear the ground in preparation for the foundation, but, with motivation, unity, and energy at its peak, they accomplished all preparations in a single week.

It took just three months to complete construction of this building. World Vision Lamjung team leader, Madan Rana says, "This is the first building with such fine workmanship among all the construction projects in the last 5 years." The community showed exemplary effort to construct this school building, with every household in the village supporting it, along with CHOICE, World Vision and Trivani Foundation--Pasachaur's dream materialized.

The villagers are now implementing many other plans for the village. The women's group has started to raise funding to construct a community building; the youth's group would like to enhance the capacity of the club to launch the programs for Youth Development.

"The village of Pasachaur will be no more shy to take its name proudly."

SCHOLARSHIP FOR THE STUDENTS OF PASACHAUR

Most of the youth in Pasachaur face severe hardship because of the dependance the entire community has upon subsistence farming. None of the families are able to produce enough food for the entire year. Most of the school aged kids are forced to support the family in farming on the cultivated mountain terraces. The older youth find even less time to use for their studies because they are depended upon as the main providers in their families. In addition to this, they must provide their own money for uniforms, paper and school fees.

from the left, Sabina Gurung, Narayan Gurung, Mimraj Mijar, Tularaj Bhandari, Uttam Gurung, Mekh Bahadur Gurung

The students in the photo are primary school graduates from Pasachaur. These students also face the challenges outlined above, but because of their burning desire to continue their education and become successful individuals in their own community, they have achieved the great challenge of graduating.

CHOICE had an expedition to Pasachaur in 2007. While being asked, one of the boys explained how he had to leave his school though he had a desire to continue it. Knowing the hardship of the village students, the expeditioners came up with the plan to support poor students from Pasachaur. This plan provides tuition fees, paper, and uniforms, for the students in need; sixteen students were given support in 2008.

Neta School Near Completion!

2008-11-25T11:59:00.001-07:00

The students in the village of Neta, in the Lamjung district of Nepal, are waiting excitedly for their new two story, six room primary school building to be completed. It has been a long wait but the workmanship of the villagers has made the school a beautiful and sturdy addition to the community. This project began about a year ago and the hard work of the villagers is paying off. CGI sheets are currently being laid on the roof and the finishing work is being completed. The school is expected to be completed December 2008. The new school will serve 250 families and will improve the lives of at least 1000 people. Just as important as the school itself are the leadership and organizational skills the villagers have learned. The community came together to work hard on a project to benefit everyone; they now have greater confidence, skills and knowledge to move forward in alleviating their own poverty. This is the magic of a CHIOCE project.

To all the CHOICE supporters who give of their time, talent or money to make projects/learning experiences like this happen, we say "Namaste."

Like all of the CHOICE projects, this was only possible because of the great partnerships that formed. This school's partners were CHOICE, the villagers and the Trivani Foundation.

Corporate Village Partnership

2008-10-31T16:13:00.000-06:00

This summer (2008), Heritage Web Design, a Utah based company, became a partner with the village of Purankot, Nepal. Life in Puranokot has been tough but with this new partnership positive changes are on the way. To better understand what life is like in Puranokot, read what Brikha Bahadur Gurung writes:

Puranokot in Brikha's Vision

"Brikha Bahadur Gurung was born in a poor family in Purankot, Lamjung, 25 years ago. Later, his father served as a Gurkha solder and his mom ran a small tea shop; that started improving their family finances making them a happy family of three. It did not last long. Unfortunately, Brikha's father died while serving in an army leaving behind a young child and his widow. Brikha's mom got married a second time to a young man and left Brikha at the village without any support. Based on the local custom, after the second marriage women lose right to the property from the first husband (new amendment in the prevailing law has given right to the property though it is not socially practiced), Brikha was left alone with nothing but a small hut. However, his mother kept on supporting him. He grew up strong both in feelings and strength, he never gave up hope in difficult times, as a result he is now studying in a college in a nearby village.

Struggling with the hardship of life and learning lessons from them, he developed himself as a visionary leader of the village. He envisions Puranokot as a 'Ecological Village Tourism Centre'. He sees the following things as prerequisites for making this happen. Puranokot is rich with traditional cultures, dances, and flora and faunas. But dances like Sorathi, Chudka and Ghantu are at risk of becoming extinct because of so called modernization. There should be an immediate action taken to protect them. Tourism will generate capital to make these cultures vibrant. Preservation of traditional carvings, crafts and uniforms are other areas that need protection and promotion. Well-educated and disciplined youths are needed, therefore, promotion of education is a priority. For village-tourism to flourish, a clean village with other basic facilities needs to be developed. At the same time, Brikha understands that establishing a network of other local villages that run similar programs and the private companies that invest in them is crucial. He has started this effort and would like CHOICE to be a part in helping him realize this goal."

Nepal Pictures

2008-09-24T15:45:00.001-06:00

How exciting!
These beautiful drawings are from children from the Nepali villages we work in. We just received them today and are so excited to share them with you. In a few of the pictures you can see a school which is one that CHOICE helped to build. It is so exciting to see the vision and reality of these small children changing with a little help from CHOICE.

Nepali Scholarships

2008-06-16T11:09:00.000-06:00

Dear CHOICE Community -

Many of you often ask how you can help? How can you personally make a difference? Now is the time! Nepali students are in need of scholarships, to be funded before August 2008 for the school year. We just received all of the life stories and pictures (click here) of all of this year’s applicants from Kiran, CHOICE staff in Nepal.

Here are a few of the stories of these students who are seeking funding:

Laxmi BK
Laxmi is thirteen and is in grade 7. She is from a Dalit community (oppressed and known as “untouchable” in Hindu religion). When asked to choose an eligible scholarship student, all of the teachers of Ganesh Malika (her school) had a single name: Laxmi BK. She is the ranked first student in the school. But she comes from a poor family. Her father went to India to search for work but hasn’t come back home for five years. They have a small hut on the property where her grandfather works. He is a blacksmith and managing two meals a day for the family.

Prem Bahadur BK
Prem is presently in grade 9. He is from a Dalit community. Only few people from these communities are able to escape from the vicious cycle of poverty. He is one of seven children of his parents. Prem progressed significantly last year as he got scholarship. He stood 3rd in his class. His position in the class the year before was seventh.

The cost of school fees, books, supplies, and a uniform for a year for these students is $100 per child. We are trying to raise $6,000 by mid-March for the coming year’s eligible students. Please contact us at 801-474-1937 if you would like to support these students in their quest toward further education, and creating sustainable incomes for the development of their families and communities. If you would like to donate online, write in “Nepal Scholarships” and indicate the amount you would like to contribute.

After watching these children from poor families make substantial progress in school over the last several years, Kiran said, “These students become examples for other children that a child who completes school can make a difference in their community in particular, and in society at large.”

Thank you for all of your support of CHOICE in our goal of creating sustainable change throughout the world.

Namaste-

Emily Franson

History of the Nepal Scholarship Program

2008-06-16T10:56:00.000-06:00

From a member of our Nepal Field Staff, Kiran Neupane:

Why are these students so poor?
There are few opportunities for the children’s parents to access money. Production from agriculture provides less than enough to live on, so there is a shortage of food, and there is nothing left to sell.

Many of the students who qualify for CHOICE scholarships belong to the Dalit or “untouchable” class of Nepal. Coming from a lifetime of social discrimination and generations of extreme poverty, few of these children are ever able to attain enough education to create a sustainable lifestyle.

How does the scholarship program help them? How are they selected? What do they go on to do?

The scholarships are given to those who are at the verge of leaving the school. With the support of a CHOICE scholarship, these students can afford to stop working and attend school.

Students apply for the scholarship, and are selected based on grades, behavior, and financial need.

Many of these students go on to careers that provide services, furthering the development of their own community as well as improving their own lives.

What happens with the students who are not on scholarship? Do they still get to go to school? Where do they get funding? What happens if a student doesn’t get funding the next year?

Students whose parents can afford the fees support their students through school. Some of the very poor get some funding to go to school from other organizations or personal sponsors, but most who don’t get funding drop out of school to work in the fields with their families. If the child does continue, performance will generally be bad, since they are working to provide money for their own schooling, and as a result, can’t attend school regularly.

How many CHOICE scholarship students are currently enrolled in higher education?

More than 95% of the students who have received CHOICE scholarships are currently enrolled in middle schools, most of which are within a two hour walk from their village. Some of the students have enrolled in a university. University education can be expensive due to costs of accommodation, but the tuition fees are not expensive. Some of the students have managed to find jobs such as teaching in private schools, to support themselves through school.

How do scholarships support sustainable development?

Nepal has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, and most of the country lives in extreme poverty. Through the Scholarship Program, the poorest of the poor have the opportunity to continue their schooling and lift themselves and their families out of the poverty. Even through completing high school, students are able to find jobs which help build the local economy.

“These students become examples for other children that a child who completes school can make a difference in their community in particular, and in society at large.”

–Kiran Neupane, CHOICE Nepal

Seed Program in Nepal

2007-12-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

Kiran Neupane shared a story about a seed program in the village of Chhaharepani.

In a meeting with CHOICE-Nepal, villagers from Chhaharepani came up with the idea of vegetable framing in fertile patches of land in the village. The villagers were seeking assistance for building green houses and purchasing seeds.

With CHOICE-Nepal’s financial help, villagers in Chhaharepani built a greenhouse and started seedlings in it. This has produced enough vegetable plants and seeds to meet the local demand. This is a self-sustaining social entrepreneurship. The revenue generated from selling vegetable plants and seeds will be deposited in a bank and become start up capital for next year.

MADE NEPAL, an NGO, has committed to providing technical assistance and training for the villagers on vegetable farming. The users’ committee will manage fertilizer and equipment needed for the farmers.

Thanks to the newly constructed road, the village has now been connected to the nearby markets: Beshishahar, Sundarbazar, Dumre, and Bhotewadar. Villagers are planning to set up a cooperative to facilitate marketing and selling. CHOICE-Nepal’s help played a crucial role in setting up this social enterprise.

Now the villagers have taken this concept one step further by networking villages and setting up similar users’ groups in the neighboring villages. As of September 7, 2007, eleven groups had been set up.

The seed money provided by CHOICE-Nepal has been a seed to connect the people.

A Few More Updates on Projects 4.24.2007

2007-10-01T12:37:00.001-06:00

-200 Bio-Gas for Madi, Lamjung, Nawalparasi, and Chitwan: Received 3rd installment for the project from Rotary. Around 40 plants are completed and progressing well.

-6 Room School Building in Neta: The foundation is going on and the villagers are now collecting stones.

-Kalika P.S. - Additional School Room Building, Pasa Chaur: Work to be done in partnership with World Vision. They have agreed to fund NRs.

-13 Room School Building in Dhuseni: Land has been purchased and talk has been going on with different NGO's and government bodies for putting some of their resources into it. It is to be started after monsoon.

Conference Call with Kiran and Nirmal 2.27.2007

2007-10-01T12:24:00.000-06:00

Progress on some current projects:
-200 Bio-Gas for Madi, Lamjung, Nawalparasi, and Chitwan: Program is continuing smoothly.

-Earn Your Own Scholarship for 50 Students: Around $1040 sent with Nirmal.

-6 Room School Building in Neta: Funding needed.

-Kalika P.S. - Additional Schoolroom Building, Pasa Chaur: Funding needed.

-13 Room School Building in Dhuseni: Dhuseni engaged in constructing Bio-Gas plants.

Neta (An Adopted Village):
It was encouraging to hear that the village has plans for a water project and also organic farming. These projects they are looking to 'sell' to another NGO (USCCanada). The village leadership, having learned from the CHOICE key village of Okalapani are aggressively searching, on their own, for other resources to help accomplish their goals. In the end, it is expected that a CHOICE investment in Neta will be significantly less in $ and the impact of CHOICE methodology will spread to additional neighboring communities. They have already scheduled a meeting to discuss their projects with the NGO.

Nepal Scholarship Program

2007-10-01T12:04:00.000-06:00

CHOICE Humanitarian has created a scholarship program to empower underprivileged students to pursue their education, who would otherwise be unable to attend school. We have seen these students return to their communitites, bringing their new knowledge and dedication to raising their village out of poverty.

From Poverty to Nursing School...
Smita is 20 years old. She is from a village of "untouchables." Her father died young, and her mother couldn't afford her school fees. One year ago, Smita received a CHOICE scholarship and was able to finish both middle school and go on to nursing school, her lifelong dream. She is now interviewing with local clinics.

More than 95% of CHOICE scholarship students are currently enrolled in middle school, within a two hour walk from their village, or are continuing their education in the university. University education can be expensive due to costs of accomodation, not the tuition fees. Some of the students have managed to find jobs such as teaching in private schools to support themselves through school.

These students are so poor because there are few opportunities for the children's parents to access money. Production from agriculture provides less than enough to live on, so there is a shortage of food, and there is nothing left to sell.
Many of the students who qualify for CHOICE scholarships belong to the Dalit or "untouchable" class of Nepal. Coming from a lifetime of social discrimination and generations of extreme poverty, few of these children are ever able to attain enough education to create a sustainable lifestyle.

The scholarships are given to those who are on the verge of leaving the school. With the support of a CHOICE scholarship, these students can afford to stop working and attend school. Students apply for the scholarship and are selected based on grades, behavior, and financial need. Many of these students go on to careers that provide services, furthering the development of their own community as well as improving their own lives.

Students whose parents can afford the fees support their students through school. Some of the very poor get some funding to go to school form other organizations or personal sponsors, but most who don't get funding drop out of school to work in the fields with their families. If the child does continue, performance will generally be poor since they are working to provide money for their own schooling and as a result cannot attend school regularly.

Nepal has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, and most of the country lives in extreme poverty. Through the Scholarship Program, the poorest of the poor have the opportunity to continue their schooling and lift themselves and their families out of poverty. Even through completing high school, students are able to find jobs which help build the local economy.

"These students become examples for other children that a child who completes school can make a difference in their community in particular, and in society at large."
-Kiran Neupane, CHOICE Director in Nepal

Nepal Leaps Ahead in Development...

2006-12-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

With political turmoil subsiding, the rebuilding is moving at a staggering rate. We knew that things would move fast, but had no idea that the villages had progressed so rapidly.

Chris Johnson, Director of Field Operations, returned to the country for the first time in 3 years and was stunned by the growth he found. From his recent debrief with our team:

"A quick snapshot of where Nepal is at right now - and how much further ahead they are of where we had predicted:

•Over 50,000 lives changed this year alone in Nepal
(we had mapped 26,000 lives changed in 2006 throughout the other countries, so this number is tremendous!)

•Standard leverage 3X
(meaning that for every $1 sent by you, they matched it 3 times more by financial commitments from the village, local government and other NGOs)

•3 year projected leverage 5-10X
(their goal is that within 3 years, they are consistently leveraging your investment to be achieving 5-10X more capital)

•Significant leadership capacity advance in 1-2 projects
(typically, we work with a village for 3-5 years, which is about 5-6 major projects, before the leadership is developed and they are on their own. The nature of entreprenuership and leadership in Nepal is such that they are gaining that same benchmark with only 1-2 projects)

•Major accomplishments happening in CHOICE villages without our continued leverage capital
(funding for Nepal has been less in the past few years, yet they have continued to make amazing change and connect to varied resources)

Chris met with many villages and village leaders to understand the amazing growth. We will share his learning with you in coming posts.

Perhaps the most captivating quote came from a village leader and capsulates the CHOICE method:

"CHOICE helped us build a platform by which we could develop our village."
Risi Rham Ghimire, village leader and visionary in Badagaun, Nepal

There is Some Light at end of the Tunnel at Last...

2006-11-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

Kiran Neupane, one of our directors in Nepal, recently sent us this story, a great example of how the CHOICE method works and the power of a village:

Choice started working in Okhalepani since 1999. It was the year Choice had stated to work in Nepal. Okhalepani has progressed a lot in these seven years when the country has experienced the worst rebellion and bloodshed in its history.

Many of the infrastructures were destructed and the country felt heavy down fall in its economy. Intimidation, distortion and extortion made many of the village leaders flee away and desert their home land. This is the common phenomenon of countryside of Nepal in the last decade.

To aim regular progressive change in this period seemed over ambitious because the unity of the villages was disturbed and the common voices were muted. While the government presence was shrunk in the district headquarters and capital city though its activities are thought significant in such a situation.

Our Choice villages have proved to be rigorous and have set exemplary effort of developing villages even in this difficulty. Okhalepani is among them. No doubt the people of Okhalepani can manage the projects themselves but now they are able to bring other resources on the table too.

Now the villagers have Filtered Clean Drinking Water, Bio-gas Plants with every household, Solar Power, road for transportation, stone paved alleys around the village, community building, electric power connected with national grid (getting connected with power in a couple of months), clean village and dedicated villagers.

"This is all the inspiration of Choice which taught us to crawl and walk on the path of Development." says the village leader Ishwari Prasad Adhikari.

They have clear vision on development. Everyone in the community is inspired for self development.

"Our mission is to incorporate all of the members in the community in development and raise their status together." says Toyanath Adhikari. Education is given first priority of all; all of the kids are sent to the school and guided in their studies in the evening by educated elders of the community. They see that modernization in farming and animal farming is urgently needed. They have started growing modern grasses with the help of District Agricultural Centre. Villagers are given training on sewing, knitting, and farming frequently and neighboring villages are also getting benefited from these training. Villagers are planting Coffee as a cash crop which will start yielding fruit after three years.

The village made commitment for local labor and could raise common voice with neighboring villages and made the government pull a road and electric grid up to the village. Villagers worked hard for fetching the electric poles and wire and dug the road. They collected around $3000 from the village and contributed for getting the road up to the village.

Here is the plan of them for the coming years:
1. Improve cow shed of every households so that they can adopt hybrid animals.
2. Adopt improved breed of animals
3. Construct a water system for irrigation for dry season (is necessary for vegetable farming, animal raising, growing coffee plant, modern grass and fruit garden)
4. Construct irrigation cannel for summer paddy plant.
5. Develop horticulture for bees and nutrition.
6. Develop Okhalepani as a Resource Village for Bee Keeping

The village has constructed a committee ' Okhalepani Development Forum' for the development of the village and has been registered in the District Administration Office. The villagers get an executive committee elected for the term of two year. They follow democratic process for decision making .All of the villagers meet in the assembly and opine on the development procedures of the village. The leaders take decision on the consensus of the villagers.

Leadership and well built community are two pillars of Okhalepani, which will lead the village into self sufficiency in coming year.
Regards
Kiran

2006-05-17T21:35:00.000-06:00

Nepal's 'top ten' Priority Initiatives:

Nepal's country staff is developing a country wide strategy and village strategies to make the development process more efficient. See here there Top 10 Priorities:

1. 200 Bio- Gas for Madi, Lamjung, Nawalparasi,and Chitwan
2. Kalika P.S. - Additional School Room Building, Chaur
3. Khumruk WSP
4. Bachhauli H. S.-Additional School Rooms Building
5. Madi Chitwan- Revolving Fund for pig, Goat Farming and Bee Keeping
6. Scholarship for 50 students
7. Badagaun- Madan P. S.
8. Padampur- Deep Tube Well, (30)
9. Mayakhu- additional School Building
10. Madi - additional School Building (Bala Kalyan P. S.)

2006-05-16T19:06:00.000-06:00

Exploring New Opportunities for Micro-Enterprise...

Kiran, one of our in-country directors, is exploring the idea of basket weaving and rug making as a micro-enterprise opportunity for our villages. The project would accomplish several important tasks:

Preserve the art and culture of the villagers, before we loose the eldest population
Connect the eldest and youngest members of the community through the sharing of the craft
Generating income
Connect the village to the greater economy

(An example of a traditional artisan weaving made in Badagaun that could be marketed to the US)

Kiran's comments:

"I had tried to connect this skill with an organization which is called Home Net. It has international network. Though they found this praiseworthy, they can't find market for it. I had shown some grass weaven materials from Bachhauli too (Tharu's indigenous Knowledge). Much paper work and less to the community. Though who were excited about the idea collected the works. I can't remember the country, they had an exhibition and Nepal stood first last year. this means our products are really good."

In the meantime, we have been able to make some connections on the US side to export the basketweaving - more to come soon...

Another project we have been working on, is for villagers to do the finish work and hand needlework on pashminas for export to the US. We have a generous pashmina factory owner in Kathmandu who is interested in setting up a charitable, micro-enterprise arm of his business. He currently cannot meet the demand for product and is needing more skilled labor. With CHOICE as a partner, we think a dynamic relationship that brings income to the remote villages where we work very viable.

2006-05-16T18:57:00.000-06:00

Work ongoing despite unrest...

Political instability and violence have not deterred the efforts of motivated villages and our in-country staff. While we have not been able to venture out to the most remote villages because of Maoist activities, we are continuing work in many other villages.

The power of the process, that the village drives and manages the project, is evidenced in the amount of work that has been completed, despite no expeditions in the last 3 years.

Completed in the past 3 years:
Adarsha Bal School
Ghermu Classrooms
Panini Sanskrit Secondary School

Chunikhel Water System
Panchgare Water System
Jyamire Water System
Khare Water System
Padampur Deep Tube Well and Water System

150 Bio Gas Digesters in Madi-Chitwan

24 Scholarships

Chunikhel Santitation Training
Latrines in various communities

Bee-Keeping Micro-Enterprise

**Photos courtesy of Fred Gottlieb, Cynthia Godsey and Erik Zenger