Program Details: Nepal

Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia, bordered by China to the north and India to the south, east and west. Though a small territory, the landscape of Nepal is unusually diverse, ranging from humid in the south to the lofty Himalayas in the north. Eight of the world's ten highest mountains are in Nepal, including Mount Everest. Nepal's largest and capital city is Kathmandu, and the entire country is known for its natural beauty and its many temples and places of worship.

After a long and rich history, Nepal became a constitutional monarchy in 1990. This arrangement was marked by increasing instability and in 1996, large swaths of the country were embroiled in a guerilla conflict with Maoist insurgents seeking to overthrow both the monarchy and Nepalese mainstream political parties to establish a Maoist state.

In 2006, after a decade of chaos in which more than 11,000 people died and nearly 200,000 were displaced the King agreed to relinquish sovereign power back to the people and reinstated the dissolved House of Representatives — which promptly declared Nepal a secular state. Consequently, many of Nepal's current political leaders, including the former Maoist rebels, now want the monarchy completely abolished.

At the same time, the instability that has plagued Nepal for years persists. Nepal remains one of the world's poorest countries, with a per capita income of just US $244. Rural people — who make up more than 85 percent of Nepal's population — continue to struggle with extreme poverty, the disenfranchisement of vulnerable minority groups, political corruption, and a lack of government and social services. Many young people have migrated from their remote villages to urban areas and even to India or the Gulf States to avoid recruitment into the current conflict and to seek better economic opportunities.

Despite this, Nepal is emerging into a post-conflict environment that suggests a more hopeful future. Mercy Corps is hard at work finding new opportunities to help the Nepalese people repair the political, economic and social damage to their country.

We focus on peace-building and economic development, especially for youth and vulnerable groups, and are continuing to combine relief and development efforts with programs that help the Nepalese people move from conflict and poverty to political and economic stability.

A Country in Transition

The current uneasy status quo between Government and Maoist forces has had — and continues to have — a corrosive effect on Nepalese livelihoods, services, and aspirations. Nepal suffers from a shattered economy, degraded and destroyed infrastructure, an increase in crime, and tens of thousands of displaced and traumatized people. Nepal is also vulnerable to natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods.

Still, Nepal is moving forward with hopes for future stability. In November 2006, the Maoists reached a Peace Accord with the government, and there now exists a Nepalese parliament that includes both Maoists and elected officials from various political parties. Internal arms control has been nearly achieved, and an interim Nepali constitution has been approved.

While Mercy Corps understands the real need to focus on programs that will immediately help the Nepalese people improve their daily lives, we are also addressing the joint long term causes of poverty and conflict — poor governance and economic and social inequity. Our crosscutting programs coalesce around improving livelihoods, strengthening local governments, empowering vulnerable groups and providing humanitarian assistance where needed.

Mercy Corps' Work in Nepal — Opportunities for Youth

Nepal faces many challenges as it transitions from a conflict-ridden country to one of peace and prosperity. One of the main drivers of Nepal's recent conflict was a surplus of semi-educated, unemployed youth. With few opportunities at home, young people turned towards the Maoist guerillas and the promises they held out for a better life through political and social change.

Mercy Corps' programs help bring hope to Nepalese youth. We work primarily through local partners with already strong and proven links to the communities they serve. We strive to address the continued poverty, poor education and unemployment among youth — and the caste, ethnic and regional imbalances that still abound — by creating economic alternatives and reintegrating young people into their communities and Nepalese society.

Mercy Corps' major youth program in Nepal is Youth Initiatives for Peace and Reconciliation (YIPR). We work with local partner Backward Society Education (BASE), an organization with extensive experience in community mobilization and a strong network of village, area, district and regional youth committees. We help mobilize young people in conflict-affected areas to get involved in peace and reconciliation initiatives in their communities. Since October 2006, we have provided opportunities for 30,000 youth from 650 communities.

Mercy Corps and BASE empower young people to create dialogue with one another, their parents, government, and political leaders about the poverty, isolation, disenfranchisement, discrimination, and unemployment affecting them — particularly as these issues relate to Nepal's recent past conflict.

We bring together youth of different backgrounds, ethnicity and caste to jointly work on projects affecting their communities. These young people often raise their own funds and materials to construct youth clubs and plant trees along community roadways for erosion control, much to the gratification and approval of their parents and other village members.

Mercy Corps and BASE also provide recreational, athletic and cultural activities including camps, sports competitions, cultural events, radio programs, street theater, and community projects — all of which are aimed at promoting tolerance, peace and reconciliation.

Economic Development — Cardamom Farming

Geographically located between the two rising economic giants of China and India, Nepal could be particularly vulnerable — like "a yam wedged between two giant rocks" as the Nepalis say. However, there are also great trade benefits from these two countries that Nepal can definitely capitalize upon.

Large cardamom pods are a crop that presents an excellent opportunity to Nepalese farmers and exporters because it has a high value on the world market and is easy to cultivate. Introduced to Nepal several centuries ago cardamom is environmentally friendly, protecting the soil of the fragile hillsides where it is grown. Moreover, there is unmet demand on the global market — particularly in India, the world's largest purchaser of cardamom — for a premium product, making it an excellent investment for Nepal's small farmers.

Mercy Corps' innovative new Panchthar Premium Cardamom project will support marginalized small cardamom farmers to raise their incomes by helping them improve the quality of the cardamom they produce. Mercy Corps will help link Nepalese cardamom growers directly to established cardamom markets, enabling them to eliminate brokers and thus boost their own profit margins.

With more than 20,000 cardamom producers currently in Nepal, this Mercy Corps project has the potential to be expanded for the benefit of many more people.

Disaster Risk Reduction

Nepal is prone to floods, landslides, fires, earthquakes and droughts. These disasters affect approximately 10,000 families nationwide almost every year. The impact of disasters on people's lives is exacerbated by poverty, lack of road access, lack of government resources, lack of access to information and warning systems, low literacy rates, social exclusion and lack of public awareness.

One of Mercy Corps' core objectives is to assist people to recover and regain their livelihoods after conflict or disaster. Risk reduction activities help people minimise their vulnerability to future disasters and are essential to ensure the sustainability of long-term development achievements.

Mercy Corps' Kailali Disaster Risk Reduction project will operate in a susceptible district of mid-western Nepal. It will aim to reduce the impact of disasters by working closely with vulnerable communities and local government to increase awareness, strengthen capacity, prepare for and respond to frequent natural disasters.