Why Nepal
Nepal is one of the most impoverished nations on Earth.
According to the United Nations, Nepal ranks 140th in the world in overall human development, behind such countries as India and Bangladesh. About one-half of the Nepalese people live in poverty: average annual income is about $230 per person, 9% of all children die before reaching the age of five, and 56% of adults are illiterate.
Poverty in Nepal is concentrated in rural villages and among lower castes and ethnic minorities. These villages are often located in remote, mountain villages that are geographically isolated and far from basic services. Subsistence agriculture is the rule, leaving villagers little opportunity to improve their welfare. These rural areas have seen little of the modest economic growth that has benefited larger cities in Nepal.
Rural healthcare services are at best rudimentary, with government health posts often going unstaffed and undersupplied for years. Nutrition is inadequate; vaccination rates are poor. Access to education is irregular, and low literacy rates remain a barrier to economic progress.
Political instability has increased in the last few years in Nepal, with unstable national governments finding it difficult to pursue coherent policies and a Maoist insurgency clashing violently with government forces. These political problems have hurt tourism in Nepal, one activity that had been delivering economic opportunities to some rural areas.
Recent political developments—including an apparent reconciliation between the Maoists and the reinstated national government—have filled us with hope for a more stable and and prosperous future in Nepal. In the meantime, poverty in Nepal remains severe.
HHC has made the rural poor of Nepal its main target for assistance, focusing on key needs in healthcare, education and income generation.
