Nepal

The Himalayas need no introduction. They compel us with a haunting beauty. Equally fascinating are the people who live among the foothills of these mountains. Lamjung District, located in Western Nepal, is home to the villages where CHOICE Humanitarian is working. These mountain villages range from 8,000 ft. to 12,000 ft. in elevation. Villagers live in houses made of mud and stone. Most have no potable water and diseases are widespread. The villagers highly value physical purity, spiritual refinement, and humility. They accept their hardships as will or fate (Karma). They are religious, family-oriented, and remembered for their warmth and hospitality.

From 1816 to 1951, Nepal closed its borders to all foreigners. Nepal’s brief history of democracy has been rife with frequent turnovers of power and frustrating corruption by leaders. The people of Nepal also suffer from illiteracy, religious and ethnic tension among its rapidly growing and mixed population, and poverty worsened by an uncertain economy. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world and over 90% of its population works in subsistence farming.

Focus

• Trade skills training
• Village water systems
• Health post and schoolhouse construction
• Bio-gas digesters

Country Coordinator

K.C. Arjun was born in Lamjung District where CHOICE currently works in Nepal. He and his wife Sanzu have one son. Arjun studied at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand to become a civil engineer. He has volunteered with CHOICE since May of 2000 and he became the country coordinator in January of 2002. Arjun works alongside Bishnu, a fellow CHOICE volunteer and employee of USAID, in the villages of Lamjung.