Recently CHOICE Nepal hosted the Honorable Mrs. Bidhya Devi Bhandari, President of Nepal for the Inauguration ceremony of the Agriculture Laboratory Building at the Janakalyan Secondary School in Palung, Makwanpur, Nepal. 

The lab will benefit 1,245 students of Janakalyan Secondary School and all the farmers from the community. Students will learn new techniques, and the farmers can test the quality of soil and as well as disease in plants. Agriculture is the main source of income in Palung. Twenty thousand families in Palung are engaged in vegetable farming due to the proximity of Kathmandu which gives them a broader customer base.

Resham Khadka lives in rural Nepal with his wife and three children. Like many young people in this area, when he turned 18 he went to the Gulf countries as a migrant laborer working in different countries and sending money home for his family. The money helped them survive, but there was not enough to save. He was discouraged because, in spite of his hard work in the Gulf, there was no change in his family’s economic situation. It helped them cope with poverty, but didn’t help them come out of poverty. Also, it was very hard for his wife to raise small children and live alone.  

Kritika Poudel is one such a person. As a wife and mother, she was no stranger to giving all she could, however, it was not always enough. At age 17, Kritika’s parents arranged her marriage to a boy from a neighboring village in Nepal. 

On behalf of the staff, Board of Trustees, and the tens of thousands of villagers whose lives you have helped improve thank you for being a part of the CHOICE Humanitarian family. Together, we reached new heights in 2016, and we owe this success to you for two reasons. First, you believe that extreme poverty can and should end in our lifetime. And second, you trust that CHOICE Humanitarian is the organization best suited to achieve this goal. Quite simply, you are the reason CHOICE continues to flourish and, on behalf of the entire CHOICE team, we can't thank you enough. Impact highlights. 

I have a good idea of what it might feel like to be royalty. Upon arrival in the village of Chiti in the remote western stretches of Nepal where we would be living and serving for the next week, we received a king's welcome. From the moment we stepped off the mountain bus we were welcomed by dozens of eager, smiling villagers ready to greet us with vibrant flower leis, smearing our foreheads with bright red tikkas accompanied by loud, celebratory music. Before we knew it we were carried down into the village centre in a sea of jubilance, quite literally on parade. We were then given seats as honoured guests at the head of the village square as if at a special assembly. It was an amazing spectacle, and a moment we’ll not soon forget. 

When you hear someone say, "I went to Mexico." What comes to mind? Cruise ships. A picturesque vista. Palm trees. Fruity beverages. Oh, and tropical weather. Yes, all the vacation-y things. You typically don't imagine your days south of the border to be serenaded by birds and your freezing cold nights set to the soundtrack of about 1 million dogs. 

In this particular case, they were.  

                      **PAUSE** 

Personal determination is a characteristic highly sought after by CHOICE Humanitarian in its recipients. Susmita Gurung, a CHOICE recipient from Nepal that displayed a high level of personal determination has a story worthy of sharing. Susmita, a 17-year-old girl from the village of Bangre, has a goal to help others by becoming an English teacher. She has faced many hard situations almost from birth but is still determined to attain her goal.

On the evening of Friday, September 23, several VCBO team members were invited to attend CHOICE Humanitarian’s Fundraising Gala. The night included a silent auction, dinner, and a live auction. It was a wonderful night full of inspiring stories, excellent music, great food and of course, wonderful company.

What is the price of confidence? To one Nepalese entrepreneur, confidence was four piglets and the dedication to reach beyond the life he once lived. The family of Chandra Bahadur was identified by CHOICE Humanitarian as one living in extreme poverty in the village of Bhorletar, Nepal. Although Chandra was a hardworking craftsman and family man, he and his family still struggled to meet even their most basic needs.

CHOICE Completed the First Post-Earthquake
School Compliant with New Government Regulations in the Entire Country of Nepal

Many national stories have focused on the India oil embargo and slow response times from the Nepali government and how those have adversely affected the rebuilding of Nepal in the year since the worst earthquake in their history.