Our plan in Nepal

Plan is working at the grassroots level in Nepal to help communities make real and lasting change, so that their children have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Sponsor a child in Nepal.

Plan began working in Nepal in 1978 and currently implements programs directly within eight districts and works through partners in a further 35 districts.  Plan's programs aim to address the following issues affecting children:

• High child mortality rates as a result of poor health and nutrition
• Inadequate access to safe water and sanitation practices
• Limited access to early childhood care and education
• Poor household economic security
• Vulnerability to sexual, physical and emotional abuse, exploitation, neglect and discrimination

Plan’s programs and strategies to address these issues include:

Health

Nepal experiences a high infant and maternal mortality rates, inadequate knowledge and access to health services and discrimination against HIV and AIDS sufferers and orphans.  Plan Nepal works to provide essential health services, strengthen local health committees and facilities and skills amongst health workers.  Plan also advocates for and supports disadvantaged and disabled people and aims to boost child nutrition through community-run development programs.

Water sanitation

Plan Nepal works to counter inappropriate sanitation, poor hygiene and inadequate access to safe drinking water through improvement of reliable and safe water supplies, sanitation and hygiene services, particularly in schools and early childhood care and development centres.

Education

With limited access to early childhood development and educational services, dropout and repetition rates are high in Nepal.  Plan works to develop home and centre-based early childcare facilities, improves school programs and strengthens school management committees.  Plan Nepal also takes affirmative action to reduce gender inequality by providing educational scholarships to girls.

Household economic security

Many families are dependent on agriculture for income, leaving children, women and child-headed families vulnerable to household economic insecurity.  Plan Nepal works to provide disadvantaged groups access to micro-finance institutions, concessional loans, food-for work, health insurance, provisional or short-term assistance and helps to increase access to natural resources.  Plan also works to promote gender equity especially in decision-making and socio-economic wellbeing.

Child rights, protection and participation

Nepalese children are vulnerable to sexual, physical and emotional abuse, exploitation by trafficking or child marriage, neglect and discrimination.  Plan Nepal works to raise awareness of child rights, strengthen a child-friendly juvenile justice system and children’s clubs, and increase birth registration rates.

Country Facts

Country	Nepal	Australia
Flag
Population	26.5 Million	21 Million
Language	Nepali (Official) - Tibetan widely spoken	English
Capital	Kathmandu	Canberra
GDP per capita (USD/year)	252	$37,300
Life expectancy	62.1	81.5
Access to safe drinking water	90%	100%
Literacy	48.6%	100%
Source:	United Nations: Millennium Development Goals Report 2006