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Recent additions to the blacklist of the Credit Information Bureau reflect how Covid-19 is taking a toll on the economy. In less than a week, 129 industrialists, traders and individuals have joined the list of defaulters.

The bureau blacklists individuals and companies after they default on loans taken from banks and financial institutions for a long time. The recent update to the list includes Alpine Card Service, Alpine Finco International, and Yakshya Investment Pvt Ltd, all companies under the Alpine Group.

Company directors Mrinalini Giri, Rabindra Bahadur Malla, and Pranju Malla have been blacklisted. Alpine Card Services had been managing payments through international cards (including Visa, MasterCard) in Nepal. Currently, such cards are being issued and operated by the BFIs themselves. Meanwhile, several financial institutions had tried to buy the company.

Arthiknews.com quotes a company employee as saying that Alpine Group’s downfall began with its ambition of running Alpine Airlines. However, the group did not practice even the basics of business ethics. “It is no surprise they got blacklisted,” the employee says, adding, “There is probably no bank from which they haven’t taken loans. Moreover, most documents submitted to the bank for loans were forged.”

Although Alpine Group’s Union Money Transfer is currently in operation, investors have sunk most of the businesses they set up. The legacy that began with Bhakta Bahadur Malla’s Alpine Travels seems to be coming to an end now that the second generation of the family has been blacklisted.

The challenge

I am Srijana Bhujel, 19. I have an elder sister and grandparents. My parents left us when we were small and married having their own families. I am the breadwinner in the family. Since my grandparents are sickly we have to do all the household work and study as well. Due to poverty, we sometimes used to skip meals and was about to drop out of school when I was in grade VIII. My grandparents were unable to provide us monthly fees, stationery, school dress, bags and shoes that hindered me from going to school regularly. So, my sister and I came to Kathmandu in search of jobs. We used to do household jobs. I was depressed and unable to concentrate on study and daily job. I dropped my studies and my sister continued her studies in Kathmandu. Covid- 19 pandemic worsened my family condition. During the Covid-19, I joined a restaurant as a waitress. I didn’t feel comfortable to work at restaurants because of owner’s and customer’s behavior. I got a chance to know about OVN through the staff member when they visited my workplace.

The interventions

During the Covid-19 phase, I met staff members of OVN during their field visit. They informed me about the organization and its working strategy. I joined OVN and engaged in the life skill and leadership training. Also I got a business support from the OVN at my own village. I am very thankful to OVN for making my life easy. I got a chance to share my feelings and thoughts with them which made it easy and comfortable to live my life. I used to participate in different awareness programs and training organized by OVN. I got large scale business support from OVN to start a grocery shop in my own village. From the money I earned through the business, I continued my education and helped my family. I am happy for this support and plan to save some of my profit for the future.

The result

With the money earned from the grocery store, I have been able to continue my education by paying my school fees, buying stationeries and my family has been getting nutritious food as well. At present, I am continuing my studies in grade 11 in Education. My aim is to become a good business woman or a teacher. The generous support of the OVN is an inspiration for me to fulfill the aim and become a role model for others. My family and I are always grateful to Opportunity Village Nepal for its constant support to many children to fulfill their rights to education, survival, participants and development. I proudly say that my future is secured. I have confidence that I will do well and achieve my dreams.

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The challenge

Rojina Kumari Sarki is 24 years old. She is from the Beni Municipality of Myagdi District. She hails from a poor family background. She has suffered from sexual abuse in her childhood. It was hard for her to survive in the same society and continue her education. Therefore, she was recommended by the ward office to receive shelter support. Her father died of sickness and her family condition became worse. Her single mother has to spend on her sister’s education and their livelihood too. She recently completed grade 10. Further, she had to struggle by herself for her livelihood and education as well. In this situation, she got connected with OVN through a social worker and shared her story.

The interventions

She was given constant counseling by sisters and staffers and the opportunity to take part in various in-house activities. She got the opportunity to take part in various programs organized by OVN like art of skilled facilitation, PSG, peer counselor training, life skill training, leadership training, psychosocial well-being, and self-healing sessions, etc. Further individual counseling sessions, in-house sessions, and other various programs provided by Good Shepherd Sisters motivated her to boost up her confidence level. Individual counseling helped her to have a focus in life and come out of traumatic situations. She got training on a beautician course, both basic and advanced. Due to the Covid-19 situation training got delayed even though she didn’t give up; she is a hard-working girl. Always she wants to learn new things and aims to open her beauty parlor shop. As a result, cosmetic items and furniture were provided to achieve her dream. Now she is running her beauty parlor shop and earning her livelihood.

The result

She earns her livelihood independently. She is running a beauty parlor after completing her six-month beautician course. Empowerment session and involvement in the project as a peer educator made her more active and confident to live independently. She has a way forward to run her business confidently. She had a dream to live a violence-free life and be independent, empowered, and motivated. She saves Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 every month besides paying rent and meeting household needs. She experienced a vast change in her life.

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The challenge

Swastika Thing is a 19 year-old girl from Godawari Municipality-18, Dukuchap, Lalitpur District. Currently she lives with her mother and three other siblings. Her family’s economic condition is not good since her father left his family when she was young. Because of poor economic condition, she left her studies and started working as labor worker and later joined Dohari Saanjh (Folk show at night) in Thamel, Kathmandu. The owner promised to pay her pay Rs 10,000 for working 6 hours at night but she was paid only Rs 6,000 for working eight hours. There, she used to work as a waitress and had faced different forms of violence from the guests and owner as well. She had to face misbehavior, intentional touching and abusive words from them. While working, she got information about OVN from her friend.

The interventions

She actively participated in various capacity building activities like life skill and leadership training, in-house sessions, meeting/interaction and awareness campaign conducted by OVN which empowered her enough. Considering her interest to establish beauty parlor, OVN has provided her six-month long advanced level beautician training. Further, analyzing her vulnerability context, she was provided a shelter support from the project which helped her to complete her vocational training without any disturbances. She participated well in all in-house activities conducted in safe home. She had a plan to operate her business by opening the beauty parlor in her area after the training which has not happened due to pandemic. After completion of the training, she was reintegrated into her family with goat rearing business support.

The result

Now she is working as a PSG leader in the project and disseminating information about human trafficking, sexual exploitation and others issues of entertainment sector to her peers and convincing them to get enrolled in the project intervention. She is serving as a bridge to reach out to the other girls working in entertainment sectors. She is practicing her beauty parlor training nearby her house and earns some money from there too. She also rears goats. She earned Rs 10,000 by selling two goats which helped her manage daily needs during the pandemic.

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The challenge

I am Rekha Dahal, 17 years old. I have two younger brothers. My father is the breadwinner in the family. Since my mother is sick, I have to do all the household work and study as well. Due to poverty, I sometimes used to skip meals and was about to be dropped out of school when I was in grade eight. My family was unable to pay my monthly fees, and for stationery, school dress, bags and shoes that hindered me from going to school regularly. My father’s earning is not sufficient for the family. I was depressed and unable to concentrate on my studies. I used to roam around on the road, playing with children. I hardly stayed at home. I did not have a focus in life. The Covid-19 pandemic worsened my family’s condition.

The interventions

Once I met the Good Shepherd Sisters during their regular family visit in our village, I got the chance to share my suffering. The next day, I approached Opportunity Village Nepal (OVN) organization, asking for support to continue my education since I was unable to pay school fees. After studying my situation and family condition, Opportunity Village Nepal supported us with a livelihood program during the pandemic. Through that support, we bought a cow and have started to earn by selling milk. Further, individual counseling and value education classes provided by Good Shepherd Sisters motivated me to continue my education and set up a goal in my life. They showed me the right path in my life through their inspiring speeches. Considering our misery, I and my family have received medical support from OVN.

The result

With the money earned from the selling of milk, I am able to continue my education by paying my school fees, buying stationeries and my family has been getting nutritious food as well. Before I used to fall sick often, but now my health condition has improved. At present, I am continuing my studies in grade ten. My aim is to become a computer engineer. The generous support of the Good Shepherd Sisters is an inspiration for me to fulfill the aim of my life and become a role model for others. I am always grateful to Opportunity Village Nepal for its constant support to many children.

Kulsan Khatun, 48-yearold resident of Mahottari district Ward Number 6, welcomes visitors to her farm with sparkling smile. “I started farming vegetables like bottle gourd, pumpkin, sponge guard, cucumber, bitter guard, beans and okra by applying climate-friendly method. Among them, okra, cucumber, pumpkin, sponge guard, bottle gourd are ready to be sold and beans have just started flowering.” Her land has become a source of livelihood for her family of 15 members.

It now fulfills the vegetable needs of her family and has also become the main source of income. With some regret she continues explaining, “I was involved in farming for a long time but due to inadequate knowledge about adaptation farming, and appropriate seed quality, I always experience crop failure due to infection of unwanted insect and pest. After only small quantities of vegetables were produced, she felt discouraged.

But the support of Local Initiatives to Reduce Impacts of Climate Change (LIRIC) project implemented by ADRA and CDAFN and funded by European Union, motivated her to restart vegetable farming. The Climate Field School conducted by the project really helped her a lot. “The project staffs showed us practical demonstrations of various vegetable farming which is very useful for us and I followed that system of farming nowadays which benefits me a lot.” She further mentions, “Before, I started this, we had to buy vegetables worth Rs 500 every day to put three meals on the plate for our family and that too was not sufficient.”

But now the family is not worried about buying vegetables. Instead, they can eat as much vegetables as they want from their own land and sell the surplus. According to Kulsan, she saves around Rs 10,000 when she doesn’t have to buy vegetables. She also opened a bank account in her granddaughter’s name and has started saving Rs 3,000 a month so that she can use it in the future.

Child Friendly Furniture Support is an important activity under the Early Grade Reading program, which is being implemented in 12 schools of Chankheli Rural Municipality, Humla, to ease students’ access to classrooms. This year, the project provided 108 round tables and 24 materials racks to students of Grade 1 and 2.

The furniture was prepared by a local carpenter using traditional knowledge as it is cheaper and more sustainable than furniture from elsewhere. With the budget from last year carpet, p-form and cushion was also provided to each of the 12 schools. During the initial days of Early Grade Reading Project, the program only provided supplementary materials to the 12 schools, and attention was not paid to the physical condition of the classrooms. But it was later realized that classroom furniture played an equal role in encouraging children to go to school.

With financial support from GNI, the KIRDARC, Nepal, provided carpet, p-form and cushions to the schools. Now that child friendly furniture has been provided to classrooms, students are sitting comfortably and it is hoped that they wrooms. Next year, students of grade 3 under the EGRP will get to use new pieces of classroom furniture.

Saathi in its tireless journey to address violence against women initiated a program “Addressing Social-barriers That Hampers the Advancement of Women” in eight districts of Nepal: Bajura, Kanchanpur, Dang, Kapilbastu, Mahottari, Siraha, Sindhupalchok and Dolakha. The program envisioned a violence-free society for women and girls to exercise their rights and lead a dignified life. The program aimed at building an empowered community to address gender-based violence through the strengthening of access to justice and promoting the engagement of men and boys to address socio-cultural barriers that hamper advancement of women.

A collaborative approach was developed to fight against gender -based violence by mobilizing communities, stakeholders, community based organizations and local government representatives. A continuous engagement with these stakeholders were conducted for creating awareness, sensitization and community mobilization for strengthening the justice system and improving women’s access to justice. Traditionally, community members believe that the issues of gender and domestic violence Are issue related to women alone.

Not only do men disown the issue, they tend to oppose the campaigns related to gender-based violence and women empowerment. In this context, the program t adopted a unique modality of engaging men and boys in the fight against gender-based violence through the formation of local men’s groups. In the beginning, it was hard to convince men with their deep rooted patriarchal mindset to be engaged with the issues that traditionally believed to be ‘of women’. But gradually, after much sensitization, they understood their role in ending gender-based violence.

They not only formed a group and started discussing the issue in public, but started supporting their wives and female family members in household chores. They effectively convinced significant number of men in the community to give up alcohol consumption and supported in reducing domestic violence, mostly caused due to alcohol abuse. A strong network was formed at the community level to take immediate actions against gender based violence and domestic violence.

These groups acted as the alarm s at the grassroot level to notify communities about violence and call on the community members to take prompt actions. The groups supported the victims of violence to speak up, seek help and helped them to report of the injustice with the local justice mechanism. They also strengthened advocacy for speedy justice delivery with the local police.

The group members raised awareness in communities, conducted campaigns against harmful social practices, and promoted domestic violence victims to break the culture of silence. Stakeholders believe that a similar approach can be adopted in different parts of the country so that men are also involved in preventing gender-based violence, which has become a chronic problem for the country.

Residents in Sindhupalchowk have to struggle through one natural disaster after another. This year, the monsoon-induced landslides have only added to their woes. Krishna Bahadur Newar’s home in Barhabise, Sindhupalchowk was swept away by a recent landslide. “It’s really difficult for me to think about the incident and the loss that I suffered is unfathomable,” Newar says. “The sudden landslide not only took away my home and property but also my wife, leaving me and my injured son all alone. I was frightened and furious at the same time for losing everything.”

“In some places the whole hill came down wiping out the whole settlement. When we see these places, you can never imagine people lived there in the past” says Jampa Tsering Lama, disaster risk rduction and Emergency Coordinator for People in Need (PIN). “When the landslide is minor, people can recover to get their livelihoods back” Lama explains, “But if the impact is high, their livelihood and property are wrecked and people have no choice but to relocate to safer areas”.

Monsoon rainfall is considered the primary reason for landslide in hilly areas of Nepal, however improper land use and non-engineered road constructions have also contributed significantly to increasing number of local landslides in recent decades. In addition to that, 2015 earthquakes have further exacerbated the problem by severely weakening landmasses, thereby increasing the probability for future landslides. Therefore, taking into account the recurring nature of the problem, there is a clear need for an intervention to improve knowledge of the landslide hazards and technical capacity for the authorities to ensure effective landslide management at local the level.

With the humanitarian funding from European Union, People in Need along with its consortium partners Community Self Reliance Centre (CSRC), National Society for Earthquake Technology - Nepal (NSET), Scott Wilson Nepal (SWN), Durham University, and Northumbria University is implementing Pratibaddha: Risk-Informed Landslide Management in Nepal’s Hill Areas Project to increase the resilience of communities in rural hill areas through effective mitigation and management of landslides.

The key objective of the project is to work with local authorities and disaster management institutions, key actors involved in road construction and infrastructure projects, communities and national government to increase their understanding of landslide hazards, the risks they pose and the impact of human disturbance on communities exposed to hazard risks. Pratibaddha project has been working with communities, local authorities and relevant stakeholders in Sindhupalchowk and Dolakha districts by engaging local authorities and disaster management bodies in a series of capacity-building programs using innovative hazard and risk-mapping tools, as well as through awareness-raising campaigns and workshops for local user committees, schools, private contractors, engineers, and relevant stakeholders to enhance their knowledge of hazards, risks, and human disturbance.

The project uses custom-built 3D landslide models to demonstrate to the communities how landslides occur and possible causes behind them, how to interpret early signs and symptoms, and various cost-effective mitigation measures to minimize risks at local level. Similarly, it uses participatory 3D maps to discuss impacts of landslide hazards on different types of stakeholders, particularly the communities including vulnerable groups and decision makers and demonstrate how the tool can be used for risk-informed planning at local level.

In addition to that, the project also organizes awareness campaigns around effects of human activities and infrastructure development works, particularly road constructions, effective ways to mitigate landslide risks through bio-engineering, slope monitoring and maintenance techniques as well as preparedness, response and rehabilitation activities that can be done at personal and community level to ensure safety against landslides. “I wish these practical techniques for water management and landslide risk reduction were included in our school curriculum”, shared a student of Gaurishankar School, where the project conducted the workshop.

The students were delighted to learn that planting vegetation on the drywalls and maintaining proper drainage (bioengineering) in their backyard can stop erosion of soil as well as prevents landslips along the slopes. Local residents shared their past experiences and knowledge stressing how sensitive they used to be about maintaining nature while implementing the development works. “Earlier men and women used to construct road manually. We used to dig using shovels and local resources or equipment, now everywhere back-hoe loaders are used and it’s destroying everything”, recalls Gauri Maya Shrestha, a local resident of Nayabasti.

The Pratibaddha project carried out two eight-day training events from March 23 to 12 April 2021 on “Landslide Assessment and Mitigation” for the technical human resources of municipalities in the project’s working areas. The training events were divided into two–one for engineers and sub-engineers, and another for assistant sub-engineers Rural/Municipalities. The project helped formulate rural road construction guideline and monsoon preparedness plan for the project municipalities as a part of tailored technical support.

After receiving the guideline, Nimphunjo Sherpa, mayor for Barhabise municipality, said that Barhabise will start using the guideline for future constructions and that the municipality will remain committed to constructing fewer kilometers of road using the guideline, rather than constructing longer road sections haphazardly. The project, in coordination with the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Authority (NDRRMA) of the Government of Nepal, is currently conducting geo-hazard assessment of landslide affected settlements in Bhotekoshi municipality and has already completed assessment in Barhabise municipality.

The assessment team has completed geo-hazard assessment for 51 sites across seven wards that are affected by landslides in Barhabise Municipality. The project is now conducting similar assessments in over 100 sites in Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality in Sindhupalchok, and planning to conduct in Bigu and Tamakoshi Rural Municipalities in Dolakha in coming months.

Sita Ghimire (28) lives in the village at Kiranchowk, Gajuri Rural Municipality-8, Dhading. Hers is one of the many families that was affected by the 2015 earthquake. Her family were left to live in a temporary hut as their house completely collapsed. They also did not register for grievances for housing grant as they were not aware about it. The house and a small patch of land were the only property that Sita’s family owned. With the support of DCA, she was connected to the local government from where she was eligible to receive the housing reconstruction support.

Finally, her family was able to rebuild their house and have a roof of their own. However, her needs did not end there as they did not have a regular income to take care of their requirements, major one being her daughter’s education. “One of the main concerns for me and my husband was to have a roof for us and our daughter. It meant that we had a home to stay, security and also a sense of family dignity, but once we could manage that we realized that we had greater responsibility taking care of her education too. The money we earned was not enough to even to rebuild our home completely, let alone provide for her education,” she further adds.

Identifying the gravity of Sita’s needs and situation she was identified and approached for a month-long soft toy/doll making training organized by DCA in collaboration with Dhading and Gajuri Rural Municipality. The objective of the training was to improve the livelihood of vulnerable families who, like Sita, were looking for alternative opportunities for skill and income. Sita learnt many new things in the training as she has never tried doll making before. She learnt cutting, designing, and filling to make different kinds of dolls and upon completion of the training she started making soft toys to sell in the market.

“Whenever I have free time, I make toys as they fetch good prices in the local market. There is a high school near my home, so the students from there mostly buy my toys which has helped with my sales,” informs Sita. “The money I save is being used for my household expenses, buying materials for toy making and my daughters education. I am very encouraged with the result, and I hope to grow this business as it helps me with income and at the same times brings smile in the face of my customers,” she gladly says.

Being a development and humanitarian organization, DCA (a Danish INGO) was active from day one after the 2015 Earthquake to reach the neediest population in hardest hit areas of Nepal. The immediate response started in Lalitpur, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Dhading, Lamjung and Gorkha Districts, followed by early recovery interventions. In order to have a longer-term development impact and building back better from the devastating earthquake, DCA’s effort continued during the reconstruction phase with the expansion of support to more than 30 earthquake affected districts of Nepal.

The major areas of interventions were on livelihood enhancement in both on and off-farm sector, vocational skills, knowledge and awareness on disaster risk reduction, building the capacity of local government on disaster preparedness, gender issues during and after crisis, among others. Dhading remained as one of the most focused districts, where the support ranges from livelihood, disaster risk reduction, local governance, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), market systems strengthening and tailored support as per the need for the most vulnerable communities in the district, who were pushed back by the earthquake and further challenged by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Following the earthquake in 2015, Caritas Nepal worked to improve lives and uplift people through its various disaster recovery programs. It implemented Nepal Earthquake Recovery Program and Gorkha Earthquake Recovery Resilience Program to facilitate holistic recovery in 16 earthquake affected locations in Dolakha, Sindhupalchowk, Kavrepalanchowk, Sindhuli and Dolakha.

More than ten thousand households were trained in livelihood recovery concerns and were provided inputs, and they are re-establishing and improving their livelihoods. The livelihoods pursued are in the sectors of agriculture, livestock raising, and poultry raising. Eight cooperatives have been strengthened and they are providing microfinance services to 6047 households. Soft loans are being provided by the cooperatives to their members to help them pursue economic recovery activities.

Disaster mainstreaming was done in all intervention sectors. Local disaster management committees were formed in eight locations and plans (LDRMP) prepared in two locations. Caritas Nepal facilitated ‘Surakshit Awas Afain Banau Aviyaan’ through which it provided full shelter support package. It included housing grants, social mobilization and technical support. The full shelter packages have reached more than 500 houses in Orang, 600 houses in Bulung, 435 houses in Kalika, and 200 houses in Thokarpa. There are also many beneficiaries of the program in Balthali and Chandenimandan.

The house construction effort was led by 1341 masons trained by Caritas Nepal on earthquake resistant construction and 192 people trained to become masons. When the earthquake struck, Sanjay Tamang, who then studied in the fourth grade, lost both of his parents. His house at Bigu, Dolakha, was also destroyed. Now he has an earthquake resistant stone mud masonry house to live in. He is now living with his grandparents. After such great loss, the new house has given their family hope.

Caritas Nepal has also strengthened the social spirit by introducing other programs to vulnerable groups. Within three years after the earthquake, a total of 2,467 earthquake affected households (12,335 people) had improved access to safe drinking water from 49 drinking water systems constructed by the local User Groups with the financial support of Caritas Nepal. In addition to this, Caritas Nepal also implemented programs that helped provide funds for referral support to more than two hundred people suffering from psychosocial trauma.