In Kanakasundari Rural Municipality, in remote Jumla district, the scenery is stunning but life is difficult.
Most families don’t have enough food to last the year, lack access to safe drinking water and decent sanitation, and are vulnerable to natural disasters and the growing impacts of climate change.
INF’s Women’s Empowerment and Livelihoods Program will work with these communities over the next five years to:
- Help more than 1,500 people lift themselves above the extreme poverty line (living on less than USD 1.90 per day)
- Increase the number of households with adequate annual food consumption from 9% to 30%
- Halve the number of deaths of mothers, newborns and children under the age of five
- Ensure that more than 50% of children with disabilities attend school (from 10% currently)
- Double the number of people using safe, clean drinking water.
Project Feature – Team Leaders
Community empowerment is a long, patient process. INF’s team leaders – living locally – embody patience and passion for their task.
Join Raju Gharti Magar, one of our four team leaders in Kanakasundari Jumla, as he walks to walk and shares his hopes and plans for the WEAL project.
Find Out More
Newsletters
Roughly every 6 months, new issues of our Journey with Jumla newsletter will be available for download here:
Project Updates
During 2019–20:
| Project Aims | Achieved So Far | Project Activities |
| Help more than 1,500 people lift themselves out of extreme poverty 1,300 people with increased income through farm improvements or new home-based enterprises | 1,300 people with increased income through farm improvements or new home-based enterprises | • SHG monthly savings of NRs 1,000,000 [AUD 13,000] • Training on business development, improved farming techniques and animal husbandry • 9 district business networks established for better market access |
| Increase number of households with adequate annual food consumption from 9% to 30% | 17% of households report adequate food consumption over the past year | • Training on improved and climate resilient agriculture, kitchen gardening, composting and organic pesticide • 32% of Self Help Groups members using greenhouses to improve productivity [9 extremely poor families provided with direct support to construct greenhouses] |
| Reduce below 5% deaths of mothers, newborns and children under 5 | Zero maternal deaths and 3 newborn/infant deaths from 390 deliveries [0.7%] | • Training and support to women for pre-natal checkups and assisted deliveries • Training and support to Health Facility Management Committees to improve services, infrastructure and accountability • Training to Female Community Health Volunteers |
| Ensure that more than 50% of children with disabilities attend school | 97 of 103 children with disabilities regularly attending school [94%] | • Awareness raising on disability inclusion • Training and support to School Management Committees to improve accessibility and inclusion • Support to extremely poor families to meet education related expenses |
| Double the number of people accessing clean drinking water [from 40% to 80%] | 51% of households have access to piped drinking water | • 59 schemes developed and supported by SHGs to install tapstands and piped water supply |
Other project highlights:
• SHGs constructed or repaired 8 irrigation channels, providing irrigation to the crops of 150 households
• 61 communities reducing plastic waste and environmental pollution through waste separation and disposal
• Improved or new infrastructure [check dam, water drainage systems, wooden bridges] in 15 locations
• 21 communities implementing disaster risk assessments and action plans
• 75 Gender Focal Persons trained and supporting awareness raising and action against chhaupadi, child marriage and domestic violence
Find out more at our Project Updates page
Family Resources
Fun and engaging activities and resources for families and children:
- Around the House – activities comparing home life in Australia and Jumla [ages 5–15]
- Playing Games – traditional games from Nepal [ages 5+]
- Who Does What? – a simple activity for comparing boys’ and girls’ household jobs [all ages]
See all Families in Jumla resources
Will you journey with us?
Please become a financial and prayer supporter, committing to pray and contribute $25 each month.
All Journey with Jumla supporters will receive quarterly newsletters and regular online updates, as well as interactive and other experiential events, bringing you the inside story of community development work. Read the current issue of the newsletter here.
From the first days of the community development process to the project’s conclusion, you will share the hopes and hurts, the challenges and celebrations of these communities.
INF Australia receives support from the Australian Government for our work in Jumla through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program [ANCP].