A woman works in a field near an Action Against Hunger project in Nepal.

Nepal

Nestled between China and India, the Himalayan country is one the poorest nations in the world.

After a decade of unstable governments and armed conflicts, Nepal suffers from a range of development and humanitarian challenges – from endemic poverty to widespread undernutrition.

One-third of the Nepalese population lives below the poverty line. To survive, most families depend on farming and agriculture is the main source of livelihood for 80% of the population.

Due to its location surrounded by the Himalayas, Nepal is vulnerable to natural disasters – intensifying the challenges posed by hunger. Floods, earthquakes, storms, avalanches and landslides are common.

In April 2015, Action Against Hunger responded to an earthquake which left 9,000 people dead and more than 22,000 injured. It was the strongest earthquake to hit the region in decades.

As Nepal recovers, we’re continuing to challenge child hunger by working in six districts across the country.

Country facts

  • 28m

    Nepal has a population of nearly 30 million people.

  • 147

    Nepal ranks 147th out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index.

  • 36%

    Sadly, 36% of Nepalese children under five suffer from malnutrition.

Action Against Hunger’s work in Nepal

We’re keeping up our work fighting life-threatening hunger, including treating severely malnourished children at 30 care centres in the Nawalparasi district.

We’re also continuing our food security and livelihoods activities, which include teaching home gardening and farming techniques.

In the earthquake-affected Nuwakot and Rasuwa, we also concluded our DFID-funded reconstruction and rehabilitation of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in 2019.

Other areas of our work in Nepal include:

  • nutrition programmes aimed at children and mothers
  • psychosocial support for those affected by the 2015 earthquakes and other natural disasters
  • improving access to clean water
  • improved sanitation facilities
  • hygiene programmes to stop the spread of disease and illness

Our response to coronavirus in Nepal

The Action Against Hunger team in Nepal have spread awareness raising messages related to the Covid-19 pandemic through Facebook pages and radio broadcasts.

We’ve also provided personal protective equipment to our health facilities in Nawalparasi District. Around a thousand people also benefitted from the distribution of hygiene kits, chlorine solution, water purification tablets and other hygiene emergency items in quarantine sites.

Our reach

  • 99,455

    We reached almost 100,000 people in Nepal through our programmes in 2019.

  • 25

    We have 25 staff based in Nawalparasi, Makwanpur, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Rautahat and Saptari.

  • 2011

    We've been working in Nepal since 2011.

A child is screened for malnutrition at an Action Against Hunger treatment centre in Nepal.

Save lives today

Help more communities in Nepal beat hunger.

Donate now

Related

Bangladesh

Humaira, a woman supported by Action Against Hunger at a treatment centre in Bangladesh,

This low-lying country is extremely vulnerable to climate disasters and hosts a large number of refugees from neighbouring countries.

India

A mum and their son at an Action Against Hunger project in Baran, India.

Although food security is improving, the world’s largest democracy still has a lot to do to tackle its high malnutrition levels.

Pakistan

Dr Sohni, an Action Against Hunger member of staff in Pakistan.

Pakistan has South Asia’s second largest economy, but inequality, climate change and conflict have limited its development.