Category: News

Thanks to Dale Dodge for this report.

In Canada just about everywhere is an “Open Defecation Free Zone” but as of 2010 open defecation was the standard in the rural parts of Nepal. This has series health and safety consequences.

That is why in 2010 the Government of Nepal adopted a National Hygiene and Sanitation Master Plan to address this issue. The goal of the Master Plan is to attain universal access to improved sanitation by 2017 for better hygiene, health and environment. A major goal of this Master Plan is to reduce open defecation to zero, throughout Nepal.  To achieve the Open Defecation Free (ODF) goal, there must be the availability of toilets, especially toilets close to personal dwellings. The milestones of the ODF goal are set as follow:

Milestone 1 : Toilet coverage of 60% of total households by 2012/13

Milestone 2 : Toilet coverage of 80% of  total households by 2014/15

Milestone 3 : Universal toilet coverage by 2016/17

In Ramechhap district, where World Neighbours Canada has supported the work of Tamakoshi Sewa Samiti (TSS), since 1989 to alleviate poverty and help rural communities become more self-sufficient, the Drinking Water & Sanitation Division Office, a government agency, is responsible to achieve the above target through collaboration with various social organizations working in the district. There is also a District Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Coordination Committee (DWASH-CC) headed by a Local Development Officer. Being that TSS is also involved on water and sanitation initiatives, it is also a member organization of the DWASH-CC. In order to avoid duplication of work amongst the many active NGOs working in this field, and in order to achieve the ODF target, the DWASH-CC has allocated certain communities to each NGO.

TSS has been given the communities of Deurali, Dimipokhari, Hiledevi and the city of Manthali to work with.  This will require the installation of approximately 4200 sealed, hygienic toilets.

There is a process that has to be met in order to declare an ODF zone. Firstly, the concerned NGO has to send a letter to their local Ward Office / Village Council / Municipality. The local Village Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Coordination Committee (VWASH-CC) based in each ward has to send a letter to District WASH-CC to request a field monitoring visit for confirmation of a toilet close by all houses. The monitoring team includes representatives from government officials (DCC, DWASH-CC, Drinking Water & Sanitation Office), a journalist, a representative from the District Federation of Water & Sanitation Beneficiary, and other NGO stakeholders. After the monitoring visit ensures that toilets are installed by all houses, a date is set for an ODF declaration event. On that day, again representatives from above mentioned government & non-government offices will  visit the community. There will be a formal event – many speeches,  a group declaration by residents that they will use the toilets, and a certificate presented to the village.  And of course, much food and dancing.

After a nine-month period, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanca” has resigned.

WNC partner Suresh Shrestha explains:

“Yes, our Prime Minister has resigned,” said Suresh. “The current government is a coalition government between the Maoist and Nepali Congress.”

He said that 10 months ago, it was agreed between these two parties that the first nine months will be led by Moist and another nine months will be led by Nepali Congress.

As per this agreement, the prime minister resigned after the first phase of local body election, as per the deal with Nepali Congress. For the formation of next government, there is also basic process. The president will first urge to form

“For the formation of next government, there is also basic process. The president will first urge to form all-party government, if fails then request for majority government. The next government will be likely to led by Nepali Congress.”

More news about this can be found here: Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda resigns

by Dale Dodge

Rough!!! If there was a word to describe my latest trip to Ramechhap and to the communities where TSS and WNC have facilitated the installation of gravity fed water systems, ‘rough’ would be the word. Perhaps I am getting older and don’t remember how bad the roads were 3 years ago, but I am not likely to forget how bad they were this time. There has been a concerted effort by the government over the past 10 – 15 years to push in roads to many of the isolated communities in the mountainous regions of Ramechhap, and they have been successful in doing so. The roads are typically single lane cat tracks which zig zag up the mountain, back down the other side, and then up the next mountain. The roads are used to bring people (busses) and freight (large farm tractors with large trailers behind) back and forth. They are all unpaved. None seem to be repaired or maintained unless there is a wash out or cave in. And for small vehicles like I was in, they are all incredibly rough. Vehicles that try to go a little faster are strewn along the way with broken tie rods, broken axles, and flat tires. To go 25 kilometres typically takes at least 2 ½ – 3 hours.

Luckily, the reception at the end of the road (before we have to turn around and go back out the same track…) is worth the trip. All the villagers know is that the Canadians are coming, and the Canadians were the ones who supplied the funding to purchase the pipe, the cement and the fixtures for their water system. I stress that it is ‘their’ water system, because they have done all the organizing, all the planning, all the construction, all the digging of a 1 metre deep ditch, all the setting up of a repair and maintenance fund, and all the establishing of the rules of operation.

But when the Canadians arrive in town, it is as if we were solely responsible for it all. We are greeted with flower leis, with speeches of thanks, with tea, with food, and with a tour of their system, which they are invariably very proud of. In Bhandaritol, the community with the most recently completed water system, I had so many leis around my neck that you could only see my eyes. And there was dancing and singing and wonderful drumming. And on the 9 member Water User Committee, of which 3 are mandated to be women, there were actually 5 women!

I was accompanied on this visit by Gordon Carnes of the Aldergrove Rotary Club, and his wife and official photographer, Jean Carnes. I have been to Nepal a few times now, and start to take for granted the lovely people, the terraced hills, the colourful dress of the ladies, the good looking kids, the rice and lentils – but for Jean and Gord, it was all a first. I think they were blown away, and cannot wait to return. It was a tough, but very fun trip, and I thank them for being such good travel companions.

I was able to see 2 of the three water systems installed with the current Global Affairs Canada funding, and all of the systems put in over the past few years with WNC funding alone, and the one system put in exclusively by Rotary International working through Aldergrove Rotary Club. All are working well, and although the welcomes were not as effervescent as the one in Bhandaritol, they were all very warm, made by people very appreciative and thankful of the work we do. The one GAC funded system that we could not get too because of extremely muddy and dangerous roads was in Lahachhewar. We had to travel 8 hours by road, and then walk for 5 hours to get to this village. After 6 hours and some very slippery slopes, we decided to turn back – 12 hours of driving to no avail. Luckily, we have photos taken by Suresh, and we will try again on the next visit.

Suresh, Govinder and Mahesh of TSS continue to amaze me with their commitment to the people of Ramechhap, and the results they are able to achieve. I come home once again enthused by the success of the concept of World Neighbours Canada – motivating and teaching people to plan, make and manage their own change, one community at a time.