Our team conducted an interaction program with the local people of the rural Chepang villages during the recent visit to wards 10 and 11 of Kalika municipality. We engaged many local people from those villages, asking many questions in our long conversations. Due to the difficult geographic landscapes, these people face various socioeconomic and development challenges. The mission of our visit was to understand and support their common issues.
On our questions regarding their problems that have been badly affecting their lives, we reached the following conclusions.
- The major problem in the area was the lack of enough drinking water throughout the year.
- They have very limited access to health care, education and sanitation.
- Due to the ancient method of agriculture, there has always been a shortage of food in every family.
- Children drop out of school at an early age due to poverty or long-distance walks.
- Access to the roadways is miserable in most of the villages.
Our guidance to them and the plan for the upcoming projects,
- We discussed the training of organic vegetable farming, bee-keeping, and goat farming, the plantation of cash crops for income generation, the use of local resources, etc.
- We motivated them regarding the importance of education and sending their children to school every day.
- We discussed and have plans for finding the source of drinking water.
- We also encouraged the local people to clean the old pond they have in the village, which was already covered by garbage.
Sapana Village has already started organic coffee farming in that area. This project not only provides job opportunities to the local people, but also helps to keep the environment green.
