Every individual carries a dream within them, but often it takes time, experience, and self-discovery to truly understand what that dream is. People may explore different paths, moving from one opportunity to another, until they finally return to the vision that truly belongs to them.

For years, 35-year-old Ram Kumari Chaudhary lived with her five family members in a small, fragile house made of mud and stone. The tin roof leaked whenever it rained, turning daily life into a constant struggle. During the monsoon, water would seep inside, forcing the family to stay awake through the night trying to protect their belongings.
The challenges didn’t end there. The unsafe structure exposed them to serious risks—snakes, insects, and even wild animals could easily enter their home. Living in such conditions left Ram Kumari feeling anxious, helpless, and worried for her children’s safety.

In the hills of Chapdada Rain Community, farmer Him Bahadur Praja has emerged as a model of agricultural transformation. For many years, he practiced subsistence farming, facing challenges such as poor-quality seedlings and uncertain yields that limited his productivity and income.

Meet Mrs. Sunu Maya Chepang, a 33-year-old resident of Kalika-11, Kholagau, who has transformed her livelihood through the three-year holistic development project “One Step in the Development of Siddhi by Preserving Nature,” implemented in 2016. As an active participant, she engaged in various socio-economic empowerment activities aimed at strengthening sustainable livelihoods and community resilience.

Meet Sajita Chepang from Majbang village, whose family’s life has significantly improved through the Comprehensive Community Development Programme under the WASH sector. Earlier, the family had no access to a safe toilet and was forced to practice open defecation, exposing them to health risks, unsafe conditions, and particular difficulties for women and children.

With support from Sapana Village Social Impact (SVSI), the family received essential construction materials such as cement, zinc sheets, a pan seat, and pipes, along with technical guidance for proper toilet construction. The family also contributed their own labor and locally available resources, ensuring strong community ownership of the project.

Today, they have a safe and durable household toilet, which has greatly improved hygiene, reduced health risks, and restored dignity and safety. Sajita shares her happiness, noting how the new facility has made daily life safer and more comfortable, especially for her children.

Meet Vishnu Kumari Gurung, a determined farmer from Ichchhakamana RM-2, Ghurkesh, whose life has been transformed through modern agricultural practices. Earlier, she relied on traditional farming methods, cultivating seasonal crops only once a year and producing just enough for household needs, while depending on local markets for vegetables.

Her farming potential remained limited due to a lack of technical knowledge and modern techniques. To address this, Sapana Village Social Impact (SVSI), with support from IRHA, provided a comprehensive agricultural support package including a plastic tunnel, green netting, vegetable production training, Jholmol preparation, Trichoderma culture, and nursery management skills.

As a result, Vishnu is now successfully cultivating crops like zucchini inside her tunnel, with harvest expected within 60–90 days and an estimated yield of around 1 quintal (100 kg). This intervention has enabled year-round farming, improved her family’s income prospects, and turned her into a confident, skilled agripreneur.

In Byartesh, a remote settlement of Ichchhakamana–1 in Chitwan, Chepang families previously faced severe challenges in accessing safe drinking water. Chyanti Maya Chepang, a mother of five, had to walk over two hours daily to collect water, impacting her health and daily life.

To address this need, Sapana Village Social Impact (SVSI) under the Comprehensive Community Development Program (CCDP), in collaboration with the local community, successfully implemented a drinking water project. The initiative built a water intake system at the source and developed a distribution network connecting eight households through tap water.

Today, families, including Chyanti Maya’s, have access to clean and safe drinking water at their doorstep. This has reduced physical burden, saved time, and improved health, hygiene, and dignity in the community, demonstrating the impact of community-led sustainable development.

Sabina Chepang, a mother from a marginalized Chepang community in Chitwan, has significantly improved her family’s livelihood through support from the CCDP Project implemented by Sapana Village Social Impact (SVSI). Previously struggling to meet basic household needs due to the lack of a stable income source, she benefited from the project’s Income Generating Support initiative, through which she received two piglets. With careful management and dedication, she successfully raised the livestock and recently sold one weighing 117 kg, generating an income of NPR 60,000. This earning has contributed to improved financial stability and strengthened her household’s resilience. Her experience demonstrates how targeted livelihood interventions can effectively support vulnerable families in achieving sustainable income and enhanced well-being.

Dippal Budhathoki’s journey into beekeeping is a testament to the transformative impact of targeted interventions. Despite his initial reluctance, his life took a significant turn when SVSI provided essential beekeeping training and two modern beehives in Kaule, Ichhakamana-2, Chitwan. This timely support became a catalyst for change as Mr. Budhathoki soon realized the immense potential of beekeeping as a sustainable livelihood. Motivated by his early success, he independently expanded his operations, adding seven more hives to his initial setup, bringing the total to nine. Today, his enterprise yields an impressive harvest of up to 5 kilograms of honey per hive, utilizing "Apis cerana" bees, a species known for its adaptability to the region.

Consumer Awareness and Financial Education (CAFE) was started with the motto of “Self-Esteem and Confidence with Financial Empowerment”.

Focused on behavioral change, CAFE provides education in money management and business skills to empower low-income women and the financially excluded.

With the collaboration between Good Return Foundation & FEMI Foundation, SVSI is continuously providing the CAFE training to the women`s who have low income & poor money management.

Nanu Dhakal is an inspirational young woman whose journey of Enterprenurship started with Sapana Village social impact with the launch of the "Ladies in a front Seat" project in a partnership with 6 Degree Network for Women.
Currently, she works as a driver and utilizes her knowledge to sell vegetables grown in her own backyard.
Her story serves as a reminder of the transformative effect of our support, leading her and her family away from despair and towards hope and sustainable livelihoods.

Tilu Praja has made his dream project "Community Chepang Home Stay" a success in Tobng, Ichchhakamana. Homestay Initiatives offers a strategic pathway for enhancing local livelihoods through sustainable tourism in remote places with the potential of natural beauty and unique geographical advantages. With the development of homestay facilities, community can help generate income for families and create job opportunities in hospitality and local crafts. This initiative not only promotes economic growth but also fosters cultural exchange, allowing visitors to experience Chepang and Tharu traditions firsthand. Additionally, profits can be invested in community projects, improving education and infrastructure.

Sanju Tamang is a female representative of local government in Kalika Ward no. 10, formally Siddhi VDC. She is a high school graduate and a farmer as her main occupation. She is also a mother of two children and active member in her community. Sanju Tamang has been an exemplary person for all the women living in her area. At first, she was one of the beneficiaries of our 3-year project launched at Siddhi.

Tilu Praja is from Tobang, a beautiful Chepang Village situated at height of 1400 meters from sea level where there was little to no access to water. During monsoon, villagers used to collect water from nearer sources but in other seasons they had to walk for hours to reach a nearer source. Tilu came to Sapana Village Lodge with his dream to provide easy access of water to his village. He applied for waiter post at our sister organization Sapana Village Lodge. During interview with Tilu by Chairman of SVSI and founder of Sapana Village Lodge Mr. Dhruba Giri, he shared his dream to bring drinking water to his village.

Meet Raj Chepang, a 1-year-old boy residing in Siddhi in a place called Jhinglau where there is little to no-access of water to houses. The place is situated on the top of a steep mountain and there are no traces of infrastructures like road, mobile networks, electricity, and so on. People lack proper personal hygiene, health awareness, balanced diet and clean drinking water.

Yuyash Chepang, a year-old boy, suffering from Hydrocele at such a young age, had an encounter with SVSI and Medical Checkup for Children during our "Free Pediatric Health Camp" in Siddhi. Then together with MCC Netherlands, SVSI took a step ahead to give free medical treatment covering up all the medical and transportation expenses as well. After a couple of weeks of regular follow-up in the hospital and to the child, Yuyash finally healed and recovered from the infection.

Nisha Bhandari had an unbelievable and unpredictable story of childhood. She used to live with her father and mother at Kumroj Village of Khairahani Municipality 13. Her mother was demented by the news that her dad married another woman when Nisha was just 3 years old in 2014. This shocking news result the madness of Nisha’s mother. At the mid night, Nisha’s mother flamed the fire on Nisha pouring kerosene and she ran away. Immediately, her grandmother shut the burning fire however she was already half burned.

Prasixya Chepang, a 3-year old girl, had her encounter with SVSI during our "Free Pediatric Health Camp" in Kaule. She was found with critical health conditions when SVSI and MCC met her. After a couple of months of counselling her parents on why further serious treatment was necessary, we were able to send her to Ishaan Children and Women Hospital situated in Basundhara, Kathmandu where she was diagnosed with five different diseases altering her entire body to swell and caused fever along with traces of pneumonia in her lungs and infection in her liver. She was kept in ICU for 2 weeks and treated in normal ward with oxygen for 2 weeks. After a month of treatment, she was discharged and got home in healthy condition.