Examples of our work in Nepal

The end of water nightmares

Shaili stands at the Kamrang tapstand from where she now collects her water.

Credit: WaterAid

"Eleven years ago water was extremely scarce in this village and clean drinking water was not available. I had to get up at three o'clock in the morning to collect water. It used to take me more than three hours walking down steep, narrow paths to collect 20 litres of water. Sometimes I even took my children with me to collect a small jar of water."

These are the words of Mrs Shaili Tithung who has lived in Kamrang, in the hills of Nepal, since she was married 25 years ago. Until 1992 this was her daily ritual which she undertook to collect her family's water.

"Many times I dropped my gagri while walking in the dark along the narrow paths and it rolled down the terraces," she continues. "Many people were injured rushing along these paths in the dark. During the dry season I used to have nightmares about water. All the time I had to worry about meeting my family's needs. In those days, I was unable to work in the farm because I had to concentrate on fetching water."

But since 1992 life in Shaili's village has changed. With support from WaterAid's main Nepalese partner, Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH) and a local NGO called the Mahankal Youth Club, a new water scheme was installed in the village.

Now rather than walking down steep, narrow paths the villagers are able to collect, clean safe water close to home. Sanitation and hygiene education were included in the project and now all of the houses in the village have their own latrines.

Kamrang village in Nepal.

Credit: WaterAid

Shaili explains the differences that the project has brought to her life and the people in her village. "Since the drinking water scheme was constructed the situation has changed. It takes about two minutes to collect 20 litres of water and the water runs for 24 hours a day.

"Now water is available near to my house for washing, cleaning and for my kitchen garden. I have even been able to sell garlic and onions from my kitchen garden.

"I also use the time I save for farm activities and to look after my husband and children. In our household we have six members, two sons, two daughter-in-laws, my husband and myself. I also have two daughters, who are already married.

"Agriculture is our main occupation. We have cattle, two buffaloes and one pair of oxen we use for ploughing. The health education received from the project is applicable throughout my whole life.

"I give 5Nrs per month to repair and maintain the scheme. So far the management committee has been able to collect about Nrs 39,000 in the maintenance fund. We have appointed Karna Bhadur Tamang as the caretaker and for this work he gets eight kilograms of maize from every household that uses the water scheme.

"Eleven boys who received technical training during the project's implementation have also been working as part-time technicians in other villages and make about 14,000Nrs a year.

"Due to the scarcity of water families used to be reluctant for their daughters to marry someone from our village. The water supply scheme changed all this and immediately after the completion of the scheme 11 village boys got married. Now we do not want our daughters to get married in a village where women have to spend hours and hours collecting water.

"Today the children in my village have a better life compared to the past when water was extremely scarce. Now they can give time to their studies rather than helping their parents collect water. Now we all have much more control over our time."

Gravity fed piped water scheme

Dhanu waters the fruit and vegetables that she can now grow in the gardens next to her house.

Credit: WaterAid / Caroline Penn

Dhanu Maya lives in the village of Chilaunebas, where WaterAid and NEWAH helped the community establish their own gravity fed water scheme. They had been waiting 23 years for the government to put in the promised water supply.

It used to take Dhanu half an hour to walk to collect water; now she can collect it easily from the eight village taps shared by the 73 households and the school. As well as using the water for drinking and washing, Dhanu waters the fruit and vegetables that she can now grow in the gardens next to her house.

She grows radishes, cauliflowers, greens, onions, oranges, lemons and papayas. Previously, she could only grow a limited variety by the river, which is far from where she lives.

Hygiene promotion tiles

A hygiene promotion tile installed in the public latrines in the village of Damauli.

Credit: WaterAid / Caroline Penn

Water related diseases are common in Nepal but for the majority of the population, the scientific explanation of the causes of disease is shrouded in superstition.

Hygiene promotion is always included in WaterAid projects so that communities learn the importance of safe handling of water and associated hygiene practices. This hygiene promotion tile installed by WaterAid and NEWAH in the public latrines in the village of Damauli promotes the importance of washing hands after visiting the latrine.

Others remind communities to wash vegetables before cooking, wash water pots carefully and use latrines instead of practising open defecation. Other hygiene promotion methods include role play, puppet shows, songs, home visits and practical lessons.