Nepal

Nepal is home to some of the most extreme landscapes on earth. It’s the things that make the country so beautiful – the biggest mountains, widest valleys and heaviest monsoon rains – that make it that much harder to reach people with clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. 

The Nepali people have had more than their fair share of challenges. Earthquakes, political upheaval, civil war and extreme poverty have forced them to be resilient, and recently, responding to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But together, we’ve made great progress since we began working here in 1987. Nepal came third in our 2015 ranking of countries making the biggest improvements in sanitation, and nine in ten people now have clean water. More people than ever before are also aware of the importance of good hygiene, enabling them to stay safe and healthy. 

But there’s more we need to do. 2.7 million people still don't have clean water close to home, and 6 million people need a decent toilet. Water and sanitation-related diseases are among the biggest public health problems – one of the top reasons children don’t make it to their fifth birthday.

Together, we can change this for the better. By helping people claim their rights. By joining with others to put strong systems in place. By putting water, toilets and hygiene at the centre of health and education. And by always looking forwards – applying new research, big ideas and sustainable technology.