The Chepang people are perhaps the poorest, least educated and most marginalized people in Nepal. Until very recently they were denied citizenship and most still are not citizens. They live as part-time farmers and part-time hunter gatherers. Food insecurity is constant. Most are hungry, many don't even have the most basic shelter to live in. Over 80 percent are under the poverty line, which means they survive on less than US$1 per day. This project focuses on just getting a roof over their head
There's a need for 64 more houses in this village of 500 people. At this time, about half the village residents do not have the most basic shelter and live in crowded conditions of 8, 10 or more per home. Some have only a grass thatch lean-to.
We will build the most basic and simple structures of bamboo with grass thatch roofs. That's enough to at least have an actual house to live in for these villagers. We can build these simple homes for $170 US each. A fanicier house with a tin roof for $400. But our primary objective at this time isn't to build fancy, it's just to put a simple roof overhead for those who don't have one now.
Chepang people are transitioning from a hunter-gatherer existence to permanent villages and agriculture. In their past lifestyle of foraging in the forest they lived in hastily built lean-to so they could readily move in search of food. As they are desperate to leave this lifestyle and engage in crop production, since they can no longer feed themselves, they must have a home where they can put down roots and farm, educate their children and access medical care.
