Nourishing Nepal: Food Security and Income Farming

As of July 1st, Educate the Children is officially working in six new wards of Ramdhuni and Barahachhetra Municipalities, Sunsari District, Nepal. (We had originally intended to work in only five wards, but later added a sixth in order to achieve our goal of expanding our target population by 50%.)

Women's groups are the basis of so many of ETC's activities, and we have already formed 69 of them (including Budhnagar Women's Group, pictured here) with more than 1,500 total members. Each of these groups is choosing a Leader Farmer who is able and willing to attend as many of our agricultural trainings as possible and will serve as a liaison and resource person for her group peers over the coming five years. 

Among our other agricultural activities scheduled to take place starting this summer are:

• Distribution of goats, pigs, and poultry to hundreds of women's group members, as well as support services such as livestock management training, vaccinations, and insurance for larger animals. 
• Support for all 1,500+ women's group members to maintain year-round kitchen gardens. Some women already have gardens but could use extra support for pest prevention, increasing crop yield and variety, etc. Many women (including the 37% who are landless) need help to start gardens, in containers along walls/fences or in any other available space.
• Training and initial resources for 140 women to begin growing mushrooms for family consumption and sale at market. Mushrooms are quick and easy to grow once they know how and have access to appropriate spaces (such as mushroom tunnels). They can be high in protein and sell well at market. 

Don't forget to visit our Photos and Publications page regularly to see images of our sustainable agricultural development, women's empowerment, and children's education activities. As always, we thank you very much for your support. We could not do any of it without you!

Links:

• Meet Dayamanti! video about one woman and her family in Ramdhuni
• https://www.facebook.com/EducateTheChildrenNepal
• ETC's Photos and Publications page