When picturing Nepal, many beautiful images come to mind; perhaps the tranquil Himalayan foot hills or the awe-inspiring Mount Everest. Not the acute poverty which still remains in South Asia’s poorest country.

Despite this, poverty rates have steadily decreased in the past decade. Childreach International have recently  opened up dialogue with the Nepalese government to ensure this trend continues.

Top ministers visit Childreach International

On Thursday 25^th February, the Nepalese State Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare, and the Member Secretary of Social Welfare Council visited Childreach International’s UK head office in London.

Mr Ram Bachan Ahir and Dr Chewang Namgel Lama discussed issues concerning child rights in Nepal with Childreach Nepal’s country director,Tshering Lama, Childreach International’s Chief Executive, Firoz Patel, and International Programmes Manager, Kohinoor Choudhury.

Also in attendance was Professor Richard Barker, chair of child welfare at Northumbria University and government advisor. Professor Barker introduced the concepts behind “Every child matters” – the innovative UK child welfare policy.

The day helped us make great strides toward improving child rights work in Nepal and has enabled the Childreach Nepal office to open in the country’s capital, Kathmandu. The new office is reaching out to more children across the region with health, education and child welfare projects.

AWIH

Working with the government has enabled us to explore new child rights projects in Nepal. AWIH (Association for the welfare of the intellectually handicapped) is a project we support in the Kathmandu area.

Exclusion because of a disability is common in Nepal. Many children are discriminated against, excluded from health and education services, and ostracised from communities. AWIH is fighting against these rights-violations, running day care centres which provide education for children with learning disabilities. Outreach- training for parents of these children is also reversing the social stigma surrounding disabilities in Nepal.

Find out more about our projects in Nepal and donate to ensure our work continues to reach more vulnerable children in the developing world.