Terry's Travel Log (Blog) V - Progress in Gunte Csaur, Nepal

They said it would be warmer in Pokhara. It is. About 1 degree! I am certainly glad I threw a wool sweater into my suitcase at the last minute or I would be in real trouble. It is damp and cold with regular rainfall. The clouds prevent the sun from warming things up during the day.

We arrived late late into Pokhara. I have been here before. It is the main tourist area. From here, the trekkers depart on everything from short walks of a few hours in the "hill country" to long excursions that can last weeks into remote valleys in this magnificent land.

When I woke up this morning, the sky was clear. From inside the city, one can see the majestic mountains between the 3 and 4 story buildings. They tower above the 1 story building right in front of me. Majestic white fingers and fists reaching into the deep blue of the sky. It is amazing how fast and how far these mountains rise above this valley floor.

After a local breakfast, we were off to the project areas. We cleared the city traffic congestion in a few minutes and began to climb. For 20 to 30 minutes we drove up the paved highway and then turned onto a gravel and mud road. Another half hour of climbing in low range and low gear and we arrived in the village of Gunte Csaur in the municipality of Kaskikot. You would not believe this place. All the way from Kathmandu over 200 kilometers away, there are terraced farms carved out of the most impossibly steep mountain sides. But here, the terraces are stack upon each other like a fan of cards that rise about three thousand feet vertically without interruption. Rain water drains from one terrace to the next. This has to be one of largest and greatest wonders of the world created by humanity. What incredible beauty.

Speckled all over the mountain side are small clusters of tiny homes. They are made of mud and many have slate stone roofs. The elevation in this community ranges from 795 to 1,786 meters above seal level. At close to 6,000 feet, I run out of breath quickly as I walk up and down the mountain trails in the community. A woman at least 20 years my senior passed me with big basket on a tump strap across her forehead carrying firewood. Being twice her size does not help but I suspect these people have incredibly strong hearts and lungs.

About 11,000 people live here. Three thousand students attend the 8 Primary, 1 Intermediate and 1 High School in the municipality. The Kaskikot Community Development Organization that is assisted by World Accord's local partner, SAP Nepal, has 204 members. It was formed in 2001. There are 4 men and 5 women in the Executive Management Committee. They have one staff member and the people the group seeks to assist are women, dalits (lowest cast), ethnic minorities, children and the poor. Twenty people met with us to tell us their stories.

What an amazing group of people. This collection of families living in the same area have formed community. The had jointly agreed on 6 clear objectives. They wanted:

1. alternative income sources to their subsistence farming,


2. a survey to identify resources and the local market,


3. advocacy on social issues,


4. a gender friendly program plan for all sectors of society,


5. capacity building training to address community issues and


6. institutional development for long term continuity of their local organization.

WOW! They have systematically planned and launched a series of activities and interventions to achieve their goals. They are intentional and they are happy with their progress. Over 30% of the families have now been able to access the loan fund to raise goats. Typical interest on a loan here, if you can get one, is 36% but their own Savings and Loan Micro Enterprise Loan fund charges only 14%. To really increase their income, the community markets their goats together and are getting a much higher price. The loan repayment rate is high and the family income is up.

They credit their success to several things including the training and exposure to other villages who are successfully launching the same projects under the World Accord and SAP Program. The project is not without problems but the people were very determined about their desire to work together to solve the issues. They are cooperating like never before. In addition, their success has been noticed. Local government agencies (and even another foreign funding agency) have begun to help deal with other poverty issues.

In terms of long term sustainability, they are doing some incredible leadership training and development of community youth. They have taken training and mobilized the youth in community clean-up of roads, public areas and temples. They have begun HIV/AIDS education, erosion control, journalism training and started a quarterly community newsletter. And they have a long list of plans.

I asked the community how they got started. It was SAP Nepal with World Accord funding that offered training. They managed to form the 5 groups of 20 members in each group with at least 60% women members to qualify as a Community Based Organization. They have worked hard but they are proud of their increased family income that gives them new choices for their lives including advancing the education of their children.

The SAP and World Accord training prepared them to do research that told them they could be successful with goat production and marketing. They have a lot of challenges yet to face but they have plans they are committed to and a track record to say they will be successful.

From Nepal

Terry Fielder
Executive Director
World Accord.