Nepal
Establishing water system committees in the Nepalese villages is only the start of a program to establish village leadership and cooperative undertakings.
These women are participating in a savings and credit cooperative. Micro loan programs are their only access to the resources to improve their economic well being.
Nepal is a small country lying in the shadow of the Himalayas between India and China. While it is famous for Mount Everest and mountain trekking, most of the people in the country live in poverty. Preventable illnesses are widespread, water is often in short supply, and arable land is under great pressure. Recently, violent attacks by Maoist guerrillas have made the country a dangerous place and threaten to destabilize it.
TSS (Tamakoshi Sewa Samiti) is one of the most respected non-government organizations in Nepal. It works in Ramechhap District (in the eastern part of the country) to alleviate poverty and help rural communities become more self-reliant. TSS helps village groups to organize themselves, manage finances, hold effective meetings, and undertake improvement projects. Their initial strategy is to mobilize women's saving and credit groups. As local capability increases, the program expands to cover health care, agriculture, and/or water systems.
World Neighbours Canada has had the privilege of providing financial support for the village water systems that are installed by local people with technical guidance from TSS. The people themselves provide all local materials; carry pipe, valves and cement from the end of the road to the their remote villages; and provide their own labour.