HISTORY

Overview
United Mission to Nepal (UMN) is a Christian international non-governmental organisation (INGO) that has been working exclusively in Nepal since 1954. In its long history, UMN has always maintained two characteristics. First, it is truly a united mission of people from many organisations, denominations and parts of the world joined together in the name of Christ to serve Nepal, alongside Nepali colleagues. Secondly, UMN works with the aim not of owning projects and institutions permanently, but of training up Nepali people and divesting ownership to the Nepali government and local organisations.

The Early Days
Nepal was a closed country until the early 1950s. Following the revolution that opened the country, a group of expatriate missionaries in India were granted permission from the Nepali government to open a hospital in Tansen and to start women's and children's welfare clinics in the Kathmandu Valley. Subsequently, UMN was founded in 1954 as an international interdenominational Christian mission.

At that time, Nepal suffered from lack of institutions, infrastructure, and trained personnel. UMN's earliest staff worked in difficult environments, usually without the benefit of roads, electricity, and skilled workers, yet with few resources they built institutions and projects that have had lasting impact throughout Nepal.

Over the years, UMN projects have included several hospitals; schools, including the nation's first girls' high school; hydropower plants; engineering, industrial development and training institutions such as Butwal Technical Institute; rural development centres; and several companies.

View the complete list of institutions started by UMN or staffed by seconded UMN volunteers.

New Directions
In 2002, UMN began to redefine its approach and move away from direct implementation of activities. The divestment of UMN's directly implemented programmes, projects and institutions will be completed by 2010. We now focus primarily on building partnerships that support local organisations through capacity building.