Many Nepali families are subsistence farmers, always living on the edge of absolute poverty. A poor season, an illness, even a family wedding can tip them over the edge, forcing them into the rapacious hands of money-lenders,…

A heavy sense of sadness lies over the small tin shed where Kumar Chepang, his wife Sarita and daughter Sakun live now. They lost their house in the April 25 earthquake, but that wasn’t the worst of…

Temperatures are creeping into the 30s in Kathmandu, so it seems a little odd to be worrying about blankets. But for people up in the high mountains along the Tibetan border, blankets are still a necessity. They’ll…

At last! After weeks of meetings and phone calls, discussions and form-filling and much prayer, UMN has been able to access a big World Food Programme helicopter to drop emergency relief materials to remote villages in Lapa…

Tarpaulins are like gold up in the mountains of Nepal at the moment. With around 90% of the houses severely damaged or completely destroyed, families like Ram Bahadur Ghale’s have been crowded together, four or five families…

Way up on the Tibetan border, Lapa is one of the most remote places in Dhading district. You can’t get there by road. The only way is a long walk, about five days, from the end of…

An early warning system is a very good thing, even if it has four legs. Gopal Pariyar’s dog Khaire is even more precious to his family, since he saved their lives when the big earthquake struck on…

Small businesses are the lifeblood of rural Nepali towns. People with courage, vision, and sometimes just a little help, set up tiny local teashops, roadside stalls, hairdressers and vegetable stands that supply every-day needs and give their…

Nepalese people have a strong attachment to their “home place”, their family village. Even city-dwellers will try to return to their village at least once a year, for festivals. Marriages, funerals, important community events draw people “home”,…

In this post, we want to recognise the fantastic contribution of Nepali volunteers to the relief effort. So many people have given generously of their time and resources to help organisations like UMN deliver assistance to the…