Projects in progress: a UK Aid Match team visit to Nepal to visit five grant holders
In May, the UK Aid Match team travelled to Nepal to visit grant holders and their delivery partners – EMMS International, PHASE Worldwide, Practical Action, United World Schools and WaterAid.
The visits were an opportunity to deepen our understanding of project progress and challenges and to offer support, for example, with safeguarding, reporting expectations, and financial management.
Below is a brief summary of the visits:
EMMS International are supporting people with holistic palliative care through cost-effective and sustainable health and social care services, and empowering family members and groups to provide support, improved healthcare and engender more caring societies.
Our team visited the Palliative Care Centre of Excellence based at the Green Pastures Hospital (GPH) in Pokhara. Here they observed remote mentoring sessions for the Palliative Care Doctors and Community Educators, through the ECHO tele-mentoring system (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), a crucial forum for shared learning, identification of new palliative care patients and improving quality of patient care.
Visiting one of the rural health posts, our team met Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHV) who highlighted the growing awareness and value placed on palliative care as a holistic approach, which is a significant achievement in a country where the concept of palliative care is still very new.
Photograph: EMMS International, their delivery team and UK Aid Match team members Emma and Bridget outside one of the hospitals
PHASE Worldwide are improving maternal health and reducing malnutrition for 1,000 women and their children in Bajura, Far West of Nepal. This is a difficult location to access, requiring a seven-hour drive on rough terrain, followed by a seven-hour hike, which the Phase team undertake often as part of their work. The region is also prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and landslides, and these can severely impact delivery of healthcare services.
Despite the contextual challenges and remoteness of the project PHASE is meeting and surpassing many of its project goals, and it was great to discuss this with them. The team has delivered safe motherhood training to 891 women and is seeing increasing rates of exclusive breastfeeding as a result (amongst other changes). The project also supports a range of agricultural skills training to help increase food production and dietary diversification for pregnant women and new mothers.
Photograph: A mother feeding her child a nutritious meal
Practical Action are working with women and marginalised groups in three rural districts in Nepal to build climate adaptive farming opportunities and improve livelihoods.
Having visited some of the project sites previously (in 2022), our team utilised this second visit to meet Practical Action project staff in their offices in Kathmandu. The project team shared updates and explored ways to further communicate the positive impacts of the project as it moves into its final stages.
The project has improved water access through innovative solar-powered irrigation systems, and has helped establish climate field schools which provide farmers with training on commercial vegetable farming, agroecology and regenerative agricultural practices. Some of the climate schools have introduced labour-saving devices such as electric corn shellers and farm rakes, helping women feel more empowered as they save valuable time and labour.
The project also has strong connections with district and regional private sector actors and traders which is a significant strength of the design. These linkages will be crucial for ensuring sustainability as the project comes to an end.
Practical Action are sharing more about this project at the COP29 talks in November, using it as a working example of how to achieve systematic change at scale.
United World Schools (UWS) are supporting children to enrol and stay in school in remote regions of Nepal, while developing education facilities, school management structures and supporting teacher employment and training.
During the visit it was clear that the positive collaboration between local government stakeholders (education offices) and the UWS team is a key strength of the project and the broader work of UWS, helping facilitate innovative educational initiatives.
The school communities appeared vibrant and supportive, with strong engagement from mothers, School Management Committees (SMCs), and Student Representative Councils (SRCs). These groups play a pivotal role in fostering a positive learning environment and nurturing the holistic development of students. The investment in infrastructure was also evident, with well-maintained school buildings, well-equipped classrooms, and productive teacher spaces, all contributing to an enriching educational experience.
Photograph: Members of our team visiting UWS Koksha School, Tumlingtar
WaterAid is enhancing the quality of learning environments for adolescent girls and children with disabilities in targeted schools of Bardiya. They are collaborating with schools, the broader community and authorities to improve access to sustainable, inclusive WASH services and menstrual health.
While the project experienced some delays in its first year, it was encouraging to learn about the progress being made and the positive direction of activities. The team highlighted that good coordination is developing with key stakeholders, such as The Ministry of Education. Menstrual health awareness training for teachers and local government staff has also started.
In the coming period, the project plans to install a new school water system, including a deep borehole, a water pump with bio sand filters, and dedicated handwashing and drinking stations.
Photograph: Sandhya, a participant in the project
A thank you
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the organisations and individuals involved with these visits. We really appreciated all your time and continued hard work.
For people living in the village of Vangkhom, Laos, there is always the fear of an explosion due to the deadly unexploded bombs that scatter the area. This impacts the access to vital land that communities need to live and expand their livelihoods.
Through their one-year UK Aid Match project, MAG teams are searching and clearing the land, and delivering lifesaving lessons to members of the community so they are aware of risks associated with lethal items and help promote safer behaviour throughout the village.
In the first six months of the project, between April and September 2023, the MAG teams have cleared 149,605 square metres of land which has directly impacted the lives of 154 women, men and children. They have also disposed of 148 deadly explosive items.
Photo: The MAGs clearing team on the land in Vangkhom
As well as the clearing of land, the lessons are having a huge impact within the communities. Xaiyaphong and Nountha, two boys who attended the sessions, found two bombs on the way to school. They said “We used rocks to mark the location where we found them and then told our parents and teacher about them”. Thanks to the lessons, the boys, their parents and teacher knew exactly what to do by notifying the MAGs team, who were then able to safely dispose of the items.
Now children can play and go to school without fear, and families can use the newly cleared land to plant crops, investing in their own futures.
Visit MAG’s website to find out more about them and their UK Aid Match project.
