Nepal

Nepal is emerging from more than a decade of civil conflict, with a mainly rural population and a largely agricultural economy. Young people have enormous potential to lift the country out of poverty, but still face significant challenges, including:

• A lack of information about health and poor access to basic health services
• Lack of knowledge about sexual and reproductive health issues
• Low levels of school enrolment and matriculation
• High levels of unemployment

Restless Development (Nepal) aims to enable young people to make positive choices, engage in decision-making and lead development through:

• Skills and knowledge training for urban and rural youth 
• Advocacy and policy work at a national level

Our Community and Youth Empowerment Programme equips young people with the tools to tackle the root causes of poverty in rural Nepal, addressing issues such as health, education and lack of livelihood opportunities.  The combination of education and skills building creates lasting change in the communities we work in. 

A cycle of the Community and Youth Empowerment Programme recently concluded in three districts in Nepal: Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, and Dhading. The results have shown significant increases in school enrolment, uptake of health services, and knowledge levels of the most prominent health issues that young people face.  Youth groups set up by Restless Development, known as Green Clubs, are continuing to build on this work through ongoing education and outreach to the school and community. 

In 2010, we will launch a pilot initiative of the dance4life programme, targeting 10-18 year olds in school, using dance to disseminate information on sexual and reproductive health. We will also be initiating collective Youth Development Projects with the Ministry of Youth and Sports around the National Youth Policy, the International Year of Youth, and Youth Responsive Budgeting.