Human Development Center (HDC) Nepal

Human Development Center (HDC) Nepal

HDC Nepal a non-political, non-profit making organization was established on 5th April 2005 in Jhapa district of Nepal. HDC Nepal has been working primarily in Jhapa but also in some neighbouring districts. HDC Nepal started working in providing vocational training and skill development programs to vulnerable young men and women in Jhapa district with the support from various donors and development partners such as Lutheran World Federation (LWF), one of the oldest international humanitarian agencies working in Nepal. HDC Nepal has also worked in partnerships with the Government bodies like Skill Development Office, a government chapter for skill development. In addition, HDC Nepal has contributed to the peace building and community stabilization process by working in partnership with the Chemonics/USAID/Office of Transition Initiative (OTI) program in 2007 in Jhapa. In the past, HDC Nepal has carried out similar projects working with the Chemonics/USAID/Nepal Transition Initiative (NTI) program.

HDC Nepal has also worked for the Good Governance and Community Development Program (LGCDP) with support from UNDP in Jhapa in 2017. HDC Nepal carried out an intensive Open Defecation Free (ODF) campaign in Birtamod Municipality under the UN-HABITAT, Global Sanitation Fund Program (GSF). Similarly, HDC Nepal has been working with Micro Enterprises Development Program/UNDP for social mobilization and entrepreneur development among the local communities.

HDC Nepal is currently working especially in Eastern Nepal and has implemented multiple projects. From the beginning to 2023 HDC Nepal has reached seven hundred thousand beneficiaries.

Mission:

A world with JUSTICE, EQUALITY, PEACE and PROSPERITY for all citizens.

Vision:

To improve the lives of the poorest rural people, particularly rural women, peasants, landless people and other disadvantaged and socially oppressed strata of Nepalese society by providing them opportunities for their socio-economic empowerment.

Goals:

To educate the people for adoption of the good norms of a good citizenship and to inculcate into the people's mind, ideals of national unity. HDC Nepal works with the poor and marginalized people in rural Nepal to empower them in the process of meeting their basic needs, improving livelihoods and building their own institutions.

HDC Nepal works in various sectors of social development:

• Education
• Health, Nutrition and Sanitation
• Good Governance
• Women Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Development
• Skilled Based Training and Capacity Building 
• Environmental Protection, Climate Change and Disaster Management
• Sustainable Agriculture and Livelihood
• Community Managed Infrastructure (CMI)
• Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI)

MAJOR PROJECTS DURING FISCAL YEAR 2022-2025

• Implemented a Micro Enterprise Development Program (MEDEP)/UNDP for social mobilization and entrepreneur development among the local communities, the beneficiaries were over 1000 in Jhapa and Panchthar districts.
• Accomplished “Preparing and Combating Impacts of New variants of COVID-19 in Nepal” project in Jhapa and Morang. Activities were fever screening of the public coming from India to Nepal through the border outpost. Hand washing water tanks were installed in the community schools, awareness/training program activities were conducted, street drama shows were performed, in which the beneficiaries were over 50,000.
• A “Community-Based Disaster Preparedness Efforts in South-Eastern Nepal'' project is being concluded in Jhapa and Udayapur. Key activities included check dam construction at the bank of rivers, tree plantation, model community mobilization, formation and mobilization the various committees and income generation training program to uplift the financial condition of disaster affected people and beneficiaries are over 25,000.
• “Microfinance and Women's Entrepreneurship in Eastern Nepal” project is ongoing in Jhapa, Udayapur and Sankhuwasabha in support of Steamboat Ventures Social Enterprise Fund through Give2Asia. Major activities are being conducted are business plans and skilled based training for poor and marginalized women. The aim of the project is to empower women financially and promote entrepreneurship amongst the target beneficiaries over 500 women. 

Other Activities:

A “Saving and Credit Co-operative Limited” is being operated by members of HDC Nepal. This is a community-based cooperative that aims in reaching out to low income and entrepreneur families in five Municipalities. Cooperative mobilizing the saving and credit service to its members and members are over 2300. Cooperative operates in Birtamod Municipality-5 of Jhapa, Eastern Nepal. It is dedicated to improving the social and economic status of the local community and reducing poverty. It has been providing microfinance related services to the members. It is also involved in a variety of social development programs such as livelihoods, skill development, community health, environment and women's empowerment and entrepreneurship. It strives to raise awareness among the poverty-stricken and the downtrodden as well as to establish sustainable development in order to guarantee basic necessities and to achieve self-sufficiency.

Need of Project:

HDC Nepal seeks to implement the projects on women entrepreneurship development with skill-based training programs in eastern Nepal to uplift the financial condition of vulnerable groups to make positive changes in the lives of women and marginalized communities.

HDC Nepal also seeks to develop and implement projects related to disaster mitigation and management in Nepal to make people’s lives safer from multiple disasters.  Nepal is also prone to possible disasters in the future. Besides these, HDC would like to work for improving education and health to support individuals especially the children and women from the socio-economically excluded and marginalized communities.

Unprecedented Disaster

It has been reported that there is a high possibility of heavy rainfall during the monsoon in Nepal this year, similar to previous years. Furthermore, the Department of Water and Meteorology of Nepal has estimated that the monsoon in 2025 will bring more rainfall than in previous years. Therefore, it is anticipated that this time, floods and landslides will cause significant loss of lives and property. Signs of destruction have already begun to appear. In the early years, floods have submerged agricultural land, villages, and markets in various parts of Nepal, washing away bridges and roads. Due to the rainfall, landslides have started to block highways in the hilly regions. Considering such a disaster situation, it is necessary to be prepared with financial, physical, and relief materials for disaster preparedness and response.

Therefore, Human Development Centre (HDC) Nepal is planning to be prepared for the natural disasters management that will occur during the monsoon of 2025 in Nepal, keeping an eye on preparedness and response. It warmly calls upon donors for emergency and mid-term financial, physical, and relief assistance for the victims of floods and landslides as well as HDC Nepal calls the project for disaster management. This will facilitate actions to save lives, provide food, clothing, shelter, and rehabilitation for people affected by potential monsoon-related disasters, especially in the eastern region of Nepal. As a result, human losses will be prevented, and the affected victims will be rehabilitated. It will help achieve the goal of humanitarian work to save people from disasters.

The Department of Water and Meteorology has projected above average rainfall and heat during this year's monsoon season.

The period from June to September is considered the monsoon season. During the monsoon period, it is reported that every year more than three hundred lives are lost and damages exceeding 200 million dollars occur in Nepal.

According to the Department of Water and Meteorology, it has been stated that around 2 million people will likely to be affected by monsoon-related disasters in Nepal in the year 2025.

The Government of Nepal and its subordinate bodies have also made preparations, but since Nepal is a poor country, there is a possibility of a lack of sufficient resources to provide services during disasters. As a result, there is a possibility that disaster-affected people will be deprived of humanitarian relief assistance. Therefore, there is a need to call upon foreign donor organizations for humanitarian assistance.

So that people in need of short-term, medium-term and long-term humanitarian support.