Simchaur is an area of scattered villages and dwellings in the Doti district of Far West, Nepal. To reach the area is a bit of a challenge on its own right. The nearest village with electricity and roads is Chawara Chautara from which one needs to travel by foot roughly 2 to 3 hours. As the terrain is mountainous, options are to either travel light or hire porters. We opted for porters as it made our own travel easier as well as employed some of the locals around the area for a few days. Win-win.
The view towards the north on the outskirts of Chawara Chautara.
The view just outside my room in Simchaur. Not a bad landscape to see as the first thing in the morning.
Sunset colours from roughly the same area.
The area itself is rural and modest in its infrastructure. Most houses are made of a mix of clay and electricity is not available universally throghout the area due to the difficult terrain. On/off access to electricity is provided, however, through scarce solar panels and the odd car battery or two.
Over the course of the winter months, it does get quite cold during the night. Since there is no heating or electricity, the only way to stay warm is with open fires and plenty of clothing. Sleeping bags are essential.
Local school.
A car battery provides light for one bulb and a group of phone chargers.
Typical indoors kitchen.
Fires are used to keep warm and to cook.
Fresh water taps are found scattered aroudn the area and they make life a lot easier for everybody. See my previous post for more details on the specific improvements that access to fresh water has allowed for.
Fresh water tap in use.
Access to fresh water also allows for greatly improved hygiene as dishes can be washed after each use.
Life generally moves at a slow pace and follows similar routines day in day out. Home gardens are tended to meticulously and animals are kept. A few households in the area have taken to fish farming which is still in its infancy stage and isn't yet producing notable results. One day, however, this could potentially become a great source for protein for the local people and as such create a bit more varied diet for the people living in the area.
I spent several days in this area getting to know the people and seeing how their life is. The Finnish-Nepali -project RVWRMP was the framework which allowed to work in the area and having observed their work objectively, I must say I was impressed by the systematic implementation of it as well as the reach of the whole project.
One of the several buildings at the RVWRMP-site in Dadeldhura.
More content to be posted shortly so stay tuned.