Pokhari village

As a part of my work travels late last year, I came across this village in the Far West of Nepal. As is so often the case in these village meetings, the visitor gets decorated with a gazillion malas, which are basically hand made Nepali flower wreaths given to visitors as a sign of respect. 

To repay all the courtesies I enjoyed, I usually make photographs. This time was no different. 

After this group photograph, I spent a good amount of time making individual portraits in one of the doorways in the village. As I remember I made over 30 portraits and had a pretty big audience while I was making those pictures. Presented here are some of those photographs. 

Moments like that are essential to what I do, I think. Quick encounters that leave lasting impressions. 

Oh, and yes, the pictures will be delivered to the village to the people. 

Simchaur

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. 

 

 

 

 

RVWRMP

I will be updating my blog more frequently in the coming weeks with much more information on why I was in Nepal this time around and what exactly is the RVWRMP.

For now, suffice to say, it's a joint project between Finland and Nepal which aims to improve the living conditions of the more remote areas of Nepal by focusing mostly on water resource improvement through various means.  

There are lots of nuts and bolts connected to this work, of course, which I will be covering later on but until then, here are some pictures of my extended week in the remote areas of Far West Nepal. 

Dilip Singh Dhani, 55, emerges from his house to go and attend to his home garden which provides his family with vegetables. They are also able to sell off the excess produce to a nearby market. 

Dilip goes through his field of cauliflower to pluck out the weeds and keep the area productive.
Home gardens, such as his, are a direct result of having access to clean water.  

Dilip holds his grand daughter as they are waiting for his wife to cook a traditional Nepali lunch; Dal Bhat. It consists of cooked rice, lentil soup and various vegetables. 

A young woman washes the dishes after lunch on a water supply tap. These taps are part of RVWRMP's support program.

Dilip and his goat. His family keeps several goats around the premises. 

Dilip's grand children standing in the shade in front of their home. The house has two small storeys and is home to six people and several goats. 

Scenery around Simchaur, Nepal.