Making music for change

18 May 2007

Related pages: Nepal country profile | Spring cleaning in Nepal | Irrigation Multiplies

After eleven years of civil conflict in Nepal, an interim government has just been formed which includes members of all of the warring factions. Conflict often means that development goes backwards or stops. However, in Nepal, DFID was able to continue helping local communities through the Community Support Programme (CSP). CSP, which operates in over half of Nepal’s districts and has a budget of £15 million between 2004 and 2008, has supported over 3,000 projects targeting poor and excluded communities. These programmes are making a real difference to people’s lives, supporting them to build schools, learn new trades, develop irrigation, and for the first time since the end of the conflict, help them return to their homes.

New skills to turn a profit

The dalits (‘untouchables’) are the lowest and most excluded caste in Nepal and have historically faced severe discrimination. In the west of the country lives a dalit tribe called the Gandarva. The Gandarva's lifestyle has long involved travelling from town to town, earning money by singing and playing music. This has been a precarious kind of existence, with tribe members carrying most of their belongings with them on their travels, and relying for shelter on the kindness of locals.

Now, with help from the Community Support Programme, the Gandarvas are using their musical heritage and talents to earn a new respect across Nepal. After forming a community group, members of the tribe requested support to train some of the community in how to make the sarangi, a traditional violin-like instrument. After two months of instruction these newly-skilled craftspeople were making extra income through the sarangis that they sold.

Dilu, the Executive Director of the community group, explains:

“Before, we lived a very marginal life, but now there is more unity. The training has promoted our traditional culture and it is seen as dignified to make instruments. We have set up stalls to sell the instruments and are selling them around Nepal.”

Dansarah, one of the women trained to make the sarangis, adds:

“It takes two days to make a sarangi. They are made of light wood, goat skin, horse hair and bamboo with plastic strings. Some of the families have used the extra income to join a micro-credit scheme and they have started small businesses rearing pigs and goats.”

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Building a stronger community

As well as supporting training to make instruments, DFID has funded the building of a well in the village. This saves the women from walking several miles each day to fetch water. Dansarah says:

“We know that safe drinking water is important and we are teaching our children this. We want them to go to school, but although the extra money means that we have full stomachs every day, we still don’t have enough to afford the uniforms and the stationery to send all of our children to school.”

Whilst the Gandarva continue to face real challenges, DFID money has helped them to develop a sense of unity, and the community is now working together towards obtaining other important resources and facilities, such as running water and toilets.

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Key Facts

• Dalits make up more than 15% of Nepal's population and are the most disadvantaged section of society.
• The poorest and hardest hit conflict regions, such as the Mid-Western, have a poverty incidence that is almost 20% higher than the Central region.
• Nepal is on track to meet the Millennium Development Goal on water, with around 81% of the population having access, but is seriously off track on sanitation, with only 39% people using safe toilets.

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