Rice planting: women from mid hills of Nepal planting rice.
Nepal has a high rate of poverty and hunger with 55% of people living on less than 80 pence a day. The country is still recovering from a ten-year civil war and is extremely vulnerable to economic, health, social and climatic shocks. It is also at high risk from climate change and is one of the 20 most disaster-prone countries in the world. More than 4,000 people have died in the last ten years in climate-induced disasters such as floods and landslides.
Top priorities
- Supporting the peace process, strengthening governance and improving security and access to justice
- Helping poor and excluded people benefit from growth
- Helping to deliver better health and education
- Helping people adapt to climate change
- Reducing risk from disasters, including earthquakes
- Improving the lives of women and girls
DFID is providing £331 million over the four years from April 2011 to March 2015. DFID Nepal's Operational Plan is divided into four main areas: inclusive wealth creation; governance and security; human development (basic services, including education and health); and climate change/disaster risk reduction. It includes a strong focus on supporting girls and women.
We predict that the results will include 230,000 additional jobs created; 1.8 million more people brought within four hours' walk of the nearest road; reduced vulnerability to climate change of 3 million poor; and 110,000 more people benefiting from safe latrines.