Nepal

As a humanitarian organization, WHH Nepal provides short-term disaster relief and works closely with local stakeholders throughout the process. From delivering immediate essential supplies, such as food, dignity and hygiene kits, winterization kits, WASH facilities (including the construction of toilets and water taps), and temporary shelters to distributing seeds that help restore livelihoods, we strive to ensure no one is left behind. We make every effort to reach areas where relief is scarce and support affected communities in continuing their life with dignity. 

Recognizing the critical importance of child nutrition during emergencies, we also organize nutrition camps. These camps offer caregivers practical sessions on basic nutrition, with a focus on food preparation and hygiene practices to safeguard the health and well-being of children.

We explore and implement nature-based solutions to drive sustainable change in our areas of intervention. Central to this approach is the promotion of local food production through agroecological farming practices, with a strong focus on empowering smallholder farmers. 

Our smallholder or landless farmers receive agricultural education, tools, seeds, training, and peer support through farmer groups. These efforts are guided by our cross-cutting approaches that are tailored to local contexts. 

Connecting farmers to markets is also a key component of our work, ensuring that production leads to sustainable livelihoods. We also focus on linking farming practices to enhance crop diversity, providing training and input support, and reducing farmers' dependency on external farm and food inputs.  

In addition, WHH Nepal invests in the construction and rehabilitation of irrigation facilities to boost agricultural productivity and strengthen local food systems. 

Our nutrition-sensitive interventions prioritize specific target groups, as identified by government policies and frameworks such as the Multi-Sector Nutrition Plans (MSNPs). Caregivers and mothers are engaged through sanitation and nutrition awareness sessions through community interventions like NERP camps, Mass screening of malnutrition cases, practical learning through promotion of nutrition kitchen gardens and distribution of improved variety of seeds, training on improved farming techniques and strengthening local governments’ nutrition promoting services, ensuring that children under the age of five meet their basic nutritional needs. 

A key element of our sustainable approach is promoting locally available foods and incorporating indigenous ingredients into daily meals. At the institutional level, we train and mobilize mothers, health workers, FCHVs, local governments’ representatives, CBOs, farmers, youth facilitators, equipping them with importance, knowledge and practical demonstrations of nutrition gardens and dietary diversification. These facilitators then share this knowledge within their communities and work closely with local governments to develop ward-level nutrition plans in partnership with our program’s local collaborators.

A systems approach is essential to ensure the sustainability and scalability of WASH interventions. To this end, we work closely with our field partners and support the government in developing, endorsing, and implementing municipality-wide WASH plans. Guided by the nine key building blocks of the WASH system, we roll out targeted programs—such as WASH in schools, healthcare facilities, and menstrual hygiene management (MHM). To ensure continuity and impact, WASH is also integrated across all of our nutrition programs. 

Our key activities include behavior change campaigns, the development of WASH micro-enterprises, the implementation of climate-resilient WASH solutions, and regular water quality monitoring. As part of our evidence-based advocacy, WHH conducts water quality tests in the presence of community members and uses the results to design tailored awareness and advocacy messages that promote improved practices. 

We also focus on the construction and rehabilitation of water supply systems in schools and communities, andprovide support to WASH entrepreneurs to enhance local service delivery. Through innovative approaches, such as Cricket for WASH, and efforts to explore and promote nature-based solutions, WASH remains one of our core intervention areas. 

We focus on enterprise development and green skills as key pathways to food security and sustainable livelihoods. We work with youth, particularly young entrepreneurs, and women and men farmers in rural and urbanizing areas. 

By strengthening the entrepreneurship ecosystem, we help address barriers to employment and green job creation. Through capacity building in entrepreneurial and technical skills, digital literacy, and collaboration with key technical and vocational stakeholders, we enhance employability and support new enterprise development. We help in business incubation and mentorship and promote environmentally sustainable enterprises. 

We also connect entrepreneurs with financial institutions for credit and with government agencies for subsidies to close investment gaps. The Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) is integrated into our strategy to empower farmer groups in self-managed quality assurance based on transparency and trust. 

Enhancing the accountability and transparency of government entities, alongside strengthening the capacity of civil society actors, is essential for achieving long-term impacts. WHH builds the capacity of civil society actors in organizational management and program quality, and helps local citizens act in the public sphere, empowering them to actively participate in local-level planning processes. On the other hand, social accountability and capacity building of duty bearers (government officials, service providers) are enhanced by using tools like the Community Score Card (CSC), a community monitoring tool that enables locals to assess the quality of public services provided to them. Municipal officials also receive technical support in the formulation of comprehensive food and nutrition security master plans. 

As digital solutions continue to evolve, WHH is introducing and testing innovative approaches to enhance its programs.  

The Child Growth Monitor (CGM) is an artificial intelligence-based application designed to enable healthcare workers to detect malnutrition in children aged 2-5 years, using a photo or video sequence. To address the inaccuracies of traditional anthropometric measurements, a digital scanner is used to monitor child growth. The scans are conducted by trained local health workers, who serve as enumerators for the project.  

Currently, this mobile application is being tested in four countries: India, Nepal, Malawi, and Uganda. In Nepal, it is being tested in three districts: Rolpa, Rautahat and Siraha. Following the correct detection, the children are either referred to treatment centers or the guardians are counseled for further nutrition interventions.