Help Children in Nepal

Rich in cultural heritage, with the magnificence of Mount Everest and the Himalayas as a backdrop,
landlocked Nepal remains one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world.

In 2015, Nepal suffered one of recorded history’s most severe earthquakes, causing tragic, widespread death and destruction. Since then, despite progress, reconstruction has been slow, and desperately needed aid for Nepal’s children remains uneven.

The good news: Because children represent nearly 40% of the population, investments in Nepal’s children today
will define the country’s progress tomorrow.

Challenges for Children in Nepal

Nepal’s children can’t wait. Despite progress, children continue to face multiple challenges – including preventable child deaths, malnutrition, children forced to work and girls forced from school and into early marriage and motherhood.

  • 1 child in 31 dies before their 5th birthday – 4 times that of the United States
  • 40% of girls age 15+ struggle to read and write
  • 36% of children suffer from stunting due to severe malnutrition
  • 27% of girls ages 15-19 are married, and 1 in 15 gives birth
  • 22% of children are engaged in child labor, instead of learning
  • 25% of people live in poverty
Map of Nepal

Our Results for Children in Nepal

Thanks to the support of caring people like you, we changed the lives of over 741,000 children in Nepal and neighboring Bhutan last year – giving them the chance to grow up healthy, educated and safe, so they can realize their potential. 

Puran, just starting 7th grade, has big dreams. Someday, doctor Puran will help children like Save the Children is helping him now – by providing access to good health and hygiene services, so they can focus on learning. Watch to learn Puran’s favorite school subjects!

  • 213,000 children healthy and nourished
  • 307,000 children educated and empowered
  • 105,000 children protected from harm
  • 44,000 children lifted from poverty
  • 117,000 children aided in crisis

Our Work for Children in Nepal

Thanks to supporters like you, Save the Children has been on the ground working for children in Nepal since 1976. We aim to ensure every Nepali child has the chance to realize their rights and reach their full potential, transforming their lives, their communities and their country.
 
The largest child-focused charity in Nepal, we work with government ministries and partners at the local, district and national levels across the country to ensure children’s health, education and protection. In particular, we’ve helped Nepal achieve significant progress in child mortality, malnutrition and child marriage.
 
Given Nepal’s frequent disasters, we respond immediately when children and families are jeopardized by crisis. We also run disaster risk reduction programs to help mitigate the impact of crises and have prepositioned supplies for rapid distribution when time is essential.
 
See recent results below made possible by your support.
 

A healthy start in life

  • Since 2019, we have led The Healthy Transitions for Nepali Youth Project which supports unmarried and married adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 years as they transition to marriage and parenthood, while also improving reproductive, maternal and newborn health services to ensure they are available and responsive to their needs.
  • Through the USAID-funded Systems for Better Health Project (2018-2022), we help ensure the availability and quality of maternal, newborn and child health services and family planning offered at both facility and community levels, while also engaging community structures and individuals in support of these services.
  • Since 2019 we have also partner on the USAID-funded Research for Scalable Solutions consortium project which aims to generate evidence to inform feasible, sustainable strategies for cost-effective, high-impact practices and self-care interventions at scale and with equitable coverage.
  • Since 2000, we helped achieve a 59% reduction in child morality. 
  • We helped develop a national newborn health strategy and package, with plans for nationwide coverage.
  • Through our Contraception by Choice approach, we’re increasing women’s likelihood to use family planning by 3.6 times.
  • Across the country, we’re helping roll out a community-based program to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission.
  • We’re managing a life-changing government cash transfer program for some of Nepal’s most marginalized children.   

The opportunity to learn

  • We achieved an up to 25% increase in attendance at Save the Children-supported early learning centers.
  • We’re educating 500 of Nepal’s most marginalized children, with a focus on girls, who now serve as community role models.
  • Through our Literacy Boost approach, we’re increasing reading comprehension by 12%.
  • We’re helping increase school hygiene by up to 67% and attendance by 25%.
  • We’re helping achieve 100% enrollment in hundreds of schools across the country.

Protection from harm

  • Since 2000, we helped achieve an over 30% reduction in child marriage, from 46% to 10%.
  • We’ve so far helped secure the commitment of 30% of local authorities to declaring “child marriage free zones”.
  • Our advocacy efforts significantly contributed to Nepal’s legal ban on all forms of child corporal punishment.

Emergency response

  • We're still supporting post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction, including rebuilding houses, schools and health facilities.
  • We responded to several recent monsoons to help families cope with devastating landslides and flooding.

How to Help Children in Nepal

There are so many ways you can help create change that lasts a lifetime for children in Nepal. 

A girl of 9 lives with her mother, father and eight siblings in a small shanty in the slums positioned directly next to the railway tracks of New Delhi, India. She regularly attends a Save the Children learning center, and dreams of being a dancer when she grows up. Photo Credit: CJ Clarke/Save the Children 2014.

Donate
Support Save the Children’s mission. Donate to help children in Nepal and around the world grow up healthy, educated and safe.

In Cambodia, a young girl stands near the shoreline where debris has washed up.

Join Team Tomorrow
Join Team Tomorrow and your monthly donation will go toward addressing the needs of children affected by today’s most urgent issues. 

A great way to donate! Chickens and goats give much-needed protein to help maintain the health of children. When additional animals arrive, so do more milk and eggs, giving families a way to earn income. Photo Credit: Jordan J. Hay/Save the Children 2016.

Browse the Gift Catalog
Give a meaningful gift that will help transform children’s lives and futures in Nepal and beyond. There’s something for everyone!

Sources: Facts and statistics have been sourced from Save the Children’s monitoring and evaluation experts, as well as our thought leadership publications, including our Global Childhood Report 2020 and A Catalog of Common Approaches 2020. Other sources include: CIA World Factbook and UNICEF.

*Photo credits: Sandy Maroun, Suzanne Lee / Save the Children, 2015, 2016. 

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