Memories of – Save the Children UK’s 3 Decades with Children in Nepal
Save the Children UK has been working in Nepal since 1975. It arrived at a time when the country had only the most rudimentary health care system, let alone any specialized one for children. Travelling to the hinterland meant walking the mountain trails for days. Communication facilities were very basic.
Save the Children UK began working in the area of mother and child health with a focus on remote areas. The idea was to take services to local populations in different regions. But soon its diversified into many other areas, responding to the need on the ground. Over the next three decades, innovation in the face of new challenges continued to guide Save the Children UK’s policy in Nepal.
But all along the emphasis was on local capacity building. Never did Save the Children UK attempt to replace the government’s own efforts in health services delivery. Rather, it found ways to work with the government and when the time came to hand over various projects to the local authorities, the close links developed helped smoothen the process considerably.
By the time Save the Children UK was getting ready to leave Nepal in 2004, the success of its approach had become evident. Whether it is mobilising children to spread awareness of HIV/AIDS or transforming communities in how they deal with disabled children or empowering women through literacy campaigns, it was clear that the programmes would continue even without external assistance.
This film documents Save the Children UK’s work in Nepal and is a testimony of its work to improve the situation of children in Nepal.
