“Growing” a Biodiesel Business

One way CHOICE Humanitarian assists rural communities is by helping them to see the resources and possibilities around them. Two years ago, CHOICE helped the village of Divyapuri, Nepal to do just this. The resource is a simple plant called Jatropha.

The oil extracted from the seeds of the Jatropha plant is used to make biodiesel for standard diesel engines as well as a low carbon alternative to heating oil. Jatropha is resistant to drought, pests, produces high yielding seeds containing an average of 35% oil and grows well in Nepal.

The progress has been phenomenal. The community was trained on how to grow and cultivate the Jatropha plant - from starting the plants with seeds in a nursery, to later harvesting and selling the seeds. Since this projects inception, Divyapuri villagers have purchased and planted 146,000 plants and have grown an additional 45,000 plants in their own nursery. The plants are growing well and will begin yielding seeds next year.In the mean time, with the help of CHOICE, the community has made connections with an oil expelling factory that has committed to purchase their seeds. The community now has plans to grow their business. The community leader, Til Prasad Pathak, said, “The community has a plan to expand the Jatropha plantation in the future and set up their own oil expelling machine.”

This project have a lasting impact on the 6,500 people who live in Divyapuri, setting them on a path out of poverty. In addition to this project, the villagers have also completed a village wide water project. The ground water in Divyapuri contains high levels of arsenic which resulted in many types of skin disease in the area. Now they are drinking clean water and the overall health of the village is improving.

Rock Climbing out of Poverty

Village woman testing out the new rock clibming route.

Trekking is an age-old pastime in Nepal. People from all over come to the "top of the world" to enjoy Nepal's towering mountains, breathtaking vistas, charming people and exotic culture. Unfortunately, current trekking routes are now being turned into roadways, with speeding trucks that kick up choking dust, detracting from the beauty of the serene mountainscapes. Trekkers travel along these roads, from tea house to tea house, never experiencing the serene and friendly hospitality of a rural village.

CHOICE Humanitarian Nepal is helping a group of rural villages start a trekking route to meet the desires of trekkers in this region. This village tourism business will impact 35,000 people living along the trekking route, from Ramgha to Puranokot.

Tourists will soon have the opportunity to hike between these beautiful villages with breathtaking views of the Annapurna mountain range. They will stop along the way to experience cultural activities, sample local cuisine, and enjoy the hospitality of village families while staying the night in one of their charming traditional homes.


Raj Gurung and Tul Bahadur

Another one of the activities will be the chance to rock climb a 300 foot stone wall above the village of Puranokot. For the past 6 months, Tyler Cline of Salt Lake City, Utah has been training three young men, Tul Bahadur, Lekh Bahadur and Raj Kumar Gurung, to develop a rock climbing business and the necessary rock climbing skills.

All three boys have shown a willingness to sacrifice and a dedication to this climbing business. Tul Bahadur originally had plans to leave his home to search for work outside the village. When asked about leaving Purankot to earn money, he said, "I don't want to leave home, I want to help my family." Now Tul can stay in his village and provide an income for his family. Raj Kumar has turned down a good job in the city with high hopes that this new job will allow him to stay at home with his family as well. Lekh Bahadur travels up to two hours each day to attend the training sessions. On days the group sets off early to train, Lekh eagerly arrives saying, "I come running!"


Lekh Bahadur

Tyler has great confidence in the success of this program because of the boys' hard work, as well as the support of the community. "Most days I can look up from the bottom of the rock and I can see Nepali faces, young and old, looking over the edge of the boulder like children in a candy store, standing on their tiptoes trying to peer over the counter. It is great to see the entire community excited and supportive of the development of this climbing business," says Tyler.


Tyler Cline showing off some climbing gear.

All three of the young men in training have high hopes for the people of their village. Not only are these boys trying to create the first business in Purankot, but they have also collectively chosen to donate a percentage of the business' revenue to the community for future development.

As CHOICE Humanitarian helps open village economies, people like Tul Bahadur, Lekh Bahadur and Raj Kumar will be able to remain with their loved ones in the village they call home and earn an income that will enable them to help support their families. If you would like to support this program, please contact us! info@choicehumanitarian.org

The 401Goat Plan

Have you ever thought of adding a few goats to your retirement savings plan? The idea is not so crazy to some rural villagers in Dhuseni, Nepal.

Shyam Achhami, a talented mason, and his wife, Shanti, have worked hard throughout their adult lives. They have raised healthy children, and like most villagers, had hoped that their children would reciprocate by helping them in their old age. However, due to the lack of economic opportunities in the small village of Dhuseni, their children have left home in search of jobs, leaving Shyam and Shanti alone.

Now the older couple is having trouble procuring enough income to take care of themselves. Recently, they had to spend all of their savings to pay medical bills for Shanti, who became very sick.

Life seemed very bleak for this aging family. Once active and productive members of the community, both Shyam and Shanti were now burdened with age and financial woes. But now, there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel - or should we say there are goats! The village of Dhuseni, with the help of CHOICE Humanitarian, has begun a goat farming program.

Shyam, and 33 other families have now received loans to buy goats. Shyam drops off the goats in the jungle for grazing every morning and does household chores during the day. Shyam says, "I am happy to start goat farming. Now we will be able to secure funds for all the difficult times." They are so happy to be active again, working hard to support themselves.

Shyam with his goats.

Shyam's goats will multiply quickly as mothers give birth to twin kids every six months. This will give Shyam the ability to sell the baby goats for additional income and to repay his two year loan. Shyam will also receive goat farming training and be connected to experts with knowledge on goat nutrition and overall health.

With just a simple loan, these villagers are finding ways to alleviate poverty in their lives. What a beautiful example of how a small amount of support and training can make all the difference for an entire community! Thank you to all those who support CHOICE Humanitarian. To learn more about how you can help, visit http://choicehumanitarian.org.

Leave us a comment and tell us what you think about this project!

Gas – No Laughing Matter

Biogas digesters are all the rage in villages of rural Nepal, but

what is a biogas digester?

...and how is it ending poverty in the village of Puranokot?

A biogas digester is a simple technology that takes human and animal waste and turns it into fertilizer for farming and a clean burning gas used for cooking.

For thousands of years, Nepalese women have been cooking for their families over open fires in their homes. With no ventilation, billows of smoke fill the small kitchens, stinging eyes and lungs. The cooking fire located near the floor is a constant worry when small children are around. Hems of the women’s skirts have even caught fire. Severe burns from traditional cooking fires are not unusual nor are the constant respiratory problems that plague many families.

So excited to use her new gas fuled stove!

Installing a biogas digester ends all of these challenges. Biogas digesters help control indoor air pollution and improve sanitation and safety. They also reduce deforestation and the time-consuming job of collecting fire wood. Thanks to your help, four households in Puranokot currently have biogas digesters and 7 more are expected to be completed in May.

Guna Maya

Guna Maya Gurung is one of the mothers in Puranokot who is now cooking by gas. She explains, “I used to cook with firewood. I had a smoky kitchen and used to burn my hands and fingers. That was scary for the kids. The biogas digester is very useful, easy to handle, and now our home is more sanitary with the latrine.”

Thank you CHOICE suporters for making this simple technology available to the villagers of Puranokot to help them live healthier lives.

The Forgotten Village – no less human.

Failed water system in Andhikhola.

Many years ago a humanitarian organization came to the small village of Andhikhola, Nepal to help them build a water system. In the end, it never worked. To Mana Suba Bhujel and her family, the ruins of the failed water system in her forgotten village have been a discouraging monument – symbolizing to them (falsely of course) that their community is incapable of doing anything new. “People stopped doing any improvements in the village,” lamented Mana Suba. “They had stopped trusting in themselves.”

This is not an unusual sentiment for rural villagers who have experienced nothing but failure with projects implemented by well-intended but misguided humanitarian organizations. Today, villagers in this community continue to walk 25 minutes each way to reach a polluted stream to fill their water pitchers. With the combined efforts of CHOICE Humanitarian, the village of Andhikhola, and a third partner organized by Jolana White from the UK, this is all about to change.

We are currently working together to build strong community leadership, as well as a functioning community water system for Mana Suba and the village of Andhikhola. CHOICE visited the village to talk about what would be required of the community to build this system.

CHOICE employee, Kiran (left), at a village meeting.

Mana Suba, despite her shyness, was an inspiration to all the villagers at these meetings. She encouraged the community members to help with the work. "We need to work together. Our one time struggle will relieve us from lifelong drudgery. All the women will work together to make this project successful," Mana Suba implored. Although cautious and weary, the community agreed to CHOICE Humanitarian’s proposal.

Mana Suba at the village meeting.

CHOICE has designed a new water system and prepared cost estimates for the project. The villager's participation has been increasing steadily as they become more confident in this project - and themselves. They are carrying construction materials uphill 2 hours, breaking rocks and digging trenches. They dug a trench over 2 miles long through the winding cliffs in just 5 days. At this pace, they will complete the project 3 months ahead of schedule.

The villagers are amazed at their accomplishment. One of the villagers, Ram Krishna Bhujel, said, "Before this project, we never knew that we as a community have such a big strength. We were often looked down upon by neighboring villagers, and were considered mediocre and thus not progressing. I am sure we are not much different than our neighbors, and no less human. We surely could have done better, but we have had no catalyst. Now we have CHOICE as a catalyst."

Jolana White, who was instrumental in bringing CHOICE to the village, said, “Without CHOICE, it would be very difficult for all of us to complete this water project. CHOICE is an indispensable partner in trying to bring Andhikhola out of the vicious cycle of poverty.”

By focusing on the people and not just the project CHOICE will help this small village become an example of progress to the communities around them. They will learn to trust themselves again and to work together to relieve the constraints of poverty.