NederlandsHealthNet TPO in Nepal
Since 1996 the HealthNet TPO Nepal programme combined services provision, capacity building and research, and has been responsible for the psychosocial support during the resettlement process of Bhutanese refugees, the operationalization of the IASC Guidelines for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Complex Emergencies in Nepal. We were also involved in the formation of a National Mental Health Network, the development of a counselling training approach for para-professionals in low-income settings and the development of the care and protection guidelines for children associated with armed groups and armed forces (CAAFAG).
Research has looked into the effectiveness of a school-based psychosocial intervention, the mental health of former child soldiers and the evaluation of torture rehabilitation services. Currently HealthNet TPO is executing one (smaller) project in Nepal, in addition, the independent TPO Nepal partner has an elaborated programme, see http://www.tponepal.org for more information.
Read more about the programmes in Nepal
Read more about the themes we work on
Nepal
Area: 147.181 km²
Population: 28.563.377 (in 2009)
Neighboring states: India and China
Capital: Kathmandu
Government: Republic
Religion: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Kirant
Background
With a per capita gross domestic product of US$270, Nepal is the poorest country in South Asia. Nepal is predominantly rural with about 14 percent of the population living in urban areas. Geographically, it is divided into three regions: the northern mountains, the middle hills and the southern plains. For administrative purposes it has been divided into 5 development regions, 14 zones and 75 districts. Nepal became a multiparty democratic Hindu monarchy in 1990.
In January 1996 Babu Ram Bhattarai presented a 40-point demand on behalf of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) (M) to the Nepali government. The points dealt largely with rectifying economic and social injustice, abolishing monarchy and establishing a constituent assembly. When the government refused to address these demands the CPN (M) went underground and began its agrarian revolution. On February 13, 1996, the CPN (M) declared a People’s War in Nepal.
Government security forces and Maoists killed over 16,000 people during the People’s War, with the majority of deaths at the hands of the Royal Nepal Army and the government’s police force. The war ended in November of 2006 when the CPN (M) signed a peace treaty with the government, which led to the inclusion of the CPN (M) in the national government and the end of the monarchy. During the April 2008 elections the CPN (M) won a relative majority but later abandoned the top posts in government.
