Supporting farmers to gain access to water

The roads are muddy in this monsoon season and it is hard to reach Jeevanpur by land. After a 3-hour drive from Dhadingbesi I finally reach Ward No. 7 in Jeevanpur and the first thing that captivates my heart is the lush green paddy fields.

Anyone who observes this beautiful scenery is probably delighted by the sight of the flourishing paddy fields. A year ago it was all a different story.

After last year's devastating earthquake, the irrigation canal in this place was in a pitiable state and the villagers were finding it hard to grow crops due to constant leakages in the canal. Despite strong determination, the local farmers lacked adequate funds and necessary expertise to reconstruct their canal. As a result, agricultural production was low at the moment which worsened the villagers' financial woes.

But now the villagers are happy to use their newly built irrigation canal. They feel proud to have built it themselves with the support of World Vision and Aktion Deutschland Hilft.  Rajendra Neupane, a local farmer and social worker, explains, "It took 62 local villagers 12 consecutive days to reconstruct this canal and we also got paid for our work. We are satisfied that World Vision provided us an opportunity to rebuild the canal with our own hands."

Now, this canal serves around 85 households in Ward No. 7 of Jeevanpur and all of them are overjoyed with the successful outcome. "Even some people from neighbouring villages have been motivated by our achievement and I have advised them to build a robust irrigation canal," Rajendra joyfully comments.

Buddha Nihar, another beneficiary, shares, "There were a lot of difficulties before this canal was reconstructed. The water flow in the canal was minimal and the local farmers had to work day and night to find alternative ways to collect water. Now, there is constant supply of adequate water and we are hopeful for a fruitful harvest."

Now, there is constant supply of adequate water and we are hopeful for a fruitful harvest.

Buddha intends to utilise some of the amount from his profit for his children's education and bright future. With a hopeful smile, he reveals, "I want my son and daughter to study well and become successful in life."

The local farmers have also been provided with shovels, hammers and other equipment to fix the canal when needed. "We have built it ourselves and we will also repair it on our own. Now, we have the necessary tools in place and we understand that in the long term we villagers have to be self-reliant and resilient," says Rajendra.

To date World Vision has been involved in rehabilitation of 33 irrigation systems in 5 earthquake-affected districts.