Nepal

Why we work here?

Banke district is a business hub for the mid-western region and a major transit point for India, using both animals and vehicles for transporting goods and for taxi services across the border. 

Over 1/3 of the population of the district live below the poverty line and belong to marginalized communities. Many families are not able to pursue alternative livelihoods and so depend entirely on the income from their equids. The lives of these families are based on income from brick kilns, and the income is only generated for a period of five to six months in a year. 

As a result, working equids suffer from significant welfare issues relating to the gruelling work which they are required to carry out. They cannot be rested when they become ill or injured and so problems often get worse and cannot be further prevented.

What we are doing?

Since 2017 we have been working with Animal Nepal to support working equines and their families in the Banke district to improve livelihoods and the quality of life for both the people and their equines. 

The project supports equine-owning families in accessing services which have previously not been available to them, including school enrolment for children, citizenship for women and skills training for both men and women. 

Alongside this, the team help the owners to take better care of their equines, both recognising and preventing health and welfare problems while improving their working and management practices.

Meet an owner

Since the project has helped a group of women in Hirminiya each gain citizenship, they have been able to sign up for free government-provided training on growing mushrooms. They grow these mushrooms alongside grass for their equines and then harvest and sell the mushrooms to local restaurants. As well as empowering the women and provide them with an additional skill, the additional income for the family means that they do not have to work their equines so much and can afford to allow them proper rest periods.