Organization Details

Nepal Natural and Human Resources Development Association (NAHUDA) is a national, non-profit, non governmental organization established in 1992 with a mission to provide quality reproductive health services for Nepali women.

NAHUDA focuses on providing women with access to various reproductive health services such as uterine prolapse prevention, gender-based violence counselling, family planning, women's health rights awareness, referrals to hospitals and other routine medical checks such as PAP smears. Screening for breast cancer is also one of the primary roles of this organization. They provide mamograms and educational workshops on how to conduct self-breast examinations.

NAHUDA also conducts education workshops on topics related to reproductive health. They conduct these workships during many of their outreach visits in communities outside of the Kathmandu Valley. Outreach visits are an important part of NAHUDA's programs because through this program they have been able to conduct field research that enabled them to understand the scope of various projects to a deeper level. In addition, these outreach programs helped the team of NAHUDA to develop relationships with members of the community in which they serve. This increased the trust in the patience they were serving and enabled them to disclose more details about their current medical state.

Currently this organization has one static clinic in Lalitpur which is their primary center for educational training and medical examinations. In addition, NAHUDA conducts outreach programs referred to by their organization as "field camps". Each year, approximately 20 to 25 camps are organized and implemented throughout both the Kathmandu Valley and rural communities.

Namobuddha

Namobuddha is an important destination for Buddhist pilgrims in the area. Namobuddha is a little village in the mountains, near Dhulikhel, which hosts the Thrangu Monastery and the Shree Mangal Dvip branch school for monks. The place is famous for the stunning, yet not completely clear view of the mountains. One of the main attractions in Namobuddha is the little Stupa, a famous Buddhist pilgrimage destination in the center of the village. According to a legend, in a previous life, the Buddha came across a tigress close to death from starvation and unable to feed her cubs. The Buddha felt compassion and sorrow and offered his body to the tigress.

In the woods below the Stupa is a little mountain spring with extremely clean and good water, which is said to be blessed.The Phulbari, a beautiful park appears suddenly in the middle of nowhere. The owner is some German business man who also has a house in the park and who is kind enough to open the park for the public when he is not living there.

The bus ride to and back from Namobuddha is sometimes quite an adventure. The local buses are incredibly crowded with at least twice as many people as its capacity and many of the passengers have to sit on the roof.

Popular places to see

Being popular all over the world Nepal has many different things and many places to offer for sightseeing. The eye catching Himalayan views, unique culture and traditions, the historical monument, art and architecture, Hindu temples and Buddhist stupa and monasteries, its people and rites, myths and mysteries which are a part of the daily life of the people made Nepal unique as well as different from other country. The first entry point for most of the visitors is surrounded by and is divided into the three major cities of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur.

Every trekking office in Nepal arranges sightseeing trips for you in and around the Kathmandu Valley. Nepal possesses a rich sightseeing from mountain flight cultural diversity, and it is well worth exploring the region. Favorite destinations for visitors are Bhaktapur, where it is possible to see local potters at work, Nagarkot, for wonderful sunrises and mountain views, Swoyambhunath, Patan Durbar Square and Kathmandu Durbar Square.

Sightseeing in Nepal also takes you to different small but ancient places out of Kathmandu Valley and places of beauty out of Kathmandu Valley into remote places of Nepal. All the sightseeing tours are accomplished by knowledgeable guides who speak and understand English very well. Guides for non-English speakers can also be arranged.

Trekking In Nepal

Nepal is one of the best destinations in the world for trekking. It is a land of scenic grandeur and cultural diversity. Trekking is the best way to know the people, places and culture very closely. A network of well-managed trails throughout the trekking places would easily connect you with the numerous villages of Nepal. Treks in Nepal can be of two types -a short trek and a long trek. A short trek will reveal picturesque hamlets surrounded by elaborate terraced fields and forested ridges. A long trek may yield rich contrasts in people and culture from one ecological level to another.

The rich variety in flora and fauna within a short distance, everlasting smiles of villagers, hospitality of the host communities, favorable climatic and geographical condition, cultural and linguistic diversity, scenic beauty, rich cultural spirit which represents unique blend of Buddhism and Hinduism, Birth place of Buddha, Home of Mount Everest, ever flowing rivers and glaciers, snow-caped mountains, World heritage sites , etc. are some of the attractions of Nepal which have always lured tourists to visit Nepal.

Some of the major trekking destinations include: Everest trekking, Annapurna trekking, Langtang trekking, Mustang (Lo-Manthang) trekking, Manaslu trekking, Dolpo trekking, Rolwaling trekking, Kanchanjunga trekking, Makalu trekking, Arun valley trekking, Jomsom trekking, Helambu trekking, Api Himal trekking, Jumla-Rara Lake trekking, Dhaulagiri trekking, Jomsom-Muktinath trekking, Ghalegaun-Ghanapokhara trekking, Ghanruk-Ghorepani trekking, Royal trek, Siklis Lake trek, Mardi Himal trek, etc.

The trekking trails may sometime be rough because of the mountain terrain but it is delightful to arrive at numerous unique points which are to be found nowhere in the world that reveal new vistas. In the mountain area, the track may traverse steep slopes with plunging waterfalls but the large villages below temperate forests welcome travelers.

The best way to experience Nepal's unbeaten combination of natural beauty and cultural riches is to live with them for certain period. The immense contrasts in altitudes and climates found here support an equally spectacular mix of lifestyles, vegetation types and wildlife.

Concern over Nepal wildlife seizure

By Navin Singh Khadka BBC Nepali Service 3 July 2007/Big cats have been poached for their pelt and bones Conservationist in Nepal say they are concerned that former Maoist rebels have not yet returned wildlife products they had seized during the nation's 10-year conflict. Wildlife officials are calling for any items taken off poachers and traffickers to be handed over, especially as a number of the Maoist Party leaders are now members of the coalition government. No official records exist of the confiscated animal products, but a number of conservationists say they have documents listing seizures. The Maoist forestry minister said he was not aware of any wrongdoing by party members, but added he would launch an investigation if information was presented of goods being withheld. Lack of records Wildlife Conservation Nepal (WCN), which has been involved in undercover operations to identify poachers and wildlife traffickers, said it has records of an incident that took place in April 2006. "Three people with two tiger skins and three leopard pelts were caught by locals in the southern town of Birgunj, bordering India," said Prasanna Yonjan, the head of WCN. "The three were then handed over to the Maoists' People's Liberation Army, which seized the wildlife contrabands from them but has never returned them to the government." Mr Yonjan added that the three traffickers were freed after lobbying by a poacher who himself was later arrested. Red pandas are among the species being targeted by poachers Another conservationist working for an international organisation in western Nepal said two people that were caught with tiger bones were taken away by Maoists in June 2004. "The two, one of them a retired policeman, were taken to the mountain district Jumla by the Maoists," the conservationist added. "The Maoists later freed the two but the tiger bones were never returned." The Bardia incident was confirmed by a Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation official, who asked not to be named. "Many such incidents took place during the 10-year conflict," said Mangal Man Shakya, head of Wildlife Watch Group, an organisation affiliated to the World Conservation Union (IUCN). "But the Maoists have never returned to the state the wildlife products they had seized. "We have been asking the Maoist leaders to do so but there has been no response." Our party never had the policy of making income through such means Matrika Prasad Yadav, Nepal's forestry minister Forestry Minister Matrika Prasad Yadav, a Maoist leader, told the BBC that he was not aware of any wildlife products seized by party members. "If any organisation or individual provides us information in this regard, I can launch an investigation within our party," he said. Conservation groups suggested that Mr Yadav may not have be aware of the problem because he spent the majority of the decade-long conflict in prison. 'Transit post' One of the Maoist army's deputy commanders, Nanda Kishor Pun, also known as Pasang, acknowledged that seizures had taken place within lower levels of the party. "But that was clearly against our party policy and we hope that this BBC report will help us probe into such issues," he said. Wildlife groups are concerned that an increase in poaching and trafficking has led to a decline in the population of a number of endangered species. Figures from the Department of National Parks show that 150 rhinos have been killed by poachers in the past eight years. Department officials were able to record these deaths because the animals' carcasses were left behind after the horns had been removed. The level of poaching of other endangered species, such as tigers, leopards and red pandas, is much more difficult to track because poachers remove the whole animal. Although there has been no detailed study into the number of animals killed, officials say initial reports show animal sightings in some national parks have gone significantly down. Nepal has 16 protected zones that cover almost 20% of the country's land area. These areas had been protected by the government's army but the Maoist insurgency, which began in 1996, saw many soldiers being redeployed elsewhere to fight the rebels. Maoist leaders have denied any involvement in wildlife poaching or trafficking. "Our party never had the policy of making income through such means," said Minister Yadav. The Maoist Party's youth wing, the Young Communist League, recently won praise from conservationists after its members seized huge amount of red sandal wood that was being smuggled from India to Chinese controlled Tibet via Nepal. Several reports have suggested that Nepal is increasingly becoming a transit point for wildlife trafficking, particularly between India and China.

PRESS RELEASE: Permanent Mission of Nepal to the UN

Hon. Mr. Kiran Gurung, Minister of Forests and Soil-Conservation of Nepal, addressed today the opening session of the plenary of the Eighth Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF-8) and called for a sustainable and predictable funding mechanism to shore up international cooperation in sustainable forests management.

Hon. Minister Gurung said that global climate change has the most serious negative consequences to the Himalayas, often called as the Third Pole of the planet earth. He underlined the universal negative impacts of global warming on fresh water, biodiversity and socio-cultural status of the people in the Himalayan region, which plays a significant role in maintaining global environment and human civilization. Stressing that the Himalayas, its lakes, glaciers, and rivers are the water towers that feed Asia’s great rivers and ensure drinking water for millions of people, Hon. Mr. Gurung called upon the international community to start saving the planet earth starting from the top of the world - the Himalayan ecosystem and secure future of the billions of people.

The Hon. Minister highlighted Nepal’s extensive experience in community-based forests management which has helped preserve indigenous knowledge, empowered local community, and promoted inclusiveness and ownership of natural resources for varied socio-cultural groups in the rural areas. He also informed that about one third of total population in the nation is engaged in managing forests land through over 15,000 community forests user groups. He further said that the government is committed to a motto of “New Nepal Green Nepal” and launching a “Green Job Program” to promote forests-based enterprises.

The Hon. Minister informed that Nepal is celebrating the year 2009 as “Nepal Nature Conservation Year” with the objective of sharing the experiences and assessing achievements in the area of natural resources conservation. He also announced that Nepal would be hosting an International Conference entitled "Conservation in Changing Climate in the Himalayas" from December 1-3, 2009.

The United Nations Forum on Forests, an intergovernmental body, is meeting in its eighth session in New York from 20 April to 1 May 2009 and will focus on the importance of international policy coordination for the implementation of forests instruments and developing a financing mechanism to promote sustainable forests management.

Nepal Nature

Nepal covers a span of 147,181 sq. kilometers ranging from altitude of 70 meters to 8,848 meters. Mountains, mid hills, valleys and plains dominate the geography of landlocked Nepal that extends from the Himalayan range in the north to the Indo-Gangetic lowlands in south. Mt. Everest, the highest point of the Himalayas is in Nepal.

Physical features also include green paddy terraces, wind-swept deserts, dense forests and marshy grasslands. The country is well endowed with perennial rivers, lakes and glacial lakes that originate in the Himalayas. Twenty percent of the land in the country is used for agriculture, where 0.49 percent is used for permanent crops, mainly rice.

Climatic conditions of Nepal vary from one place to another in accordance with the geographical features. In the north summers are cool and winters severe, while in south summers are sub tropical and winters mild.

The variety in Nepal's topography provides home to wildlife like tigers, rhinos, monkeys, bears, yaks, leopards and different species of insects and birds. Nepal is a home to almost 10 percent of the world's bird species among which 500 species are found in the Kathmandu Valley.

The country has managed to preserve some endangered species of Asia in its extensive parks and protected natural habitats. The most abundant natural resource in Nepal is water. Other resources found here are quartz, timber, lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore and scenic beauty.