Documentary (15 minutes) in English and Nepali with English subtitles.
Humla is the second poorest district of Nepal. Development Fund (Utviklingsfondet) is funding Humla Development Initiative (HDI) which is a cooperation between the two organisations LI-BIRD and SHIP-Nepal.
It is difficult to do development work in Humla. During the civil war (1996-2006), people were forced to report each other to one or both sides of the conflict, and the mistrust still lingers in Humla. There are no roads in the district and the only way to get there is by foot or airplane. Many NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations) has offered support to the people in Humla for a long time, which has made people dependent on help and support from the outside.
HDI has also made mistakes along the way, but they are trying to help the Humli people to become independent. HDI is getting results by supporting the construction of simple green houses. The poor farmers can only produce enough food for their families for 3-6 months a year, but with green houses it is possible for them to grow vegetables throughout the year. They collect wood and stone and either build the green house themselves or pay for the labour work. HDI only provides the material that is not locally available.
To get people to work together, HDI has invited the organisation MJS to help them start cooperatives in Humla. MJS is also one of Development Fund’s partner organisations and MJS has had great success with the autonomous cooperatives in the district of Ilam. The collaboration between the two organisations is creating new hope in Humla. Assaram Gurung (HDI/LI-BIRD) believes that the cooperative is a new tool that will make people join hands together for a better future.
My Himalayan Adventure 