Village Development Project Kimtang

The mountain village of Kimtang is located approx. 100 km nort-west of Kathmandu near LangtangĀ  National Park. There is a daily bus service to Kathmandu but it takes 9 hours to go to the capital. Taking the jeep it still takes 6 hours because of difficult road conditions. Kimtang is located in the in the mid-mountain region and houses are dispersed between 1,500 and 2,000 meters high.

Most of the villagers are farmers and 90% are buddhists belonging to the Tamang tribe. Approx. 800 families live here and the village has a total of 3,200 inhabitants. The Kimtang community is primarily characterised by buddhist values with exceptionally strong social cohesion. After the 2015 earthquake the villager tackled the reconstruction of their gompas (buddhist temples) full of energy.

After the reconstruction of most of the homes destroyed in the earthquake was completed, the main requirement of the local people is job training and finding work. There is a lack of opportunities for young people, internet connection is insufficient and the main roads are in a bad state.

Kimtang has four public schools supported by the government. There are two primary schools up to grade five, one comprehensive school up to grade eight and one secondary school up to grade 12. There are approx. 600 pupils but not enough teachers which is a general problem in Nepal. This is why the Kimtang community and their school committee provide additional teachers. The committment and the solidarity of the villagers are very noticeable also in other areas.

Life in Kimtang is characterised by harmonious coexistence, great solidarity and the low influence of city life. The favourable geographic location allows growing tea, cardamom, kiwi and even apples.

Like in many other regions of Nepal, rural exodus because of poor earning opportunities is a problem. Approx. 500 young people have left the village for a number of years in order to earn money abroad as foreign workers, mainly in Dubai and Qatar.

 

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Main Activity Areas

  • Teaching English to pre-school kids.
  • Teaching Sambhota, which is similar to the Tibetan language and is used for prayer scriptures; providing clothing, supporting Buddhist culture.
  • Setting up and running a kindergarten group.
  • School uniforms, teaching materials, warm winter clothes, hygiene products and many other things are provided via our sponsorship programme to improve the living standard of the children in Kimtang..
  • Environmental programme to improve awareness for the increasing environmental pollution.
  • Job Training offers school leavers occupational education to improve their chances at the labour market to find employment.
  • Establishment and operation of the PC lab at the school in Kimtang incl. ensuring computer lessons for the final year classes are integrated into the school curriculum.