Saping Village

Saping is a semi-remote farming village with limited road access which is located in the district of Kavre, approximately 60 kms east of Kathmandu. The village is composed of 9 different clusters of farmhouses spread over the hills at an altitude of 1,600 metres.  Although there's a bus to Saping during dry season, most of the population access the area on foot through a 2 hour walk from the small river town of Dolalghat. 

Saping has a population of approximately 5000 people, and the economy of the village is based on subsistance agriculture. Beans, maize, rice and millet are some of the common crops grown in the area. 

There is limited piped water supply in Saping, and many people have to walk to wells up to an hour away from their homes to collect water. Cooking is done using firewood, which is collected from the surrounding forests. The village got electricity in 2005, and its first toilet was built in 2007. Saping was badly affected by the 2015 earthquake and around 70% of the population had their homes partially or completely destroyed.

There are seven government schools in the region, but their facilities are poor and the quality of education is low due to a lack or constant absence of teachers. Many families aren't able to pay for government school fees. Some children, especially girls, are undereducated because of conservative beliefs under which the educations of girls is given a low priority. These beliefs result in children often being kept home from school to help with chores or farmwork. The Saping Medaka Family School is trying to address these educational issues in the village. 

There is one health post in Saping village, which provides basic medications (such as parecetemol) but doesn't have any qualified nurses or doctors. For more severe illnesses, villagers have to walk two hours down to Dolalghat and then take a two hour bus to Dhulikhel hospital.

Construction of a new road road from Dolaghat began in 2005 with the help of donations and community support, but the road is still not operational due to the difficulty of building on the hilly terrain.

We welcome visitors and volunteers to our village. Please just contact us if you'd be intested in coming to experience life in rural Nepal. 

 

 

 

 

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