Kalikot Takeover - Part 2 of 3
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
By Julia Molinaro, Communications Director
Behind this happy runner, you can see what a traditional mud house looks like. A house this size can sleep up to 12 families. We crawled through the 3-foot high doors and inside the house is typically one room, with a firepit for cooking, a few pots and pans, and space for sleeping. Without ventilation, the room fills with cooking smoke. Some houses had blankets inside and others were bare. Families are big in rural Nepal - a family of 8 sleeps in the picture here.
This time of year, in the height of the dry season, only wheat is growing in the fields. Rice has been stored from the previous harvest and lentils are transported in on the backs of porters. No fruits or vegetables are growing. On top of this, Oda lacks a sufficient water source, so people are unable to irrigate their fields to grow more food. Many people are hungry -- about half of all children under age 5 are malnourished in this region of Nepal.
About 90% of Nepal practices subsistence farming - growing food for the sole purpose of feeding their family. There is no income source here in Oda, no way for anyone to make money. It is common for men and boys to go to India to work and save enough money to bring back to Oda. This is how our co-founder Tope lived after he turned 12 years old, making the long trip back and forth time and time again.
We saw the incredible work that the Oda Foundation is doing in the village. They are working hand in hand with the local community to bring healthcare, education, and community development to the people. Here is Oda Director Nick in front of the new nursery classroom they are building. We’re inspired by their commitment to bringing the fundamental rights of healthcare and education to this community, regardless of where the road ends.