Nepal is located along the southern slopes of the Himalayan mountain ranges, and is a landlocked country between India and China. It has magnificent scenery and high mountain peaks of over 8,000 meters, including the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest.

Nepal is the second poorest country in Asia, and the political situation has long been unstable. The country became a republic in 2008 and gained a new constitution in 2015. The caste system, and discrimination against women and girls, still result in great differences and prevent many from getting out of poverty. 

Strømme Foundation works to address the underlying causes of poverty in Nepal by strengthening community structures and amplifying the voice of marginalised communities, empowering them to shape their own development.  

Dalits
Poverty in Nepal is greatest in rural areas, and Dalits, also called the casteless, are particularly vulnerable people. Dalits are born with all odds stacked firmly against them. They are lowest on the ladder, without rights or respect from other castes and communities. They are excluded from important arenas in society - everything from school and working life to the neighbourhood’s public water tap - because people from the higher castes consider them unclean. 

SEEDS - Socio-Economic Empowerment with Dignity and Sustainability
Our work is aimed at creating enabling conditions for poor people to assert their socio-economic rights, promoting increased self-reliance and collective action for social change.

Adolescent empowerment program - Samvad
With our adolescent empowerment programme, Samvad in Nepal, we work to give young people faith in themselves and their ability to change their own situations. The goal is to make them proud and independent, provide them with knowledge about their own rights, and the opportunity to earn their own money. In this way, they will be able to avoid early marriage, forced prostitution, abuse, and exploitation, and challenge harmful traditions such as caste-based discrimination. 

Social development and vocational training 
By providing vocational training, increasing knowledge about agriculture, and supporting micro-enterprises, we are helping to develop Nepal’s poor and marginalised society and offer them greater opportunities to obtain financial security for their families. 

Read more: http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/NPL