To better understand the budget, here is some background information regarding our work conditions in Nepal:
Local conditions – an example
Madhav Joshi, the head of HEAR Nepal, lives with his wife and three children school-aged children in a two-room apartment without water in Kathmandu. After a raise, at HEAR Nepal he will earn € 400 (or $ 440) a month. A person with his qualifications working for an international aid organization would earn at least twice as much.
Transportation costs in Nepal
To get from Kathmandu to Bajhang, you fly for 45 minutes to Dhangadhi, a city in Southwest Nepal bordering India. From there it is a 10-hour jeep drive to Chainpur, the district capital of Bajhang. For Nepalis the flight back and forth is € 80 (or $ 88); for foreigners it is € 400 (or $ 440). An alternative would be a 30-hour bus ride, which is not without danger.
Renting a jeep is fairly costly, even by Western standards. The reason for this is that new and used cars and motorcycles from abroad (which are the only ones available) are subject to 288% (!) customs duty. A comparison: A jeep with a driver in Bajhang costs about € 80 per day, whereas the driver makes € 180 a month.
Unfortunately, we are dependent on renting jeeps to transport the HEAR Nepal team, together with material such as booklets and packages of sanitary pads, to the remote schools and villages.
The organizers of HEAR Nepal in Bajhang prepare the work of the health staff in schools and villages by gaining the necessary local authorizations from the schools and other organizations, bringing together the women in the villages, etc. They also organize the installation of the PAUL filters. They need motorcycles to reach the remote villages. Madhav Joshi also needs a motorcycle in Kathmandu, since public transportation is very time-consuming.
Legal obligations
Being a registered Nepalese NGO, HEAR Nepal is closely monitored by the Social Welfare Council. HEAR Nepal annually submits its project plans, including its budget, for the following year. At the end of the year, the implementation of the various projects is monitored and evaluated by the Council at HEAR Nepal’s expense. If a project has not been carried out as planned, it is blacklisted and the NGOs non-profit status is revoked.