Welcome to FAITH

Poverty Alleviation:

According to the latest research conducted by the Oxford University for the United Nations Development Fund, Nepal's poverty has soared to 65 percent. Official figure of Nepal's poverty level is 25.4 percent by 2008, down from 31 percent as per the Nepal Living Standard Survey 2003/04. Officials said the government figure is based solely on income (affordability to consume essentials) while Oxford's study is multidimensional with additional indicators such as income, health status, living standard and education HIV intervention in Nepal is seriously hindered due to the lack of poverty eradication program running simultaneously with it. Poverty eradication among the specific vulnerable communities such as people who use drugs, migrant population, those involved in sex work, men who have sex with men and People living with HIV (PLHA) especially women is the imperative factor that needs immediate attention.

Harm Reduction:

There is history of more than 5 decades of drug use in Nepal. Nepal, once the drugs free zone, attracted thousands of drug tourists from around the world. Major cities like Kathmandu, Pokhara, and the border areas are the most affected regions. With the subsequent increase in number of drug users, in early 90's government banned many drugs. With the prohibition came the criminalization of drug and drug users. As a result, many drug users turned into injecting drugs resulting in the rapid transmission of HIV, HCV in this particular group.

Harm reduction intervention is relatively a new concept for Nepal especially oral substitution therapy (OST) though needle syringe exchange program had introduced long before. General population has minimal knowledge about harm reduction. Even the drug using community is the target of insufficient knowledge about harm reduction. The service coverage for harm reduction in Nepal is alarmingly low. Nepal's drug scenario focuses much on abstinence. With high relapse rate and expensive rehabilitation treatment services, the coverage has not been achieved to the level that can help reduce and halt HIV epidemic creating demanding for harm reduction interventions.

Gender inequality and sexual reproductive health rights

Gender issues still remain unresolved in Nepal. The socio-cultural setting of the state still is largely patriarchal. Even in a multiethnic and culturally diverse country as Nepal, the plight of women's status is more or less similar throughout the country. Women are still considered as subordinate to men and they have lesser access to life enhancing and self acknowledging opportunities as compared to the men of their same class. This has lead to theunderdevelopment and continued subjugation of the women. Women have been economically, politically and socio-culturally deprived of both equity and equality. The majority of the Nepalese population lives in rural areas and three quarters of the population earn less than 2 dollars a day. Women being the poorest of the poor suffer much more. Their biological and social role combined with their poor bargaining power and status at home prevents them from their sexual reproductive health rights. The overall development of the nation requires that women also involve in as actors and recipients in the development process.