Heifer Nepal

In south-central Nepal, nestled among the lush greenery, lies the small village Kamalamai, part of the Sindhuli district. This village is home to Rukhmini Adhikari, a smallholder dairy farmer whose life, like many others in her community, was once confined to the boundaries of her household.

As a second wave of COVID-19 surged across Nepal last month, the government responded by instituting strict lockdowns, and residents and farmers faced a familiar uncertainty. Small-scale producers feared the market for their fruits and vegetables vanishing, and community members stuck indoors lacked easy access to fresh food. But Heifer Nepal had faced this dilemma before, during last year’s lockdown.

Nestled in the mountains of Western Nepal, Thaprek is a resource-rich community that is also plagued with illiteracy, poverty, gender injustice and a lack of sanitation. But it's also home to the bold women of Ratanpur, a self-help group started in conjunction with Heifer Nepal, and those women have transformed the face of their community in less than five years. Thaprek has traditionally suffered from poor sanitation and hygiene.