Rugin

Rugin is in Bajura in the Far West of Nepal.

What Is Rugin Like?

Rugin is stunning with a strong community. It is only reached by 4 hours in a 4×4 jeep along unpaved road from the nearest town and hospital in Kolti, if one is affordable and available. As there is no regular jeep service all the way to Rugin, often it is a 3-hour jeep drive to Kuwadi and then a 2 hour walk from Kuwadi to reach Rugin up in the mountains. Most people living in these communities cannot afford jeeps and walk everywhere on foot.

Rugin is prone to earthquakes, landslides, flooding, and drought. On the frontline of climate change, there is now either too much rain or not enough. All rural communities here rely on subsistence livelihoods and kitchen gardens, with food insecurity for families for much of the year, meaning that many children under 5 are malnourished, and dietary diversity is still difficult to achieve. Health Posts are only reachable on foot by the communities that live there, many of whom live several hours away from help: a long walk or stretcher-carry by your community when you are pregnant, elderly, sick or have had an accident and cannot walk that far unaided.

In recent years the health post has been impacted by a landslide and a fire destroying part of the building.

What are we doing in Rugin?

Health – Alongside out partners PHASE Nepal and PHASE Austria we work alongside government staff in the health post to add extra capacity. Providing additional medication. Outreach services for the remotest households and health education sessions across the community.

Education – We work alongside schools in Rugin to improve infrastructure, water supply, toilets and increasing awareness around empowerment for girls and reducing early pregnancies.

Livelihoods – We have recently run agricultural programmes in Rugin.