Gorkha

What is it like?

Gorkha district, was one of the most severely affected by the 2015 earthquakes, with the epicenter of the first catastrophic tremor located in Barpak, very close to PHASE’s project areas. Combined with Sindhupalchok, 40% of deaths caused by the earthquake occurred across the two districts, and all access paths to the Northern municipalities, where PHASE works, were destroyed.

Gorkha district with a population of around 271,000 people (census 2011) and its historic town of the same name, is historically connected with the establishment of Nepal as a nation state and with the legendary Gurkha soldiers. In the new federal structure of Nepal, it is one of 11 districts within the Gandaki province. Across the entire province there are 607 public health facilities. Gorkha district has 65 health posts, three primary health care centres and two government hospitals, as well as many private facilities in the urban centres.

However, the Northern area, in the shadows of Manaslu and Himalchuli Mountains, is very thinly populated, so many villages are quite far from the nearest health centre.
Food poverty is still a problem particularly in the North of Gorkha, with an average of 23-40% of people living in food poverty. The only part of Gorkha that drops below a 15% average of food poverty is in the urban municipality in the south. For many in Gorkha, livelihood opportunities are sparse and many families rely on members working abroad or in different parts of the country. Becoming a soldier in Britain’s Gurkha regiments is still a major ambition for many young men here.

What do we do in Gorkha?

Currently in Gorkha, PHASE Worldwide directly supports community health posts in the northern villages of Kashigaun, Keraunja and Manbu. By supporting community health posts, through additional staffing, PHASE ensures that more healthcare services are available for communities in these villages. Specific healthcare support in Kashigaun and Keraunja is provided through our Rebuilding Communities project. This project launched, through a Big Lottery Fund grant, in response to the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal and aims to support community recovery through improving health knowledge and behaviours, improving education provision in schools and creating livelihood opportunities through better agricultural production and vocational training schemes for motivated local people.

In Manbu, PHASE funds trained Nepali Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) to support the work at a community health centre, Staff operate an outreach programme too, where they carry out door-to-door visits of families in Manbu to provide healthcare check-ups and advice and run health education events in the community. They improve healthcare access by offering a reliable basic health service, as well as integrating into the heart of the communities they work in.

For recent updates from Manbu – Manbu 2025