About this project
The Khabari community in Gadhawa Rural Municipality, Dang District of Nepal, is facing an alarming public health and environmental crisis. Due to inadequate water infrastructure, lack of improved sanitation, and limited hygiene awareness, the community—particularly school children—remains highly vulnerable to preventable diseases. In the past year alone, five children tragically lost their lives to diarrheal disease, and waterborne illnesses such as diarrhea, dysentery, and skin infections remain widespread due to the use of contaminated river and rainwater collected in open mud pits.
This project proposes an innovative, youth-led Integrated WASH Model designed to address the root causes of these challenges while building a climate-resilient, healthy, and dignified future for the Khabari community. Youth leadership will be central to the project—mobilizing energy, creativity, and commitment to lead transformational change at the grassroots level.
The project will implement the following key components:
Safe Water Access: Rehabilitate and upgrade the existing water system, conduct comprehensive water quality testing, and implement treatment solutions tailored to the contamination profile. Point-of-use (POU) water purification technologies—such as biosand filters, chlorine tablets, or solar disinfection—will be introduced based on test results.
Sanitation and Hygiene Infrastructure: Construct gender-sensitive pour-flush toilets for vulnerable households and schools while ensuring inclusive access for women, children, elderly, and persons with disabilities. Hygiene education sessions and behavior change campaigns will promote handwashing, menstrual hygiene management, and safe sanitation practices.
On-site Sanitation Management: Introduce eco-friendly, decentralized waste treatment options such as twin-pit latrines and bio-digester tanks to manage household-level sanitation safely and sustainably, while minimizing environmental impact.
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Resilience: Integrate climate adaptation strategies such as rooftop rainwater harvesting, slope stabilization near water sources, flood preparedness planning, and awareness on drought cycles. Local youth will be trained in DRR and climate-smart WASH practices to lead ongoing resilience efforts.
Youth Empowerment and Community Engagement: Young people from the community will be trained as WASH Champions to lead education, monitoring, and advocacy activities. Digital storytelling, street dramas, school clubs, and community workshops will be used to amplify voices and promote accountability in local WASH governance.
This integrated approach not only addresses the urgent WASH needs of the Khabari community but also positions the project as a model for replicable, scalable, and sustainable interventions in climate-vulnerable rural settings. By centering youth leadership and climate resilience, the project will contribute directly to the achievement of SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), while ensuring no one is left behind.
Goals and Objectives
The overall goal of the WASH4All: Youth-Led Integrated WASH and Climate Resilience Project is to ensure sustainable access to safe drinking water, dignified sanitation, and improved hygiene for the most deprived and hard-to-reach populations of the Khabari community in Gadhawa Rural Municipality, Dang District, Nepal. The project specifically targets communities that have long been excluded from government and aid services, suffering from waterborne diseases, open defecation, and unsafe hygiene practices.
Objectives:
· To provide safe and continuous access to improved drinking water systems for 550 individuals and 140 school children through infrastructure rehabilitation, point-of-use water treatment, and water quality monitoring.
· To construct inclusive, gender-sensitive pour-flush toilets in households and schools, eliminating open defecation and improving public health outcomes.
· To introduce household-level sanitation management systems and promote hygiene behavior change through youth-led campaigns.
· To integrate climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction (DRR), and ecosystem restoration practices into the WASH interventions—building long-term resilience of the community.
· To empower youth as local WASH and climate ambassadors by equipping them with leadership, technical, and advocacy skills.
Intended Beneficiaries and Rationale:
The direct beneficiaries are marginalized households and school children who are currently at risk of waterborne diseases and climate-related vulnerabilities. They were chosen based on urgent need, lack of services, and high exposure to public health risks.
Sustainability and Scaling:
The project emphasizes local ownership, youth leadership, and community participation to ensure sustainability beyond the project period. Training, local capacity-building, and the establishment of community WASH committees will maintain systems. The integrated model and strong youth engagement make the project highly replicable in other underserved, climate-vulnerable communities across Nepal.
Expected result
Expected Results (SMART):
The WASH4All: Youth-Led Integrated WASH and Climate Resilience Project aims to deliver specific, measurable, and time-bound outcomes that directly impact the health, well-being, and resilience of the Khabari community in Dang District, Nepal.
1. Improved Access to Safe Water and Sanitation:
· 110 households (approximately 550 individuals) will have year-round access to improved and safe drinking water through system rehabilitation, water quality testing, and household-level purification solutions.
· 1 community primary school with 140 children will be equipped with a safe, child- and gender-friendly water and sanitation system, including handwashing stations and menstrual hygiene support.
· 240 neighboring individuals will indirectly benefit from improved environmental sanitation and shared awareness initiatives.
2. Health and Hygiene Outcomes:
· Incidence of waterborne diseases (such as diarrhea and dysentery) is expected to decrease by 85% within one year, reducing both child mortality and illness among adults.
· Household medical expenses related to preventable waterborne illnesses are projected to decrease by 50%, improving overall household economic security.
· At least 90% of target households will adopt safe hygiene practices including water purification, proper handwashing, and safe toilet use, monitored through baseline and endline surveys.
3. Education Outcomes:
· School attendance and enrollment rates are expected to increase by 50%, especially among girls, due to improved WASH conditions and menstrual hygiene management in schools.
· Teacher absenteeism related to waterborne illness will also decline significantly.
4. Economic and Livelihood Improvements:
· Community-based economic stability will improve by at least 5%, supported by fewer days lost to illness, reduced health costs, and time saved from water collection.
· Women's and girls’ productive time will increase as access to nearby clean water and safe toilets reduces the daily burden of water-fetching and open defecation.
5. Environmental Resilience and DRR:
· Disaster risk and vulnerability to climate-induced shocks will be reduced by 50%, through integrated measures such as:
o Plantation of 500 trees in key catchment and erosion-prone areas.
o Installation of at least 5 rainwater harvesting systems and construction of 2 recharge ponds to replenish groundwater and enhance local water security.
o Promotion of eco-toilets or bio-digester models to reduce waste pollution and contribute to climate-friendly sanitation.
6. Youth Empowerment and Sustainability:
· At least 20 local youth (50% female) will be trained and mobilized as WASH and Climate Resilience Champions, responsible for awareness campaigns, monitoring hygiene behaviors, and promoting sustainability.
· Community WASH Committees will be established and capacitated to manage infrastructure, conduct repairs, and continue hygiene promotion efforts beyond the project timeline.
Monitoring and Evaluation Capacity:
The project team will use baseline and endline surveys, focus group discussions, community feedback tools, and regular site monitoring to ensure progress toward targets. Gender- and age-disaggregated data will be collected to track equitable impacts.
These SMART results are both realistic and achievable within a 12- to 18-month project cycle and create a strong foundation for future scale-up and replication in similar climate-vulnerable areas.
Partners
About me / organisation
Partnership For Sustainable Development Nepal
Dr. Bijay Bhusal is a Project leader for this Project. He is a prominent Health, WASH and climate action practitioner in Nepal including region of South Asia. Youth team will be implementing this project under his guidance and leadership.
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