NGO's Nepal office raises funds for welfare projects

The Nepal office of the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, or CFPA, has raised and invested more than 28 million yuan ($4.3 million) for nine public welfare projects, benefiting 383,500 people over the past five years in the South Asian country.

Founded in 1989, the CFPA is one of China's largest non-governmental organizations working in poverty reduction, and the foundation opened its Nepal office to provide assistance in rescue and disaster relief work after the country was devastated by a massive earthquake in 2015.

"As the only Chinese nonprofit organization registered in the Himalayan country, I believe that our efforts in the past five years have helped to strengthen the friendship between the peoples of the two countries," Liu Wenkui, vice-chairman of the foundation, said during a meeting in Beijing on Wednesday to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Nepal office.

The earthquake in 2015 was the worst disaster in the country's history, claiming about 9,000 lives and affecting more than 10 million. The foundation dispatched three teams of 138 people to facilitate emergency aid and rescue mission work for more than 60 days. It also provided 6.4 million yuan for relief, transition and settlement work.

After the disaster, the CFPA raised more than 11 million yuan for 15 projects, covering education, healthcare and community development. Examples include the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Program, hepatitis B screening and a program for relief package and stationery delivery.

"The foundation has not only been focusing on rescue, post-disaster reconstruction and poverty reduction in Nepal since 2015, but has also played an important role during the pandemic this year," said Rajesh Hamal, head of a local partner agency of the foundation.

As the COVID-19 outbreak started to spread in Nepal, the office has been implementing various programs to target those affected by COVID-19, including providing anti-pandemic packages, setting up hand-washing stations for local communities and donating food to the needy.