Dear Friends,
Until recently, over a million Nepalis were working in countries throughout the Middle East. Some wanted to fly home when the war began, but there were no flights. Today, most prefer to wait for the war to end because they fear that other Nepalis might otherwise take their jobs.
Another million Nepalis had been working in India as manual laborers or domestic workers and are now streaming home by land. At the same time, there is a shortage of tourists, who are avoiding India due to the situation and would otherwise have visited Nepal as well. Since hotel stays and trekking tours have been canceled, the returnees face unemployment above all else.
In March, the outbreak of the war between the U.S. and Israel against Iran coincided with new elections in Nepal. Last September, Generation Z had demonstrated against corruption and nepotism in their country. The protest began peacefully but was suddenly infiltrated by foreign, masked forces. When the police received orders to open fire, over 70 young students died, and 800 more were seriously injured. Countless buildings in Kathmandu, including government ministries and hotels, were set on fire and destroyed.
At that time, most of the politicians who had dominated Nepalese politics for forty years had cautiously stepped back. However, they all quickly resurfaced in March for the new elections. Even former Prime Minister K. P. Oli, who was forced to resign in September, smugly ran for office but was then forced to retire in disgrace after being defeated by the young Balendra Shah, 35 years old.
The young man, who as mayor of Kathmandu had significantly advanced the capital in recent years, is inspiring new hope not only among the younger generation. He is direct, strict, and principled, and works in unorthodox ways. His task is enormous and is currently being made considerably more difficult by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Nepal can survive only through imported goods. Not only are oil and gas in short supply, but so are many products that were previously imported from India or China. Above all, fertilizers—which are currently indispensable for planting rice seedlings—are no longer arriving. Food shortages in the country are therefore already inevitable.
The new prime minister is initially trying to restore order in the country and reorganize the work of his ministries, while his opponents on social media are doing everything they can to discredit him. Balendra Shah is immediately implementing whatever changes are possible. For example, ten percent of hospital beds in all hospitals across the country must now be made available to those in need. Although he welcomed the newly appointed ambassadors collectively, he explained to them that the customary personal meeting with each individual would not take place for another year. By then, he said, he would know exactly what concrete steps he needed to take for his country.
At the end of April, we received a desperate call from our staff in Germany. Balendra Shah, who had already sought to eliminate the slums of the capital while serving as mayor, announced on April 24 that bulldozers would clear all settlements along the banks of the Bagmati River at six o’clock the following morning.
These areas had been illegally occupied 45 years ago. Numerous diseases were spreading there, and every year there was a risk that people would be flooded during the monsoon and lose their lives.
The residents had very little time to pack their belongings and leave their huts. Some, who had saved for years and had since built sturdy houses, were completely distraught. We had often warned them that one day they would have to move, but they firmly believed they were in the right.
The government set up large tent camps, including one at the Kathmandu stadium. Thousands of families, as well as some of the 17,500 homeless people, were taken in there and digitally registered. Many still live there and receive varied meals twice a day free of charge. According to their own accounts, they have never eaten so well and are also receiving medical care.
It is gradually becoming clear that not all slum dwellers were poor. Single women with children who had been abandoned by their husbands were the first to receive ready-built apartments. Others had already been living outside the settlement and had profitably rented out their dilapidated huts to families in need.
Who would have thought that the new prime minister, of all people, would help Kinderhilfe Nepal bring its work in Nepal to an end?
The two Maute-Madhesi clans we continue to support do not live directly on the river and are not currently affected by the eviction. Nevertheless, like all Nepalis, they are suffering from the international situation and are at risk of slipping back into greater poverty.
How often have we tried in recent years to encourage the parents to become more active themselves and to create their own sources of income? They now know that, starting at the end of the year, they will be solely responsible for feeding their children and enabling them to attend school.
We will therefore open a special account in Kathmandu so that Muna and Sushma can pay the school fees in the future for those children who make it through high school. Both women are already looking for suitable jobs that will allow them to lead a modest, independent life.
Together, we have considered finding a young person from Europe who could continue our aid work. However, for many young people today, such a commitment is no longer a high priority.
On the other hand, poverty in Nepal has declined in recent years because millions of Nepalis living abroad send money to their families.
Our former staff members from “Children’s World” are now around forty years old. They do not want to work under the leadership of young Europeans, as they often find them too arrogant. At the same time, it is not easy for Europeans to adapt to Nepali culture and its often very unfamiliar religious traditions.
Our concept of progress cannot be imposed on another culture.
We’ll be in touch again in December with the latest updates on our project in Kathmandu, as well as the donation receipts for the year 2026.
Warmest regards
Elisabeth Montet