The Hile Kharkha Development Organisation (HKDO) is an Association whose purpose is to support the development of education and self-employment opportunities in native village of Hile Kharka, Hile Kharaka lies 130 km southwest of Kathmandu Deurali-4 Tanahun. The village is situated in the mid western part on Nepal and the 6000 people who live in the region are isolated from secondary schooling and employment by difficult accessibility and political turbulence.

Historically, the villages in the area have survived on subsistence agriculture. However, the changing economic and political climate means that financial independence for the young generation is not assured.  The children require education and skill development in order to have the opportunity to trade and to also understand and influence the government policies affecting the region.

Brief introduction of the region
The Hile Kharka is a totally unspoiled, isolated Gurung settlements situated in the Tanahun district. Approximately 130 kilometers southwest of Kathmandu, Nestles under the lush pristine mountain hills. Also the area have couple of famous Hindu pilgrimage sites i.e Chhemkeswari Maai above the Hile Kharka Village and Bindya basini temple in Bandipur Bazaar which attracting hundreds of pilgrims from all over Nepal in the winter. The region is mostly inhabitant by Gurungs and they are one of the many ethnic groups living in Nepal and are descended from Tibeto-Burman origins.  They live primarily in Western Nepal’s Gandaki Zone, specifically the Lamjung, Kaski, Tanahu, Gorkha, Syangja and Manang districts which surround the massive Annapurna range. Traditionally, Gurungs subsisted on sheep herding and trans-Himalayan trade but during WW2, many Gurung men were recruited to serve in the British and Indian Gurkha regiments. 

Religions
The Gurung practice a form of Lamaist Buddhism which blends Buddhist tradition with pre-Buddhist practices of the Bön religion of Tibet.

Climates
Climate of the area, Rains May end to September, ideal to run the programs in the region is October to January and although, February to April is bit hot.

Brief notes about (HKDO)
The Hile Kharkha Development Organization (HKDO) is supporting the villagers in trying to find a future for their children who have virtually no government support for education and healthcare. The cost of the trip is kept to a minimum so that we can expose as many people to the plight of rural inhabitants of Nepal.  All proceeds are used to support the projects outlined in the 2007 development strategy.

The passed Maoist insurgency in Nepal is prolific in rural areas and has caused redirection of government funding in order to support defense strategy. As a consequence, the small Education and development grant that the village enjoyed a few years a go has been withdrawn. Schooling is now limited to Class 8. Despite ability, the children will not acquire a school leaving certificate and the poverty cycle is perpetuated. 

Without government financial support, it is necessary for money to be raised from private donations. The few members of HKDO are personally concerned about the mishandling of donations received by some charities and are intent on ensuring that all funds are allocated to the village.  In this way, the benefactor can be assured that their donation is guaranteed to positively impact on the cause and that the organisation is operating with the highest ethical standards.  We believe that this can be achieved with the minimal administration costs and clearly defined, specific goals. 

The goals for up coming years are outlined in the table on page 2 and are considered to be priorities by the villagers themselves.

Other projects that we jointly identified to address from 2007/8 include:

• improving water supply
• providing health and hygiene education
• facilitating a well-equipped health post with one trained full-time health worker and visiting medical volunteers
• provision of an orphanage for the area
• provision of adult education and skill building e.g. sewing and traditional farming workshops which will assist in securing financial autonomy

Health care is minimal and the people are often unable to access basic treatments.  Nepal has one of the highest rates of maternal and child mortality in the world and the incidence is, of course, greatest in the regional areas.  HKDO aims to work within the United Nations guidelines to address health care improvement in the near future.  This requires collaboration, planning and funding and will be a major priority for 2008.

Should you be interested in helping us to improve living conditions and education standards for the residents of Hille Kharkha, please contact us. The people of Nepal are suffering greatly as their world is changing and her children can only be empowered by education in order to repel poverty.

Any donation is greatly appreciated and directly forwarded to help a child build his/her great future. Our pledge would be to keep you informed of progress and the achievement of goals as they occur.

"Hile Kharka Development Organization also runs the volunteer programs"

HKDO is a non-profit volunteer organization registered with the Social Welfare Council of Nepal Government. Since it's inception in 2007, is keen to run volunteer programs in Nepal for community support and cultural exchanges.

HKDO is willing to offers year-round volunteer programs in the areas of English teaching, helping to orphanage, soil conservation work, health and many more as per the interest of volunteers.

HKDO is looking to offers volunteer programs in diverse areas through collaboration with local partners and international volunteers, therefore volunteers can choose an area of work according to their interest - and no experience is required.

Volunteers will live and work in the villages where they can familiarize themselves with the local culture, nature, and religion with the village peoples.

There is no upper age limit (minimum age 20 years)
Volunteers can stay in Nepal 2 weeks to 5 months according to volunteer's convenience.

HKDO is willing to run the year round and immediate openings on following volunteer Programs and fees are very reasonable compared to other similar organizations and accessible to most people including students

KDO 'S Mission and Vision
The mission and vision of HKDO is to encourage and invite national and international volunteers to contribute in the community development, and nature conservation activities of the region and Nepalese peoples, through the work camps and village-based volunteer programs, to promote mutual friendship and solidarity in addition to enriching their own experiences and making meaningful contribution to Nepalese Communities.

Internship Programs: HKDO organizes the internship program to international students in the areas of orphanages, sustainable agriculture & conservation, English teaching, healthcare and adult teaching sectors and offer internship in any areas related to Nepal in collaboration with our local partners who work in the different areas. Areas of internship include

1. Culture and Religion
2. Traditional Nepali Arts
3. Natural Medicine and Ethno botany
4. Environment and Conservation
5. Health and sports
6. School and adults teaching
7. Women and Development studies
8. Journalism and Nepali language
9. Handicraft

Under the internship programs, the intern engages in the daily activities of project. In most of the cases, interns develop a report papers in a particular area of interest by working closely with the project staffs. Generally, the project director serves as a supervisor for the interns.

General information and Accommodation:
Interns will be staying with a host family near to the project sites. A separate room will be given throughout the internship period, wherever possible. The host family offers Nepali food, which includes rice, lentil soup, vegetable curry, pickles and occasionally meat.

Most of the time, the director of the project or other assigned professionals work to help you to complete your report. Please contact at HKDO base if you need any help to locate the information and materials for your internship programs.

Notice:
HKDO is recommends two weeks of language and culture programs for interns. It will give them a good start in exploring the issues of Nepal. Many times, language difficulties hinder the effectiveness of interning. Furthermore, it is possible to manage extra tutorials with experts of particular areas with additional fees. HKDO suggests the intern correspond with us if they have special needs for internship.

Custom Programs:
HKDO is Aiming to work with school groups, university students, adult groups and professional organizations to create and run custom programs for cultural visits, service projects, volunteer works and internship works in this Himalayan kingdom of Nepal. HKDO develop especially inventive itineraries in collaboration with volunteers to meet the needs, goals and interests of those volunteers.

With our extensive local network, experienced staff and comprehensive information about all aspects of Nepal, HKDO Staffs are able to develop extraordinary opportunities in any corner of Nepal.

President
Kumar GURUNG

Hile Kharkha Development Organisation (HKDO)
P. O. Box: 6615, Nepal
E-mail: terres@mail.com.np 
Tel: 00977-1-4377339 Fax: 00977-1-4370667
Mobile: 00977 9851025211