In a Fractured World, My Trip to Nepal Offered Hope

Tom Brokaw, the broadcast journalist, once said, “Always take the trip.” Few truer words were ever spoken.

I always experience so much joy travelling to other countries and learning about other cultures. This kind of travel makes me stretch physically, intellectually, spiritually and emotionally. I deepen my relationships with those with whom and, even on shorter trips, meet new people who can become lifelong friends.

I recently travelled to Nepal for the fourth time. I accompanied the CEO of World Neighbors, a locally based international development organization that has worked for decades with Nepal’s rural communities. One afternoon I found myself sitting in a humid open-air structure in Aahale, a village in the country’s eastern region. I was surrounded by thirty elegant and serious women, all from the country’s lower castes. Though the caste system is illegal in Nepal, it still heavily influences social relations, especially in rural areas. We listened to stories of how these women had forever changed their lives by coming together to build on their talents and learn new skills to better themselves and their community.

Late in the day we heard from Sangita, who married at age twenty and now has two sons. Her husband’s daily wage and their tiny farm’s produce could just sustain their family. Three years ago, Sangita was introduced by a friend to World Neighbors and its local partner organization. She joined a savings and credit group, which is the core of all World Neighbors programs. Sangita and other members contribute a small amount each month. When the group amasses enough capital, members take out loans at very low interest rates. They can use these loans to invest in new farm implements, to start businesses or for other needs.

In addition to saving money, members of Sangita’s savings and credit group also participate in trainings to increase agricultural output and productivity. World Neighbors trains farmers in the use of sustainable and low-cost methods and innovations, including the production of organic fertilizer and pesticide. Farmers in Sangita’s community have become so proficient at these techniques that they established a training center to teach farmers from neighboring villages to use them on their farms. Sangita is one of those trainers—a leadership role she never imagined occupying. 

In addition to sharing her knowledge and experience with other farmers, Sangita makes rooms in her home available to farmers who travel from other villages to participate in trainings. Leading trainings and home stay accommodations both generate income. This enables Sangita and other members who have increased their incomes to make larger regular contributions to their savings and credit group. This, in turn, allows the group to make more and larger loans, which results in increased income and profit. And so on. It’s a virtuous circle of income and wealth creation that meets community needs.

As Sangita told us, “Me and other savings and credit group members have experienced the positive changes of a growth mindset. It’s not just more and better food and other income opportunities, as important as those are. Our entire lives have changed. We’ve learned practices to improve our health and hygiene. We work with more and different people and learn from them as they learn from us. We express ourselves and make sure our voices are heard. Everyone, including our daughters and sons, see the difference and what is possible.” 

In a very real sense, Sangita and her community have taken a “trip” to a different place. And they’ve “come back” changed in ways they could never have imagined.

My trips over the years to visit Sangita and other rural villages in Nepal and other countries have not transformed my life to nearly the same degree. But like Sangrita’s neighbors—especially the children--these trips have opened my eyes to what is possible. Through the patient work of organizations like World Neighbors, communities can and do lift themselves from poverty. Social and economic differences are bridged. Communities work together toward common goals. 

All of this is cause for real hope in a world that needs it.

So take the trip. It can be as close as another neighborhood or as far away as another continent. An entire world of new perspectives, experiences and possibilities for good awaits.

Susan Chambers, M.D., is an OB/GYN physician at Lakeside Women’s Hospital in Oklahoma City, OK.