Though overshadowed by the presence of India and China, Nepal has long had a rich history dating thousands of years ago, but much of it has been tumultuous and chaotic. Rising to power sometime in the fourth or fifth century, the Licchavi dynasty was the first well-known dynasty to rule the area, marking the beginning of an era characterized by Hindu leaders ruling non-Hindu people. Despite this, Nepal flourished as a major intellectual and commercial center between China and Tibet and India from 500-700 CE. In the 14th Century, the ruling Malla Dynasty imposed strict social and legal Hindu codes on the people for the first time. In the late 18th Century, a small principality, Gurkha, ruled by Prithvi Narayan Shah built a strong army and managed to conquer most of the areas of Nepal, overthrowing the Mallas. The Shah rulers had difficulty in uniting the diverse regions and peoples of Nepal, but by doing so set the foundations of the modern country of Nepal.
The Royal family of Nepal and many of the noble families constantly fought for control over political offices, hoping to gain power and eliminate their enemies. One such family, the Rana family, managed to take control for more than a whole century from 1846-1951. In this time, Britain had gained control over India and posed an overpowering threat to Nepal. Wisely, the Rana rulers negotiated peaceful terms with Britain in which Britain would have a large influence in Nepal, but the Himalayan nation was allowed domestic autonomy. However, when Britain left India in 1947, it opened the doors for anti-Rana forces to unite with the royal family to overthrow the government and restore the crown. Though the country tried to move towards democracy in the following years, conflict and turmoil persistently shadowed the government, and economic, political, and social peace crumbled throughout the decades. Slowly, anti-monarchy movements and communist groups gained influence in Nepal, and in the early 2000s, Communist Maoist rebels had started a civil war. The government had little success in fighting the growing insurgency, but in 2006, the UN intervened with a peace treaty and tensions slowed down. In 2007, the monarchy was abolished by strong insistence from the Maoist groups. From there until 2014, no solid government could be maintained and no prime minister would stay.
In 2014, Nepal was hit by several major natural disasters including a deadly avalanche on Everest, a landslide, and others that resulted in growing criticism of government response. But none of those would compare the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck just north of Kathmandu on April 25, 2015. Overall, the earthquake and its aftershocks would claim 9,000 people and injure 15,000-20,000 along with destroying cities, temples, infrastructure, and resources. Thanks to their already fragile economic state, the country has been barely able, if at all, to recover from the catastrophe.
Pressured by the crisis in 2015, a new constitution, prime minister, and president were accepted in September and October of the year and today still hold their positions. The president, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, is Nepal’s first ever female in the position, a major step towards equal rights for women. In 2017, Nepal held successful general elections for local and national offices for the first time in 20 years, and in 2018 a convergence of the two parties of the president and prime minister resulted in one Nepal Communist Party. However, the fact of the matter is that Nepal is still one of the least developed countries in the world due to its physical and political isolation and its history of turmoil.
Nepal lacks the resources and infrastructure to develop economically, and every aspect of the nation suffers because of it. Much of Nepal’s trade is importing basic materials such as fuel, construction material, fertilizer, and others. Its resources are few and far between with relatively small deposits in various minerals, but even if its minerals were numerous, the country lacks the transportation necessary to maximize its potential. Much of the people in Nepal are in agriculture of rice, corn, and wheat, and the industry constitutes much of Nepal’s exports. However, yields are very low due to ineffective practices and lack of irrigation, improved seed, and fertilizer. Especially in the mountains, towns experience a lack of food between harvests, and, again, the difficulty of travel in the mountainous country makes supplying rural areas very challenging and often unsuccessful. The government also struggles in securing the general health of its people, with diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, cholera, and typhoid still prevalent. Infant mortality rate sits at an average of 26 infant deaths/1000 live births, and the maternal mortality rate is 258/1000 births. For reference, the United States had an infant mortality rate of 5.6/1000 and a maternal mortality rate of 23.8/1000. Horrifyingly, about 27% of children in Nepal are underweight compared to 3.5% in the USA. Can you imagine more than one in four children in an entire country not getting enough of the right food to eat? But, like most poverty-stricken places, education is one of the most paramount factors of the success of the nation, and the education statistics for Nepal reflect the current state. About 76% of males are literate and 53% of women are literate. Not only are these statistics extremely low, but they also show a huge gap in education rights for men and women. Right now, the people of Nepal are having to live with the consequences of their history and the wrath of nature, and the consequences have taken their toll.
Despite all of this, hope is certainly not lost for the struggling nation. Many have seen potential in the river systems of Nepal, and it is likely that if the government were to take advantage of it, they could create a strong hydroelectric industry to provide Nepal as well as India with plenty of renewable energy. In the lower plains region known as Tarai, fertile soil and favorable weather create the potential for agricultural growth if and when Nepal gains the ability to utilize the technological advancements of the modern day. Nepal also provides the gateway to the great peaks of the Himalayas including Mt. Everest, and many hope tourism will continue to grow and bring in more money. Finally, the future holds a lot of promise considering three-fifths of the country’s population is below the age of 30. The only catch is that the government needs to take responsibility for educating this maturing generation. Improvements can even be seen now, as the average number of years for children to go to school is at 12 years for male and female, and 13 for females only. In the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, Nepal shows potential for a future where all of its people live better, happier lives as long as the people of today work towards that future.
Unfortunately, the reality is that the hopes of Nepal mean almost nothing without the future leaders of the country. Nepal, just like any nation, needs to educate its young generations so that they can take charge of the problems and crises that face them. The problem is that the governments of developing nations rarely can or will pay much attention to education. And this is why the work of CGA is so crucial. Thanks to CGA, I won’t just be helping to rebuild the homes still devastated by the earthquake in 2015, I will be helping to lay the foundations of the future for many families to come through teaching. Having all the opportunities to learn here in the United States, I am excited as ever to once again have the opportunity to improve the education of those who desperately need it to break the cycle of poverty. I can’t hope to remedy the past of Nepal, but by doing what I can now, I hope that I can help them build their future.
