Handi trip/trek in Nepal
So we’re keen to make this country, which at first glance seems to be reserved for athletes, accessible to everyone, and we attach particular importance to raising awareness among our teams and partners.
It’s already a complicated subject for us, so you can imagine in Nepal! If we talk about accessibility for people with reduced mobility or disabilities, we quickly realize that despite the laws also enacted here, this is not the case. All this with a fairly meagre health and social care system, even if it is true that it has improved markedly in recent years.
Once again, it starts with our personal homes and guest rooms, designed and built with a certain ecological ethic and accessibility in mind. For over 15 years now, we’ve enjoyed trekking with disabled people, visiting Nepal’s most famous historical sites and many more.
We firmly believe that, once again, everyone can make their own contribution, within the limits of their possibilities and the overall context.
In Nepal, HI aims to improve access to education
for all children, including disabled children, and to provide rehabilitation and integration services for the injured and disabled.
Actions in progress
HI has been present in Nepal since 2000. The country, which borders on the Himalayan mountain range, has a high level of seismic activity, particularly in the Kathmandu valley where 1.5 million people live.
HI works with communities and local authorities, developing emergency plans and improving warning and evacuation systems. This work takes into account the specific needs of disabled people.
HI trains teachers and promotes access to education for children with special educational needs, such as autism, including disabled children in several districts, thanks to the “Reading for All” project. HI also supports disabled girls and teenagers from the most disadvantaged communities by promoting their access to education. In addition, the organization supports several rehabilitation centers in Nepal, enabling thousands of people in the country to benefit from physiotherapy and orthopedic devices, and is working to improve rehabilitation services in earthquake-affected districts.
Thanks to its experience in dealing with earthquake victims, the organization was able to take immediate action to help those affected by the earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, killing over 8,000 people and injuring more than 22,000.
Through its program of physical rehabilitation activities, HI supports the establishment of a sustainable, integrated, public-private rehabilitation system to improve the mobility and functional independence of conflict victims and women, men, girls and boys in need of rehabilitation.