Sunsari Programme Unit
Area: 1,257 sq. km
Population: 640,259
Targeted districts: 3 municipalities, 49 village development committees
Sponsored children: Around 5,780
Plan Nepal’s Sunsari Programme Unit evolved from Morang Programme Unit in 2007. We work in 19 village development committees covering 19% of households in Sunsari district.
We partner with community organisations, non-government and government organisations to achieve lasting improvements in children’s lives.
Programme highlights
Education in emergencies
Plan Nepal helped ensure that children affected by the River Koshi flood in August 2008 still had access to education.
Sunsari Programme Unit joined the District Disaster Relief Committee and contributed immediate relief packages. We supported 12 safe learning centres which provided a temporary study environment and psychosocial counselling, benefiting 291 children.
Bridging courses were provided for 197 children who were unable to go to school because of the flooding. More than 290 children received education support such as tuition fees, stationery and text books.
Healthy communities
Plan Nepal works to support local health facilities. The major focus has been to establish pregnant women groups, especially in marginalised and less-accessible communities. So far 230 groups involving nearly 2,000 pregnant women are active in the area.
Community-based newborn care training has been provided to all health workers who support needy families. Plan Nepal developed training materials and held a ‘regional training of trainers’ workshop on the community-based newborn care programme in Sunsari. Participants included paediatricians, medical doctors and other health workers.
Income and livelihoods
This programme helps families to maximise their income opportunities and protect their livelihoods. Skills training in modern farming methods, and improved cultivation and irrigation facilities, is building the capacity of farmers and increasing the production of their crops.
Around 1,000 families have been involved in leasehold vegetable production and 1,200 families have produced vegetables for commercial purposes. Other families are doing kitchen gardening and 357 families are expanding their fisheries.
These activities have enabled villagers to generate a good income which they are using to improve the quality of their lives and send their children to school.
Sanitation and open defecation-free communities
Plan Nepal, together with children and various local and district level organisations, is changing sanitation habits in communities. Children organised rallies, performed street dramas, wrote stories and held forums to educate the community on how to make it clean. As a result, 25 communities have been able to announce their area open defecation-free.
We are currently expanding this successful programme, which greatly reduces various health-related problems, into other areas.
