Empowerment Projects

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”

Cow Bank Project:

Traditionally, Nepal has been an agro-based economy – Agriculture industry’s contribution to the economy was 27% in 2018-19. Although the percent contribution has been shrinking year over year with more national capital and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) spent on development and infrastructural projects, agriculture industry is one of the most important sectors for Nepal. As a net import country with ever widening trade deficit, Nepal relies heavily on its neighbors for food and resources. With this in mind, Nepal Tea Foundation aims to mobilize and empower our tea farmers and the community farmers through the Cow bank Project.

Through the project, we empower our farmers by building them additional income generating avenues so that they can adjust to the transforming agriculture industry. The farmers sell cow’s milk in the local market, creating an additional income source. The Cow bank has distributed 36 high yielding cows and a bull to the farmers in Panchthar, Nepal, achieving a ratio of one cow per house. Similarly, in the second phase, 66 more cows were distributed to small farmers. In collaboration with one of our partner organizations, Kanchanjangha Tea Estate (KTE), we have arranged for the farmers to sell the cow dung to KTE to use as organic manure for its tea farming. As the projects expand with new calves added and distributed to other farmers, since the inception of the project, we have nearly doubled the number of cows that had been distributed to the farmers. We currently have 177 cows under the project and striving to reach 500 by 2025.

Ways you can help…

With $500 you can donate a cow to a farmer in the Panchthar community. The Cow bank project is an extension of the initial project that was established in 2005 through our partner organization.

Thrift Store Project:

Nepal Tea Foundation also operates a thrift store in the village of Panchthar, Nepal. This store is the first of many community-run and community-operated thrift stores that we want to establish.

In 2017, Colby-Sawyer College alums - Barsha Rajbhandari, Brigitte Ruiz and Ben Maines – reached out to us to see if they can support our causes. This bunch of highly motivated and energetic trio proposed building a thrift store. And so, we joined forces and reach out to the community council in Panchthar for a space in the village to operate. Barsha, Brigitte and Ben funded to transport the clothes, refurbish the building and supply the initial wages for a shopkeeper. We successfully opened the thrift store in January 2018. As of today, the thrift store is going strong and has reached more than 200 farmers and community members.

Ways you can help…

You can support our community thrift store by donating any amount OR collect re-usable clothes and send it to the store through us. Your donations will help the store to upkeep maintenance and keep the Panchthar community up to date with the new fashion trends you see in your locales at low to no cost.

Community Housing Project:

Nepal Tea Foundation is working with the Panchthar community council to create a community housing project.

Poverty and homelessness is a major problem in Panchthar, in collaboration with our partner, Kanchanjangha Tea Estate (KTE), we seek to facilitate at-risk and vulnerable community members in pursuing a better quality of life by creating an eco friendly homes with all the basic facilities.

Ways you can help…

From your home, you can further our cause by donating any small or large amounts to support building a home for those who do not have one.