Impact Locals — a global movement of people helping locally You're on the Nepal chapter · Visit Impact Locals

The context

Why Nepal. Why now.

Real problems, real opportunities — and 753 local governments ready to act.

Where we work

From Karnali to Koshi

Our model projects span five provinces — highland research in Jumla, homestays in Kaski, school labs in Ramechhap, enterprise in Dhanusha, clean wards in Sunsari.

  • Jumla (Karnali) — research baseline
  • Kaski (Gandaki) — homestay circuit
  • Gulmi (Lumbini) — teacher e-learning
  • Kathmandu — coordination hub
  • Ramechhap (Bagmati) — school ICT lab
  • Dhanusha (Madhesh) — women's enterprise
  • Sunsari (Koshi) — ward waste model
Explore the projects
Map of Nepal with project locations marked Jumla — research baseline Kaski — homestay circuit Gulmi — teacher e-learning Kathmandu — coordination hub Ramechhap — school ICT lab Dhanusha — women's enterprise Sunsari — ward waste model

The numbers that drive us

Six numbers, six reasons to act

28.6%
of GDP is remittances — the diaspora already powers Nepal
NRB, FY 2024/25 (NPR 1.72T)
~460k
Nepalis left for foreign work in 2024 alone
DoFE 2024
32%
of grade-8 students reach basic proficiency in math
NASA/ERO 2020
1.15M
tourists in 2024 vs the national 3.5M target
NTB / Tourism Decade
~50%
of municipal waste actually gets collected
ADB
753
local governments — every ward can act
NPC

The honest picture

Hard problems. Real openings.

The problems

  • Learning crisis — only 32% of grade-8 students reach basic math proficiency (NASA/ERO).
  • Out-migration — ~460,000 Nepalis left for foreign work in 2024 alone (DoFE).
  • Informal employment — 84.6% of all jobs are informal (ILO/NLFS).
  • Waste collection gap — only ~50% of municipal waste gets collected (ADB).
  • Digital divide — only 55.8% of Nepalis used the internet in early 2025 (DataReportal).

The opportunities

  • Federalism — 753 local levels with budgets and mandates to act locally.
  • Diaspora capital & skills — remittances at 28.6% of GDP; skills and mentorship can follow the money.
  • Tourism headroom — 1.15M tourists today vs the 3.5M Tourism Decade target.
  • MEDPA infrastructure — micro-enterprise support in all 753 local levels, built on the MEDEP legacy.
  • Young population — a huge youth base ready for skills, enterprise and civic action.

Aligned with the national agenda

We row in the same direction as Nepal's plans

We align every project with these national frameworks — and tag results against them.

The 16th Plan (2024/25–2028/29)

Nepal's national development plan — 7.3% growth target, poverty down to 12%.

NPC

SESP 2022–2032

The School Education Sector Plan — the backbone of our education work.

GPE

Nepal Tourism Decade 2023–2032

3.5M tourists, 1M jobs, 10% of GDP — community tourism counts toward it.

MoCTCA

Digital Nepal Framework 2.0

Target: 500,000 direct digital jobs — our e-learning work feeds it.

MoCIT

International context

Where the world is investing

Nepal's development partners are doubling down on local delivery — exactly the layer we work in.

  • UNDP Nepal CPD 2023–27 — governance, resilience and inclusive growth.
  • ADB CPS 2025–29 — $1.91B with tourism and municipal services priorities.
  • World Bank — sustained investment in Nepal's digital infrastructure.
  • British Council / CEHRD — the national teacher CPD framework.

The 2025 closure of USAID's Nepal portfolio (34 projects, NPR 46B) left a delivery gap at community level — exactly where locally led actors step up.

Global goals

The SDGs we advance

Quality Education

School labs, teacher CPD, e-learning and the education forum.

Decent Work & Economic Growth

Tourism, micro-enterprise and skills tied to local demand.

Gender Equality

Women-led enterprise cohorts like Udyami Didi.

Sustainable Cities & Communities

Ward-level waste segregation and clean-community models.

Responsible Consumption

Composting, plastic reduction and zero-waste habits.

Partnerships for the Goals

Open local data and a trusted bridge for global partners.

The context is clear. The work is ready.

753 local governments. 10 programs. One movement.