FNC Nepal

In collaboration with the US-based INGO the Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation, FNC operates two Nutritional Rehabilitation Homes, one in Kathmandu and one in Biratnagar, which restore severely malnourished children to good health while educating their mothers about good nutrition and child care. When mother and child return to their village, the mother shares her new knowledge with her family and neighbors. In addition to the NRHs in Kathmandu and Biratnagar, FNC also operates a slightly different model of nutrition program in Mugu district in western Nepal in collaboration with Action Contra la Faim (Action against Hunger, ACF), a French NGO.

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Since 1998, FNC has operated the first Nutritional Rehabilitation Home (NRH) in Kathmandu to nurse severely malnourished children back to health. Child and mother live together at the NRH during the course of treatment, which usually takes about five to six weeks. During the residence of the mother and child, the mothers are instructed how to prepare nutritious meals using foods that are affordable and readily available in rural Nepal. The mothers are also instructed in how to pass on their knowledge to other mothers after they return to their villages. After the mother and child are discharged, field workers follow up in the villages to check on the child’s health and to ensure that the mother is not only practicing what she has learned but is also educating other women in the community about nutrition and other good child care practices.

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The NRH in Kathmandu is in a big house with 24 beds for children and a vegetable garden. It is located near the Kanti Children’s Hospital in Maharajganj. The hospital works closely with FNC in referring children and mothers and helping with their medical problems. The Biratnagar NRH can accommodate up to 10 mother/child pairs. As such we can handle over 300 cases of malnutrition per year. It costs only about Rs. 25,000 ($340 USD) to restore the health or save the life of a child and empower and train the mother. By involving the mothers in this process, the outcomes have built-in sustainability.