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Research Report




Child Voices: Children of
Nepal Speak Out on
Climate Change Adaptation
Dhruba Gautam and Katy Oswald




November 2008
children in a changing climate




    Acknowledgements

    Children in a Changing Climate would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all who contributed to this report
    and film.

    We are grateful to the children and their communities for their patience and cooperation. The local ActionAid
    partners, children and their communities enthusiastically produced and participated in the participatory videos
    showcased in our film, and helped us understand the practical difficulties they face due to a changing climate.
    We would like to thank the four children we interviewed for our case studies: Santosh B.K. in Bageshwari,
    Banke district; Rajkumari Harijan in Matehiya, Banke district; Menuka Tamang in Ramche, Rasuwa district and
    Amon Rana Magar in Balaju, Kathmandu.

    ActionAid Parners:

    •   ActionAid Nepal (AAN), Kathmandu and Nepalgunj offices
    •   Bheri Environmental Excellence Group (BEE Group), Banke district
    •   Manekor Society Nepal (MSN), Rasuwa district
    •   Lumanti, Kathmandu

    Main contributors: Bhawana Regmi, Ambika Amatya, Shyam Jnavaly, Nahakul Thapa, and Tamara Plush

    Film producer: Tamara Plush

    The film was directed and edited by Hari Thapa and Bai Kuntha from Contemporary Vision, Pvt., in
    Kathmandu. We are grateful to Smriti Kattel from Balaju for her narration talent, and to Lumanti and Balaju
    community members for filming support beyond the participatory video study.

    Main commentators: Marion Khamis, Tom Mitchell, Lucy Stone, Lydia Baker and Janani Vivekananda

    Edited by Judy Hartley

    Photographers: Dhruba Gautam, Bhawana Regmi and Tamara Plush, and from the participatory video
    interviews and films produced by the AAN partners and community members.

    Designed by RPM Print & Design

    © 2008 Children in a Changing Climate




www.childreninachangingclimate.org 2
Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation




Contents

Acknowledgments                                                                                   2

Executive Summary                                                                                 4

1. Introduction: why do children’s voices matter on climate change?                               6

2. Child Voices: the impact of a changing climate on our lives                                    9

3. Existing adaptation strategies and constraints                                               14

4. Children Speak Out: what we need to adapt                                                    16

5. Lessons                                                                                      19


Boxes and Tables

Box 1: Metehiya case study                                                                        6

Box 2: Ramche case study                                                                          9

Box 3: Balaju case study                                                                        10

Box 4: Bageshwari case study                                                                    13

Table 1: Children’s long- and short-term priorities for adaptation
to climate change and the constraints they face                                                 18




                                                                                        Children from Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal

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children in a changing climate




        Executive Summary




                                          Children learn about the participatory video climate change project in Matehiya, Banke, Nepal




         We cannot escape climate change, but we need to reduce
         its effect on people, livestock and crops.
                                       Santosh B.K., age 17, Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal.




    The impacts of climate change are already being                 In 2008 Children in a Changing Climate’s research
    felt – most acutely by millions of the world’s poorest          programme worked with ActionAid Nepal, and its
    people.1 They are already facing hunger, disease and            partner organisations, to help poor children in the
    conflict linked to climate change. It is children like          plains, hills and urban areas of Nepal make short
    Santosh, who live in the world’s poorest communities,           films about how climate change is being experienced
    who are particularly vulnerable.2                               by their communities. Making these films allowed
                                                                    the children to explore how the changing climate



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Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation




is impacting them and their families, how they are            This report makes a number of recommendations for
coping and what they need in order to adapt to a              upholding children’s rights in the context of climate
changing climate. This report is based on the findings        change:
of the participatory video project and additional
research with children in the project communities.            • Children’s right to be heard: This report and
                                                                the children’s participatory videos (showcased in
This report aims to provide an opportunity for children         the film accompanying this report) demonstrate that
from three geographically diverse areas of Nepal                children understand the impacts of climate change
to speak for themselves on their climate change                 on their lives and that they need help to adapt and
adaptation needs. We do not claim that the children             find solutions. Children have a right to be heard
interviewed represent all the children of Nepal, but            at all levels, in their communities, and in climate
this report offers an opportunity for an international          change debates at national and international
audience to hear their perspectives on their climate            levels.
change adaptation needs.
                                                              • Children’s rights to adaptation: Life, safety,
The research found that poor children and their                 participation and development are the basic rights
families in Nepal are being impacted by a changing              of children. From a rights-based perspective,
climate. The children identified impacts to their               working with children on climate change
families’ livelihoods, their health, their education, their     adaptation is not optional; it is protecting their
emotional wellbeing, and their access to water, as a            rights.
result of floods, droughts and landslides, all caused
by increasingly erratic and unpredictable weather             • Children’s rights to education: The changing
patterns.                                                       climate is impacting families’ livelihoods and their
                                                                ability to afford to send their children to school.
However, these children are not passive victims of              Governments need to ensure, through scholarships,
climate change, and the research found that they                stipends or fee waivers, that families do not take
and their families are already making changes to                their children out of school as a coping strategy.
their lives in order to cope, but they face severe
constraints. They know what additional support they           • Adaptation plans should include the
need to adapt their lives to a changing climate: they           needs of children: Many developing countries,
need reforestation programmes, access to improved               including Nepal, have or are preparing National
agricultural technologies, improved infrastructure,             Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs). In
increased knowledge on climate change impacts, and              order for NAPAs to be both effective and equitable,
good disaster prevention programmes.                            consultation, dialogues and discussions in various
                                                                policy spaces must include the views and needs of
Action is needed now to help these children and                 children.
their communities adapt to the impacts of a changing
climate. For every child who has spoken out through
this study, there are millions more around the world
attempting to cope with the results of extreme weather
such as cyclones, floods, landslides and droughts.
This will only increase as climate change continues.
It is time for governments to listen to those who are
amongst those worst affected by climate change:
children in the world’s poorest communities.




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children in a changing climate




    1 Introduction
             Why do children’s voices matter on climate change?


                                  Box 1: Metehiya case study




                                        “Floods and increased rainfall stop me going
                                        to school”
                                        “My name is Raj Kumari and I am 16 years old. I study in
                                        grade 10 at school. I have to cross the Dondra River every day
                                        to get to school. When there is heavy rainfall the water level
                                        rises and this makes it difficult to cross. I remember it used to
                                        be at knee level a few years ago, but now it rises to my waist.
                                        I don’t like crossing it and do not like attending school with
                                        wet clothes; it makes it hard to concentrate in class. I often
                                        miss my exams in July and August because of the floods. I
                                        wish my exams could be in September when there are fewer
                                        floods. We need good roads and bridges to make it easier for
                                        children like me to get to school during the heavy rains.”
                                                                            Raj Kumari Harijan, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal.




             Raj Kumari is one of many children whose lives        Despite the impact climate change is having
             have been impacted by floods in Nepal. In 2007,       on their lives, children’s participation in climate
             almost half a million people were affected by         change debates is limited and children’s rights
             the floods caused by the early onset of strong        to adaptation assistance are poorly understood.
             monsoon rains. More than 23,000 houses were           This report demonstrates that children are being
             destroyed.3                                           impacted by climate change; they understand
                                                                   what they need in order to adapt their lives to
             Children like Raj Kumari have contributed             a changing climate; and they have a right to
             least to the causes of climate change but             be heard in climate change policy debates and
             are often the worst affected by it:                   participate in adaptation programmes.

             • Children globally are being affected by climate
               shocks, particularly in drought-, flood- and
               cyclone-prone rural areas and urban slums.
             • The prospects of increasing poverty, hunger,
               disease and reduced access to education mean
               that children’s futures are more uncertain than
               ever before.
             • Children’s experiences of climate change and
               disasters are different from those of adults, yet
               this is rarely considered.4




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Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation




  The Context
Children in a Changing Climate                            Ramche in the Rasuwa district lies in the hills at 1910
Children in a Changing Climate (CCC)5 is a                metres. The major caste and ethnic groups include
collaborative programme spanning research, action,        Tamang, Sherpa and Dalit.8 The main livelihoods are
advocacy and learning with the purpose of securing        agriculture and remittances.
children’s influence in tackling climate change at
every level. The programme brings together leading        The Balaju community is located in ward 16 of
research and development organisations, each with         Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Migration from rural
a commitment to share knowledge, coordinate their         areas to this community is very common. The main
actions and to work with children as protagonists         livelihoods are self-employment and the service sector.
rather than just as victims.                              The major ethnic groups living here include Tamang,
                                                          Magar, Newar, Gurung, Brahmin, Chhetri and Rai.
This research programme of CCC is coordinated
by the Climate Change and Development Centre
at the Institute of Development Studies, United
Kingdom. The CCC research programme is dedicated
to ‘collaborative action research into child-led
adaptation’ with the purpose of helping to legitimise
                                                                                                    Rasuwa
children’s voice on climate change at all levels and in
all arenas. It provides the evidence base that enables
practitioners, policymakers and children themselves to
take action to adapt to and mitigate climate change.

Nepal
This report is based on field research conducted with
children living in poor rural and urban communities in    Source: Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Nepal. Nepal is particularly vulnerable to excessive
rainfall, longer drought periods, landslides and
floods.6 Recent research suggests that climate change
impacts will affect Nepal in a number of areas: water
resources, hydropower, agriculture, forestry and
biodiversity, health and education.7 The research
for this report was carried out with poor children in
four communities in the mid-west and central regions
of Nepal: Matehiya and Bageshwari in the Banke                     Banke
district; Ramche in the Rasuwa district; and Balaju in
Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

Matehiya is one of the most remote locations within       Source: Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
the Banke district. A decade-long conflict has
disrupted services, and it has very limited transport
and electricity. The main livelihoods are agriculture,
livestock and seasonal work. The climate is tropical,
with the temperature sometimes reaching 44oC. It
is dominated by the Teraian caste, followed by hill
migrants and Tharu.

Bageshwari in the Banke district has a good road
network. The climate is similar to Matehiya. The
major caste and ethnic groups are hill migrants                   Kathmandu Metropolitan City
and Muslims. The main livelihoods are agriculture,
remittances and seasonal work.
                                                          Source: Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page




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children in a changing climate




                                                         Children see themselves in video for the first time in Matehiya, Banke, Nepal



    Methodology
    The idea for this report grew from one of CCC’s              To accompany this report we have produced a
    partners, ActionAid Nepal, and its Disaster Risk             film that showcases clips from participatory video
    Reduction through Schools project.9 In this project,         interviews and final films made by the children. The
    participatory video is being explored as a tool to           report and film combined provide a platform for the
    help the community, including children, identify risks       children of Nepal to ‘speak out’ on climate change
    and develop climate change adaptation strategies.            adaptation.
    The participatory videos are also part of citizen-
    led education and advocacy efforts that help the
    community to more easily and effectively engage with
    decision-makers.

    This report builds on the children’s participatory video
    work that encouraged them to examine the changing
    climate in their communities: the impact of extreme
    weather-related hazards and changing weather
    patterns on the livelihoods of their families; their
    families’ existing coping strategies; their constraints to
    adaptation; and their adaptation needs.

    Researchers used participatory techniques, such as
    focus group discussions, and individual interviews
    to gather more evidence from the children involved
    in making the participatory videos. The findings and
    quotes in this report come from both the participatory
    videos and the research.                                       Shanti Maya Tamang shares her experience of food shortages this
                                                                            year due to climate change in Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal




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Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation




2          Child Voices: the impact of a changing
           climate on our lives
The research and participatory videos gathered evidence from
the children and adult community members about how the
changing climate is impacting their lives.
Climate models indicate that the annual rainfall in
Nepal will increase significantly if CO2 emissions
increase.10 It is likely to become drier during the dry
season, with a significantly wetter monsoon season
(as much as three times the current rainfall).11 The
distribution of rainfall throughout the year is a reliable
factor in determining the risk of floods. This pattern of
rainfall is likely to cause droughts during the winter
months and floods during the monsoon.12 The children
of Nepal are already feeling this impact. In the
plains, children fear floods and drought; in the hills,
landslides are a major concern; and in Kathmandu,
children complain of the weather getting colder due
to thick fog in the winter and that the extreme rain,
wind and heat are disrupting their studies.

Livelihoods
Over the last few years, the crops have failed for             Girls take their cattle to fodder before school (image from the
many reasons: flood, drought, hailstones, landslides            children’s participatory video drama in Bageshwari, Banke,
and infestations of insects. During the focus groups                                                                   Nepal,)
discussions, the children explained that this year the
lentil crop completely failed in Banke, and in Rasuwa           Last year, because it rained a lot,
the potato crop is down by approximately 30 per cent.           there were many landslides and
                                                                the crops were destroyed. This
“The weather change has affected our lives. We have             year because we didn’t have much
not been able to plant crops on time and the soil has           rain, the plants have not been
been swept away due to heavy rainfall.”                         able to grow properly, so we have
             Nebtesh Tamang, age 15, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal.
                                                                little to feed ourselves.

                                                                        Kalpana Tamang, age 13, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal.
                          Box 2: Ramche case study



                            “Our lives have been disrupted by landslides
                            over the last few years”
                            “My name is Menuka Tamang and I am 13 years old. I am
                            studying in grade 5 at school. Over the past few years me and
                            my family have moved three times, from Haadifor to Sishneri and
                            finally to Ramche because of the landslides. Our family’s livelihood
                            has been devastated by them. We live from farming. Five years
                            ago we produced 4 muri of rice but now we produce only 1 muri
                            [1 muri equals 80 kg] because landslides have destroyed our
                            farmland. My father is now working abroad and sends money
                            home when he can, and my elder brother works as a porter during
                            his school holidays. We are now living in a temporary home on
                            rented land which we cultivate with other farmers. We cannot
                            return to our own farmland because of the risk of landslides.”
                                                                              Menuka Tamang, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal.




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children in a changing climate




                                                                                   Children in the fields in Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal


    Health                                                            In the rural areas in Nepal, very few houses
    The children noted an increase in waterborne                      have toilets and open-air defecation is common.
    diseases during the floods.                                       Water contamination is a constant problem that is
                                                                      exacerbated during flooding.
    “Over the last few years we have been suffering from
    eye infections. In the past, we only used to have these                Every year many people die
    infections during the monsoon but these days we are                    of diarrhoea and cholera in
    also suffering from it during longer droughts. We are                  Matehiya. It is all because we
    surprised; why is this happening? This infection makes                 don’t have toilets or latrines so
    it difficult for us to read and write, so it is harder for             most of the water sources are
    us to study. Because it is an infectious disease we                    contaminated. We don’t even have
    have to stay at home to prevent it from spreading                      a health post nearby. We have to
    among our friends at school. We also have to spend                     rely on Jhole doctors without much
    money for medicine.”                                                   experience (who always keep
                 Sudan Rajbanshi, age 17, Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal.        some medicine in their bags) from
                                                                           Indian cities who cannot tell us
                                                                           what we have.

                                                                               Madan Lamichhane, age 14, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal.
                                  Box 3: Balaju case study


                                        “The growing population and number of cars
                                        has increased the pollution in Kathmandu”
                                        “My name is Amon Rana Magar. I am 17 years old and
                                        in grade 7 at school. The number of vehicles in Balaju,
                                        Kathmandu, is increasing day by day. The population of Balaju
                                        has been increasing in the last few years due to rural migrants.
                                        The consequences have been more vehicles, more waste, lack
                                        of drinking water, destruction of fertile land and more air
                                        pollution due to many factories being built. The thick polluting
                                        fog has also got worse in recent years and I think this is due to
                                        the population growth. As the fog gets thicker, the temperature
                                        gets colder. In the winter it is difficult to attend school as it is
                                        so cold and I get ill frequently. Coughs, colds and the swelling
                                        of hands and feet are common during these days. It would
                                        be great if the school could have heating in the winter. The
                                        government needs to manage the migration of rural workers
                                        to the city to ensure there are enough services for everyone.”
                                                                                Amon Rana Magar, Balaju, Kathmandu, Nepal.




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Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation




Access to toilets becomes even harder during                         The government needs to help
floods when latrines and open defecation areas are                   stop these landslides, and the
inaccessible. During the floods, the women and girls                 communities affected by them
drink less water and take less food so that they will                need to know how to prevent
                                                                     them, as we are the victims of
urinate and defecate less frequently.13
                                                                     them.
Education
                                                                                       Menuka Tamang, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal.
Many families have lost their homes, crops, animals
and livelihoods due to flooding and landslides. In              “Our school has been transferred five times from one
the videos and focus groups, the children spoke of              place to another in our village because of the fear of
their fathers having to migrate for seasonal work to            landslides. We still have inadequate classrooms. We
supplement their incomes. This has increased the                are unable to have classes when it rains. We don’t
children’s household workload and seriously impacted            even have a place to hide our heads during rainfall,
their education. The children have to work for longer           hailstone fall, snowfall and thundering.”
hours in the house and on the farm. Their families are                          Alina Tamang, age 14, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal.

often unable to pay school fees or for stationery. As
a consequence, children are often forced to abandon             In the participatory video made in Ramche, the
their studies.                                                  children dramatise how one family is affected by
                                                                the landslides: Their crops have been destroyed by
In Matehiya and Bageshwari, during the extreme                  the landslides and they have no money for food, so
floods, it is almost impossible for the children to travel      they send their eldest children abroad to work and
to school. Many of the temporary wooden bridges                 their younger children to work locally as domestic
are swept away. The floods are exacerbated by                   workers and porters. The scene ends with the parents
inappropriate infrastructures upstream; the extraction          lamenting in old age that they are all alone because
of sand and boulders; the lack of irrigation canals             they have been forced to send their children away to
and good drainage systems, and densely populated                help support the family.
settlements.14
                                                                In Balaju, Kathmandu, the rainfall, wind and heat
“Most of the time during flooding period I have to              disrupt study in the classroom due to the school
return home half way to school because of the flood             having a galvanised tin roof.
at the Dondra River. I feel my life is more precious
than my education, so I do not want to take the risk of         “When it rains on our classroom’s rooftop, it makes
crossing the river. Our first exam falls in July-August,        a lot of noise which disturbs us. The windstorms blow
during the high time of the floods. I can never do well         our roofs away and a lot of dust comes in the room.
at school because of the problems caused by flood.              We have to lie on the ground at times like this. During
When the Dondra River bridge collapsed during last              the summer, the roof heats up and we get headaches.
year’s flood, I had to stay for several days at my              Some feel dizzy.”
friend’s house since I couldn’t return home because
                                                                             Pasang Sherpa, age 11, Balaju, Kathmandu, Nepal.
the rains were so strong. It is very common to lose our
books and notebooks during flood.”
            Bima Kumari B.K., age 16, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal.


The children of Ramche have to walk for up to two
hours to go school because the direct routes have
been blocked by landslides.

      I walk three hours a day in total:
      one-and-a-half hours to come
      to school and one-and-a-half
      hours for going home. This is
      because the shorter route has
      been damaged by the landslide
      and I have to take a longer route
      which is safer. I am surprised that
      landslides are occurring more
                                                                  Children show the challenges of going to school during flooding
      frequently.                                                         (image from the children’s participatory video drama in
                                                                                                      Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal)
            Domalazi Tamang, age 13, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal.

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    Emotional wellbeing                                                    In addition to the physical hardship caused by
    Understandably, the impacts have not just affected                     the landslides in the Rasuwa district, the girls also
    the livelihoods, education and physical lives of                       mentioned they were increasingly worried about not
    the children; it has also affected their emotional                     being able to find a husband as boys are migrating
    wellbeing. The research found that temporary or                        to other areas to find work.
    permanent relocation made necessary by floods and/
    or landslides caused fear and trauma amongst the                       In Banke district, the children talked about their family
    children and their community. Neighbourhoods are                       members suffering from sleep disturbances, stress,
    destroyed, friendships are severed, support networks                   irritability and a lack of concentration after floods. It
    are broken and domestic relationships come under                       is common to find anxiety and depression in elderly
    greater stress.15 In addition, the children spoke of                   people and children more than six months after a
    their fear of further floods or landslides.                            flood due to multiple associated problems.16 The
                                                                           emotional impact of extreme weather-related hazards,
                                                                           including dealing with the loss of loved ones, was one
                                                                           theme explored in several of the participatory videos
                                                                           made by the children.




         Children show how they have to cross large landslides to reach
          school (image from the children’s participatory video drama in
                                               Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal)

    “Those who are unable to swim are fearful of being
    washed away during the floods. A girl of 11 years
    died when the Dondra River swept her away in last
    year’s flood. It is also difficult to come to school with                     A young girl cries at the loss of her brother due to flooding
    wet clothes as the boys tease us. We are also prone                       (image from the children’s participatory video drama in Balaju,
    to get coughs and colds because we have to sit in                                                                              Kathmandu)
    wet clothes all day.”
                    Uma Budhathoki, age 14, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal.


    The children shared their worries about their
    belongings, houses, cattle and families during
    landslides.

            When it rains heavily during
            school time it is very hard to
            concentrate on study because we
            worry about our families and fear
            there will be landslides.

                   Keshang Tamang, age 13, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal.




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Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation




                                                       Landslides destroy homes, roads and cropland near Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal



Access to water
The water sources in the hills have become more                       We have had problems in finding
erratic because of extreme soil erosion and                           food and water. The soil and
landslides. The drought in the plains has caused                      rocks were swept away by the
many water sources to dry up. This has caused                         landslides. The animals did not get
additional workloads for the children, as they have to                enough food. And the plants have
walk for hours each day to fetch water. The children                  not been able to grow well.
from Kathmandu also observed a lack of adequate
drinking water in the valley.                                                    Sarita Tamang, age 14, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal.




                        Box 4: Bageshwari case study



                             “Droughts are getting longer and more
                             unexpected”
                             “My name is Santosh and I am 17 years old. I am in grade 10
                             at school. My family earns our living growing corn, lentils and
                             vegetables. My mother works as a labourer and I sometimes
                             join her in my school holidays. Because of the unexpected
                             drought this year, our crops have failed. This has forced my
                             father to go to India to find work. Over the last five years I
                             have been shocked by the weather changing rapidly around
                             us. We have suffered droughts, erratic rainfall and floods.
                             These have not only affected our crops but also our health
                             so we are more likely to get ill. Eye infections that once only
                             occurred during the monsoon now seem to occur in the longer
                             droughts too. This adds to the burden of the family as we lose
                             income and have to pay for medicines. During the floods, I
                             cannot attend school as it is impossible to get there. We need
                             training for alternative livelihoods to agriculture, such as
                             carpentry or textiles. For those of us who continue to work in
                             agriculture, we need help to afford drought-resistant crops.”
                                                                                   Santosh B.K., Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal.




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children in a changing climate




    3             Existing adaptation strategies and
                  constraints
    The children, their families and the wider community have to
    cope with the changing climate and the impacts it has on their
    lives now. The research found that they have already developed
    their own adaptation strategies. But they face severe constraints.
                                                                                            How they cope now…


    Crop diversification                                                   Microloans
    In Bageshwari, some women’s groups have started                        Women’s groups have initiated saving and credit
    cultivating improved varieties of grass like Napier                    activities through microloans in Matehiya and
    and NB-21.                                                             Bageshwari. The loans are often used to cover lost
                                                                           income created by crop failure due to floods or
                                                                           drought. The loans are also used to cover the cost of
                                                                           children’s education and healthcare.

                                                                           Farming cooperatives
                                                                           In Matehiya, a women’s group has leased land for
                                                                           two years to set up a farming cooperative. This small
                                                                           initiative has helped them to offset the crop failure.


                                                                                 Looking at how our situation
                                                                                 has changed, we recognise the
                                                                                 need to work together to make
                                                                                 a living. This is why our mothers
                                                                                 have joined the group [farming
                                                                                 cooperative]. We could not survive
        A father and wife labour on their farm hoping for good weather           otherwise. Farming has become
     (image from the children’s participatory video drama in Sybru Besi,         tough and it is sometimes difficult
                                                        Rasuwa, Nepal)           to harvest enough to make a
    Irrigation technologies                                                      profit.
    In the plains, the installation of treadle pumps for
    alternative irrigation is one way communities are                                    Gopal Rokaya, age 15, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal.
    attempting to reduce the effects of longer droughts.

    Improved drainage systems
    Poor drainage exacerbates the effects of flooding.
    The practice of building culverts and the installation of
    pipes in several strategic locations is now increasing
    in Matehiya to ease the water flow.

    Food reserves
    Floods and droughts are annual occurrences, but their
    frequency and magnitude are increasing. In order to
    cope, families prepare food and dried vegetables for
    the monsoon and dry seasons. The practice of storing
    dry foods like beaten rice, sugar, noodles, dried
    vegetables, dried meats, dried radish, cauliflower
    and mushroom is common.




www.childreninachangingclimate.org 14
Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation




Alternative livelihoods                                                          The constraints they face…
Some of the children’s families are starting to
sell firewood, run small shops and find seasonal                       Poverty
work when their crops fail. Planting bamboo near                       Poverty makes it all the harder to cope with a
riverbanks has started in Bageshwari, this provides                    changing climate. The children stated that their
additional income to families, as bamboo is easily                     families are often unable to afford improved tools and
sold locally.                                                          technologies, drought-resistant crops or training in
                                                                       new farming techniques that could help improve their
Seasonal migration to urban areas and abroad                           crop production.
for work is an increasingly common livelihood
diversification strategy. Remittances have become                      Infrastructure
an important source of income in the rural areas,                      Poor road networks and limited transportation
especially when crops fail and agricultural incomes                    facilities make transporting goods to market or
fall.                                                                  reaching schools and hospitals extremely difficult,
                                                                       especially during floods and landslides.




  Young boys often work as porters during school breaks to support
 their families (image from the children’s participatory video drama
                                         in Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal)

                                                                       Children take muddy roads to school in Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal
Relocating their homes
Some families have moved home (such as Menuka
and her family on p.9) to escape the effects of floods                 Market access
and landslides. A similar situation caused by flood is                 Lack of access to markets makes developing
also found in Matehiya. This is often an extra burden                  alternative livelihoods difficult, especially for families
for families because it requires additional investment                 with little access to credit.
and often means a loss of social capital when families
leave their communities behind.                                        Poor irrigation
                                                                       Lack of irrigation facilities is one of the main reasons
      The cattle and belongings have                                   for crop failure. Due to landslides and longer
      to be transferred to safer places                                droughts, the water sources for irrigation are in
      when there is the possibility of                                 decline.
      flood and landslides.

              Bima Kumari B.K. age 16, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal.


      In our village, some of the newly
      built houses have plinth level
      raised structures. This is a new
      practice.

            Gurubachan Yadav, age 11, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal.




                                                                                                          www.childreninachangingclimate.org 15
children in a changing climate




    4             Children speak out: what we need to
                  adapt
    The research found that children clearly feel the impacts that the
    changing climate is having on their lives and on the livelihoods
    of their families. It also found that they clearly know what they
    need in order to adapt their lives to a changing climate.



    Stop deforestation                                                     Access to improved agricultural technologies
    Planting trees is one of the most important long-                      The children and their communities need improved
    term priorities identified by the children. They                       irrigation to increase agricultural productivity.
    want environment conservation programmes to be
    developed and implemented at the local level.                          “Without growing more crops we cannot survive in
                                                                           the future and the existing agriculture system may not
    “I think that the way we have depleted the forest in                   be sufficient to grow more crops. We need help to
    recent years is the main reason for flooding. In five                  learn about how to use new agriculture approaches
    years, we lost many ropanies [unit of land equal                       and systems. Otherwise we cannot survive.”
    to 5476 sq. feet] of forest near our village. If this                            Suman Budhathoki, age 14, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal.
    continues, we’ll have to prepare for more floods and
    landslides. That is why collectively planting trees is the             Improvement of basic infrastructure
    only solution to replenish the forest.”                                Many children of Matehiya are not able to attend
               Soma Kumari Rokaya, age 14, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal.         school during the monsoon because of the increasing
                                                                           number of rivers that flood. They expressed a need for
            We need to be prepared and                                     durable bridges to enable them to get to school. The
            conduct a tree planting campaign,                              children of Ramche want the immediate construction
            and people need to learn about                                 of embankments and gabion walls, and training for
            climate change.                                                community members to reduce the effects of large
                                                                           landslides.
               Bhim Maya Tamang, age 15, Ramche, Rawuwa, Nepal.
                                                                                In the monsoon, it is difficult to
                                                                                travel. Roads are muddy and
                                                                                bridges are usually broken
                                                                                and we have to cross many
                                                                                dangerous places when going to
                                                                                and returning from the school.
                                                                                If the roads and bridges are not
                                                                                improved, how can we continue
                                                                                our schooling? The most important
                                                                                priority for me is to improve the
                                                                                roads and bridges in the village.

                                                                                    Dikisangbo Tamang, age 13, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal.




        Girls gather fodder for cattle to show how far they have to walk
           before school due to deforestation (image from the children’s
               participatory video drama in Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal)




www.childreninachangingclimate.org 16
Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation




        Laxmi Tamang talks about how lack of rain reduced crop
               production this year in Ramache, Rasuwa, Nepal


Improved awareness
The children felt that there is a need to increase
awareness and skills in their communities so they
can understand the risks and impacts of a changing
climate on people, livestock and crops. They want
awareness raised through peer education and
training.

     As the new risks are increasing
     because of the changing climate,
     there is a need to make more
     people aware of this. I think
     people still do not know the
     reasons and causes of climate
     change, including me. More
     access to information and raising
     awareness is necessary. We
     should start it at school. If children
     are aware, they can at least teach
     their families.

              Gopal Rokaya, age 15, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal.


Good disaster risk reduction
The children want the local authorities to plan ahead
and design appropriate plans and programmes to
reduce the risks from disasters caused by extreme
weather.

     We know where the problems are
     and what is needed to overcome
     the problems. But we have not
     pressured the government to
     reduce the risks from disasters. I
     think we should work in advance,
     before the monsoon comes.

              Ranju Dahal, age 15, Balaju, Kathmandu, Nepal.


                                                                       Pemba Dawa Tamang explains that if unpredictable weather
                                                                 continues, it will be harder to plant crops and his family will suffer
                                                                                                         in Ramache, Rasuwa, Nepal



                                                                                                    www.childreninachangingclimate.org 17
children in a changing climate




    Table 1:
    Children’s long- and short-term priorities for adaptation to
    climate change and the constraints they face
                                                                                     17




      Short-term priorities             Long-term priorities                    Potential barriers / constraints

      Improved services                 Reforestation                           Poverty
       Upgrade local                    Develop stronger management            Inadequate financial resources
         services in health and            (e.g. Chaukidar – watchman) for
         agriculture                       the protection of forest resources   Poor local governance
       Ensure health,                   Promote community forest planting      Absence of local government
         agriculture and                   activities                            Unwillingness of government to
         livestock facilities are        Plant trees, plants and grass along      serve people
         staffed by qualified              the river banks
         personnel                                                              Lack of awareness / skills
                                        Alternative livelihoods                  Poor knowledge and skills
      Improved                          / improved agricultural                  Strong faith in traditional
      infrastructure                    production                                 agricultural practices
       Install treadle pumps            Promote alternative crops suitable
          for micro irrigation              for a changing climate              Poor infrastructure / market
       Construct school                 Promote income-generating             access
          buildings in safer                activities at local level            Poor transportation facilities
          places                         Provide skill-based training for       Increasing and unregulated
       Manage household                    women and children                     vehicles
          waste                          Provide training in new                Poor policies on housing in peri-
       Treat pollution from                agricultural techniques and            urban areas
          factories                         alternative crops production.
                                                                                Poor irrigation
      Awareness raising                 Micro-credit / farming                   Declining water sources for
       Increase awareness              cooperatives                               irrigation
        about possible                   Promote saving and credit groups
        impacts of a                       / cooperatives at local level        Labour shortages
        changing climate                                                         Shortage of labour force at local
       Educate people                  Improved infrastructure                    level due to seasonal migration
        about effects of                 Improve irrigation facilities
        pollution on human               Construct bridges
        health                           Construct ditches, canals and
       Create awareness                   culverts to improve drainage
        of good sanitation               Provide adequate barrage
        practices                          management
                                         Provide regular electricity supply
                                           for agricultural tools
                                         Prevent landslides, e.g. grazing
                                           control
                                         Construct large apartments instead
                                           of individual houses
                                         Provide clean drinking water
                                         Replace galvanised tin school
                                           roofs

                                        Disaster risk reduction
                                         Design appropriate Disaster Risk
                                           Reduction programmes




www.childreninachangingclimate.org 18
Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation




5 Lessons




 Children learn about the climate change project and see themselves on the camera for the first time in Matehiya, Banke, Nepal




                                                                                              www.childreninachangingclimate.org 19
children in a changing climate




    This report and the film that accompanies it aim to
    provide a platform for Nepalese children to speak
    out on climate change and their adaptation needs.
    The impacts of a changing climate on the children
    will vary according to the local context, but in many
    communities extreme and unpredictable weather is on
    the increase and this is having a negative impact on
    the lives of the children and their families.

    This report makes a number of recommendations for
    upholding children’s rights in the context of climate
    change:

    • Children’s right to be heard: This report and
      the children’s participatory videos (showcased in
      the film accompanying this report) demonstrate that
      children understand the impacts of climate change      Children who participated in the participatory video climate
                                                                           change project in Bageshwari, Banke Nepal
      on their lives and that they need help to adapt and
      find solutions. Children have a right to be heard
      at all levels, in their communities, and in climate
      change debates at national and international levels.

    • Children’s rights to adaptation: Life, safety,
      participation and development are the basic rights
      of children. From a rights-based perspective,
      working with children on climate change
      adaptation is not optional; it is protecting their
      rights.

    • Children’s rights to education: The changing
      climate is impacting families’ livelihoods and their
      ability to afford to send their children to school.
      Governments need to ensure, through scholarships,
      stipends or fee waivers, that families do not take
      their children out of school as a coping strategy.

    • Adaptation plans should include the needs
      of children: Many developing countries, including
      Nepal, have or are preparing National Adaptation
      Programmes of Action (NAPAs). It is critical that
      consultation, dialogues and discussions in various
      policy spaces include the views and needs of
      children.




www.childreninachangingclimate.org 20
Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation




Notes



1   Smith, D. and Vivekananda, J., 2007, ‘A Climate of Conflict:      9    The DFID-funded Disaster Risk and Reduction through Schools
    The Links Between Climate Change, Peace and War’,                      (DRRS) project has the objective to make schools in high
    International Alert.                                                   disaster risk areas safer, enabling them to act as a locus for
    http://www.international-alert.org/publications/322.php                disaster risk reduction, and to engage the education sector
    (accessed 29/10/08)                                                    in the Hydro Framework for Action through awareness for
                                                                           disaster prevention, preparedness and mitigation.
2   Stern, N., 2008, ‘Forward: Our Climate, Our Children, Our
    responsibility. The implications of climate change for the        10 IIED, 2004, Nepal CLAAC Report, IIED Working Paper No. 3,
    world’s children’, UNICEF UK.                                        London: IIED

3   World Food Programme, UNICEF, Save the Children Alliance:         11 It should be noted that the level of certainty for rainfall
    Inter Agency Rapid Flood Assessment – Nepal (August, 07)             projections is less than for temperature.
    http://www.un.org.np/reportlibrary/reportlibrary.php?bc=r
    (accessed 29/10/08)                                               12 IIED, 2004, Nepal CLAAC Report, IIED Working Paper No. 3,
                                                                         London: IIED
4   Children in a Changing Climate, 2007, The Right to
    Participate: Securing children’s role in climate change           13 Ahmed, S.M., Husain, A.M.M., Sattar, M.G. and Chowdhury,
    adaptation, Children in a Changing Climate                           A.M.R., 1999, ‘A quick assessment of flood losses and post-
    http://www.childreninachangingclimate.org                            flood rehabilitation needs in BRAC’s programme areas’, in
    (accessed 29/10/08)                                                  Ahmed, S.M. & Ahmed, H.S. (eds) Experiences of deluge:
                                                                         flood 1998, Research Monograph Series, Dhaka: BRAC
5   Current core programme partners include the Institute of
    Development Studies, Plan International, ActionAid, Save          14 Gautam, D., Sharma, A., Amatya, A. and Jnavaly, S.S.,
    the Children, UNICEF, UK National Children’s Bureau, RMIT            2007, ‘Climate Change Adaptation on Livelihood of Women
    Melbourne and Risk Frontiers, as well as a number of research        Farmers: Case study of Banke and Bardiya Districts of Nepal’,
    institutes engaged in individual research projects under CCC-        ActionAid Nepal
    research,
    www.childreninachangingclimate.org/partners_ccc.html              15 Gautam, D., 2006, ‘Process Documentation of Participatory
                                                                         Vulnerability Analysis (PVA): Disaster Risk reduction through
6   Bimal, R. and Adhikari, A., 2008, ‘Country Case Study                School Project (DRRSP)’, ActionAid Nepal
    – Nepal: Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and
    Development (LI-BIRD)’ in Human Development 2007/2008             16 Gautam, D., Kathayat, R.R. and Yadav R.N., 2008, ‘Impact of
    Report: Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided       Climate Change on Students, Schools and Neighbourhoods’,
    world, New York: UNDP                                                BEE-Group Nepal

7   International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED),   17 Summary of results from focus groups with children and adult
    2004, Nepal CLAAC Report, IIED Working Paper No. 3,                  community members.
    London: IIED

8   The term Dalit refers to a ‘Pani Nachalne’ (untouchable) group
    or caste from whom water is not accepted according to Hindu
    social structure (Source: ActionAid Nepal, CARE Nepal and
    Save the Children (2002) ‘National Dalit Strategy Report’)




                                                                                                          www.childreninachangingclimate.org 21
children in a changing climate




www.childreninachangingclimate.org 22
Child voices (finalreport)
Research Report

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Child voices (finalreport)

  • 1. Research Report Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation Dhruba Gautam and Katy Oswald November 2008
  • 2. children in a changing climate Acknowledgements Children in a Changing Climate would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all who contributed to this report and film. We are grateful to the children and their communities for their patience and cooperation. The local ActionAid partners, children and their communities enthusiastically produced and participated in the participatory videos showcased in our film, and helped us understand the practical difficulties they face due to a changing climate. We would like to thank the four children we interviewed for our case studies: Santosh B.K. in Bageshwari, Banke district; Rajkumari Harijan in Matehiya, Banke district; Menuka Tamang in Ramche, Rasuwa district and Amon Rana Magar in Balaju, Kathmandu. ActionAid Parners: • ActionAid Nepal (AAN), Kathmandu and Nepalgunj offices • Bheri Environmental Excellence Group (BEE Group), Banke district • Manekor Society Nepal (MSN), Rasuwa district • Lumanti, Kathmandu Main contributors: Bhawana Regmi, Ambika Amatya, Shyam Jnavaly, Nahakul Thapa, and Tamara Plush Film producer: Tamara Plush The film was directed and edited by Hari Thapa and Bai Kuntha from Contemporary Vision, Pvt., in Kathmandu. We are grateful to Smriti Kattel from Balaju for her narration talent, and to Lumanti and Balaju community members for filming support beyond the participatory video study. Main commentators: Marion Khamis, Tom Mitchell, Lucy Stone, Lydia Baker and Janani Vivekananda Edited by Judy Hartley Photographers: Dhruba Gautam, Bhawana Regmi and Tamara Plush, and from the participatory video interviews and films produced by the AAN partners and community members. Designed by RPM Print & Design © 2008 Children in a Changing Climate www.childreninachangingclimate.org 2
  • 3. Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation Contents Acknowledgments 2 Executive Summary 4 1. Introduction: why do children’s voices matter on climate change? 6 2. Child Voices: the impact of a changing climate on our lives 9 3. Existing adaptation strategies and constraints 14 4. Children Speak Out: what we need to adapt 16 5. Lessons 19 Boxes and Tables Box 1: Metehiya case study 6 Box 2: Ramche case study 9 Box 3: Balaju case study 10 Box 4: Bageshwari case study 13 Table 1: Children’s long- and short-term priorities for adaptation to climate change and the constraints they face 18 Children from Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal www.childreninachangingclimate.org 3
  • 4. children in a changing climate Executive Summary Children learn about the participatory video climate change project in Matehiya, Banke, Nepal We cannot escape climate change, but we need to reduce its effect on people, livestock and crops. Santosh B.K., age 17, Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal. The impacts of climate change are already being In 2008 Children in a Changing Climate’s research felt – most acutely by millions of the world’s poorest programme worked with ActionAid Nepal, and its people.1 They are already facing hunger, disease and partner organisations, to help poor children in the conflict linked to climate change. It is children like plains, hills and urban areas of Nepal make short Santosh, who live in the world’s poorest communities, films about how climate change is being experienced who are particularly vulnerable.2 by their communities. Making these films allowed the children to explore how the changing climate www.childreninachangingclimate.org 4
  • 5. Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation is impacting them and their families, how they are This report makes a number of recommendations for coping and what they need in order to adapt to a upholding children’s rights in the context of climate changing climate. This report is based on the findings change: of the participatory video project and additional research with children in the project communities. • Children’s right to be heard: This report and the children’s participatory videos (showcased in This report aims to provide an opportunity for children the film accompanying this report) demonstrate that from three geographically diverse areas of Nepal children understand the impacts of climate change to speak for themselves on their climate change on their lives and that they need help to adapt and adaptation needs. We do not claim that the children find solutions. Children have a right to be heard interviewed represent all the children of Nepal, but at all levels, in their communities, and in climate this report offers an opportunity for an international change debates at national and international audience to hear their perspectives on their climate levels. change adaptation needs. • Children’s rights to adaptation: Life, safety, The research found that poor children and their participation and development are the basic rights families in Nepal are being impacted by a changing of children. From a rights-based perspective, climate. The children identified impacts to their working with children on climate change families’ livelihoods, their health, their education, their adaptation is not optional; it is protecting their emotional wellbeing, and their access to water, as a rights. result of floods, droughts and landslides, all caused by increasingly erratic and unpredictable weather • Children’s rights to education: The changing patterns. climate is impacting families’ livelihoods and their ability to afford to send their children to school. However, these children are not passive victims of Governments need to ensure, through scholarships, climate change, and the research found that they stipends or fee waivers, that families do not take and their families are already making changes to their children out of school as a coping strategy. their lives in order to cope, but they face severe constraints. They know what additional support they • Adaptation plans should include the need to adapt their lives to a changing climate: they needs of children: Many developing countries, need reforestation programmes, access to improved including Nepal, have or are preparing National agricultural technologies, improved infrastructure, Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs). In increased knowledge on climate change impacts, and order for NAPAs to be both effective and equitable, good disaster prevention programmes. consultation, dialogues and discussions in various policy spaces must include the views and needs of Action is needed now to help these children and children. their communities adapt to the impacts of a changing climate. For every child who has spoken out through this study, there are millions more around the world attempting to cope with the results of extreme weather such as cyclones, floods, landslides and droughts. This will only increase as climate change continues. It is time for governments to listen to those who are amongst those worst affected by climate change: children in the world’s poorest communities. www.childreninachangingclimate.org 5
  • 6. children in a changing climate 1 Introduction Why do children’s voices matter on climate change? Box 1: Metehiya case study “Floods and increased rainfall stop me going to school” “My name is Raj Kumari and I am 16 years old. I study in grade 10 at school. I have to cross the Dondra River every day to get to school. When there is heavy rainfall the water level rises and this makes it difficult to cross. I remember it used to be at knee level a few years ago, but now it rises to my waist. I don’t like crossing it and do not like attending school with wet clothes; it makes it hard to concentrate in class. I often miss my exams in July and August because of the floods. I wish my exams could be in September when there are fewer floods. We need good roads and bridges to make it easier for children like me to get to school during the heavy rains.” Raj Kumari Harijan, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal. Raj Kumari is one of many children whose lives Despite the impact climate change is having have been impacted by floods in Nepal. In 2007, on their lives, children’s participation in climate almost half a million people were affected by change debates is limited and children’s rights the floods caused by the early onset of strong to adaptation assistance are poorly understood. monsoon rains. More than 23,000 houses were This report demonstrates that children are being destroyed.3 impacted by climate change; they understand what they need in order to adapt their lives to Children like Raj Kumari have contributed a changing climate; and they have a right to least to the causes of climate change but be heard in climate change policy debates and are often the worst affected by it: participate in adaptation programmes. • Children globally are being affected by climate shocks, particularly in drought-, flood- and cyclone-prone rural areas and urban slums. • The prospects of increasing poverty, hunger, disease and reduced access to education mean that children’s futures are more uncertain than ever before. • Children’s experiences of climate change and disasters are different from those of adults, yet this is rarely considered.4 www.childreninachangingclimate.org 6
  • 7. Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation The Context Children in a Changing Climate Ramche in the Rasuwa district lies in the hills at 1910 Children in a Changing Climate (CCC)5 is a metres. The major caste and ethnic groups include collaborative programme spanning research, action, Tamang, Sherpa and Dalit.8 The main livelihoods are advocacy and learning with the purpose of securing agriculture and remittances. children’s influence in tackling climate change at every level. The programme brings together leading The Balaju community is located in ward 16 of research and development organisations, each with Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Migration from rural a commitment to share knowledge, coordinate their areas to this community is very common. The main actions and to work with children as protagonists livelihoods are self-employment and the service sector. rather than just as victims. The major ethnic groups living here include Tamang, Magar, Newar, Gurung, Brahmin, Chhetri and Rai. This research programme of CCC is coordinated by the Climate Change and Development Centre at the Institute of Development Studies, United Kingdom. The CCC research programme is dedicated to ‘collaborative action research into child-led adaptation’ with the purpose of helping to legitimise Rasuwa children’s voice on climate change at all levels and in all arenas. It provides the evidence base that enables practitioners, policymakers and children themselves to take action to adapt to and mitigate climate change. Nepal This report is based on field research conducted with children living in poor rural and urban communities in Source: Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Nepal. Nepal is particularly vulnerable to excessive rainfall, longer drought periods, landslides and floods.6 Recent research suggests that climate change impacts will affect Nepal in a number of areas: water resources, hydropower, agriculture, forestry and biodiversity, health and education.7 The research for this report was carried out with poor children in four communities in the mid-west and central regions of Nepal: Matehiya and Bageshwari in the Banke Banke district; Ramche in the Rasuwa district; and Balaju in Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Matehiya is one of the most remote locations within Source: Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page the Banke district. A decade-long conflict has disrupted services, and it has very limited transport and electricity. The main livelihoods are agriculture, livestock and seasonal work. The climate is tropical, with the temperature sometimes reaching 44oC. It is dominated by the Teraian caste, followed by hill migrants and Tharu. Bageshwari in the Banke district has a good road network. The climate is similar to Matehiya. The major caste and ethnic groups are hill migrants Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Muslims. The main livelihoods are agriculture, remittances and seasonal work. Source: Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page www.childreninachangingclimate.org 7
  • 8. children in a changing climate Children see themselves in video for the first time in Matehiya, Banke, Nepal Methodology The idea for this report grew from one of CCC’s To accompany this report we have produced a partners, ActionAid Nepal, and its Disaster Risk film that showcases clips from participatory video Reduction through Schools project.9 In this project, interviews and final films made by the children. The participatory video is being explored as a tool to report and film combined provide a platform for the help the community, including children, identify risks children of Nepal to ‘speak out’ on climate change and develop climate change adaptation strategies. adaptation. The participatory videos are also part of citizen- led education and advocacy efforts that help the community to more easily and effectively engage with decision-makers. This report builds on the children’s participatory video work that encouraged them to examine the changing climate in their communities: the impact of extreme weather-related hazards and changing weather patterns on the livelihoods of their families; their families’ existing coping strategies; their constraints to adaptation; and their adaptation needs. Researchers used participatory techniques, such as focus group discussions, and individual interviews to gather more evidence from the children involved in making the participatory videos. The findings and quotes in this report come from both the participatory videos and the research. Shanti Maya Tamang shares her experience of food shortages this year due to climate change in Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal www.childreninachangingclimate.org 8
  • 9. Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation 2 Child Voices: the impact of a changing climate on our lives The research and participatory videos gathered evidence from the children and adult community members about how the changing climate is impacting their lives. Climate models indicate that the annual rainfall in Nepal will increase significantly if CO2 emissions increase.10 It is likely to become drier during the dry season, with a significantly wetter monsoon season (as much as three times the current rainfall).11 The distribution of rainfall throughout the year is a reliable factor in determining the risk of floods. This pattern of rainfall is likely to cause droughts during the winter months and floods during the monsoon.12 The children of Nepal are already feeling this impact. In the plains, children fear floods and drought; in the hills, landslides are a major concern; and in Kathmandu, children complain of the weather getting colder due to thick fog in the winter and that the extreme rain, wind and heat are disrupting their studies. Livelihoods Over the last few years, the crops have failed for Girls take their cattle to fodder before school (image from the many reasons: flood, drought, hailstones, landslides children’s participatory video drama in Bageshwari, Banke, and infestations of insects. During the focus groups Nepal,) discussions, the children explained that this year the lentil crop completely failed in Banke, and in Rasuwa Last year, because it rained a lot, the potato crop is down by approximately 30 per cent. there were many landslides and the crops were destroyed. This “The weather change has affected our lives. We have year because we didn’t have much not been able to plant crops on time and the soil has rain, the plants have not been been swept away due to heavy rainfall.” able to grow properly, so we have Nebtesh Tamang, age 15, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal. little to feed ourselves. Kalpana Tamang, age 13, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal. Box 2: Ramche case study “Our lives have been disrupted by landslides over the last few years” “My name is Menuka Tamang and I am 13 years old. I am studying in grade 5 at school. Over the past few years me and my family have moved three times, from Haadifor to Sishneri and finally to Ramche because of the landslides. Our family’s livelihood has been devastated by them. We live from farming. Five years ago we produced 4 muri of rice but now we produce only 1 muri [1 muri equals 80 kg] because landslides have destroyed our farmland. My father is now working abroad and sends money home when he can, and my elder brother works as a porter during his school holidays. We are now living in a temporary home on rented land which we cultivate with other farmers. We cannot return to our own farmland because of the risk of landslides.” Menuka Tamang, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal. www.childreninachangingclimate.org 9
  • 10. children in a changing climate Children in the fields in Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal Health In the rural areas in Nepal, very few houses The children noted an increase in waterborne have toilets and open-air defecation is common. diseases during the floods. Water contamination is a constant problem that is exacerbated during flooding. “Over the last few years we have been suffering from eye infections. In the past, we only used to have these Every year many people die infections during the monsoon but these days we are of diarrhoea and cholera in also suffering from it during longer droughts. We are Matehiya. It is all because we surprised; why is this happening? This infection makes don’t have toilets or latrines so it difficult for us to read and write, so it is harder for most of the water sources are us to study. Because it is an infectious disease we contaminated. We don’t even have have to stay at home to prevent it from spreading a health post nearby. We have to among our friends at school. We also have to spend rely on Jhole doctors without much money for medicine.” experience (who always keep Sudan Rajbanshi, age 17, Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal. some medicine in their bags) from Indian cities who cannot tell us what we have. Madan Lamichhane, age 14, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal. Box 3: Balaju case study “The growing population and number of cars has increased the pollution in Kathmandu” “My name is Amon Rana Magar. I am 17 years old and in grade 7 at school. The number of vehicles in Balaju, Kathmandu, is increasing day by day. The population of Balaju has been increasing in the last few years due to rural migrants. The consequences have been more vehicles, more waste, lack of drinking water, destruction of fertile land and more air pollution due to many factories being built. The thick polluting fog has also got worse in recent years and I think this is due to the population growth. As the fog gets thicker, the temperature gets colder. In the winter it is difficult to attend school as it is so cold and I get ill frequently. Coughs, colds and the swelling of hands and feet are common during these days. It would be great if the school could have heating in the winter. The government needs to manage the migration of rural workers to the city to ensure there are enough services for everyone.” Amon Rana Magar, Balaju, Kathmandu, Nepal. www.childreninachangingclimate.org 10
  • 11. Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation Access to toilets becomes even harder during The government needs to help floods when latrines and open defecation areas are stop these landslides, and the inaccessible. During the floods, the women and girls communities affected by them drink less water and take less food so that they will need to know how to prevent them, as we are the victims of urinate and defecate less frequently.13 them. Education Menuka Tamang, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal. Many families have lost their homes, crops, animals and livelihoods due to flooding and landslides. In “Our school has been transferred five times from one the videos and focus groups, the children spoke of place to another in our village because of the fear of their fathers having to migrate for seasonal work to landslides. We still have inadequate classrooms. We supplement their incomes. This has increased the are unable to have classes when it rains. We don’t children’s household workload and seriously impacted even have a place to hide our heads during rainfall, their education. The children have to work for longer hailstone fall, snowfall and thundering.” hours in the house and on the farm. Their families are Alina Tamang, age 14, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal. often unable to pay school fees or for stationery. As a consequence, children are often forced to abandon In the participatory video made in Ramche, the their studies. children dramatise how one family is affected by the landslides: Their crops have been destroyed by In Matehiya and Bageshwari, during the extreme the landslides and they have no money for food, so floods, it is almost impossible for the children to travel they send their eldest children abroad to work and to school. Many of the temporary wooden bridges their younger children to work locally as domestic are swept away. The floods are exacerbated by workers and porters. The scene ends with the parents inappropriate infrastructures upstream; the extraction lamenting in old age that they are all alone because of sand and boulders; the lack of irrigation canals they have been forced to send their children away to and good drainage systems, and densely populated help support the family. settlements.14 In Balaju, Kathmandu, the rainfall, wind and heat “Most of the time during flooding period I have to disrupt study in the classroom due to the school return home half way to school because of the flood having a galvanised tin roof. at the Dondra River. I feel my life is more precious than my education, so I do not want to take the risk of “When it rains on our classroom’s rooftop, it makes crossing the river. Our first exam falls in July-August, a lot of noise which disturbs us. The windstorms blow during the high time of the floods. I can never do well our roofs away and a lot of dust comes in the room. at school because of the problems caused by flood. We have to lie on the ground at times like this. During When the Dondra River bridge collapsed during last the summer, the roof heats up and we get headaches. year’s flood, I had to stay for several days at my Some feel dizzy.” friend’s house since I couldn’t return home because Pasang Sherpa, age 11, Balaju, Kathmandu, Nepal. the rains were so strong. It is very common to lose our books and notebooks during flood.” Bima Kumari B.K., age 16, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal. The children of Ramche have to walk for up to two hours to go school because the direct routes have been blocked by landslides. I walk three hours a day in total: one-and-a-half hours to come to school and one-and-a-half hours for going home. This is because the shorter route has been damaged by the landslide and I have to take a longer route which is safer. I am surprised that landslides are occurring more Children show the challenges of going to school during flooding frequently. (image from the children’s participatory video drama in Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal) Domalazi Tamang, age 13, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal. www.childreninachangingclimate.org 11
  • 12. children in a changing climate Emotional wellbeing In addition to the physical hardship caused by Understandably, the impacts have not just affected the landslides in the Rasuwa district, the girls also the livelihoods, education and physical lives of mentioned they were increasingly worried about not the children; it has also affected their emotional being able to find a husband as boys are migrating wellbeing. The research found that temporary or to other areas to find work. permanent relocation made necessary by floods and/ or landslides caused fear and trauma amongst the In Banke district, the children talked about their family children and their community. Neighbourhoods are members suffering from sleep disturbances, stress, destroyed, friendships are severed, support networks irritability and a lack of concentration after floods. It are broken and domestic relationships come under is common to find anxiety and depression in elderly greater stress.15 In addition, the children spoke of people and children more than six months after a their fear of further floods or landslides. flood due to multiple associated problems.16 The emotional impact of extreme weather-related hazards, including dealing with the loss of loved ones, was one theme explored in several of the participatory videos made by the children. Children show how they have to cross large landslides to reach school (image from the children’s participatory video drama in Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal) “Those who are unable to swim are fearful of being washed away during the floods. A girl of 11 years died when the Dondra River swept her away in last year’s flood. It is also difficult to come to school with A young girl cries at the loss of her brother due to flooding wet clothes as the boys tease us. We are also prone (image from the children’s participatory video drama in Balaju, to get coughs and colds because we have to sit in Kathmandu) wet clothes all day.” Uma Budhathoki, age 14, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal. The children shared their worries about their belongings, houses, cattle and families during landslides. When it rains heavily during school time it is very hard to concentrate on study because we worry about our families and fear there will be landslides. Keshang Tamang, age 13, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal. www.childreninachangingclimate.org 12
  • 13. Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation Landslides destroy homes, roads and cropland near Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal Access to water The water sources in the hills have become more We have had problems in finding erratic because of extreme soil erosion and food and water. The soil and landslides. The drought in the plains has caused rocks were swept away by the many water sources to dry up. This has caused landslides. The animals did not get additional workloads for the children, as they have to enough food. And the plants have walk for hours each day to fetch water. The children not been able to grow well. from Kathmandu also observed a lack of adequate drinking water in the valley. Sarita Tamang, age 14, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal. Box 4: Bageshwari case study “Droughts are getting longer and more unexpected” “My name is Santosh and I am 17 years old. I am in grade 10 at school. My family earns our living growing corn, lentils and vegetables. My mother works as a labourer and I sometimes join her in my school holidays. Because of the unexpected drought this year, our crops have failed. This has forced my father to go to India to find work. Over the last five years I have been shocked by the weather changing rapidly around us. We have suffered droughts, erratic rainfall and floods. These have not only affected our crops but also our health so we are more likely to get ill. Eye infections that once only occurred during the monsoon now seem to occur in the longer droughts too. This adds to the burden of the family as we lose income and have to pay for medicines. During the floods, I cannot attend school as it is impossible to get there. We need training for alternative livelihoods to agriculture, such as carpentry or textiles. For those of us who continue to work in agriculture, we need help to afford drought-resistant crops.” Santosh B.K., Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal. www.childreninachangingclimate.org 13
  • 14. children in a changing climate 3 Existing adaptation strategies and constraints The children, their families and the wider community have to cope with the changing climate and the impacts it has on their lives now. The research found that they have already developed their own adaptation strategies. But they face severe constraints. How they cope now… Crop diversification Microloans In Bageshwari, some women’s groups have started Women’s groups have initiated saving and credit cultivating improved varieties of grass like Napier activities through microloans in Matehiya and and NB-21. Bageshwari. The loans are often used to cover lost income created by crop failure due to floods or drought. The loans are also used to cover the cost of children’s education and healthcare. Farming cooperatives In Matehiya, a women’s group has leased land for two years to set up a farming cooperative. This small initiative has helped them to offset the crop failure. Looking at how our situation has changed, we recognise the need to work together to make a living. This is why our mothers have joined the group [farming cooperative]. We could not survive A father and wife labour on their farm hoping for good weather otherwise. Farming has become (image from the children’s participatory video drama in Sybru Besi, tough and it is sometimes difficult Rasuwa, Nepal) to harvest enough to make a Irrigation technologies profit. In the plains, the installation of treadle pumps for alternative irrigation is one way communities are Gopal Rokaya, age 15, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal. attempting to reduce the effects of longer droughts. Improved drainage systems Poor drainage exacerbates the effects of flooding. The practice of building culverts and the installation of pipes in several strategic locations is now increasing in Matehiya to ease the water flow. Food reserves Floods and droughts are annual occurrences, but their frequency and magnitude are increasing. In order to cope, families prepare food and dried vegetables for the monsoon and dry seasons. The practice of storing dry foods like beaten rice, sugar, noodles, dried vegetables, dried meats, dried radish, cauliflower and mushroom is common. www.childreninachangingclimate.org 14
  • 15. Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation Alternative livelihoods The constraints they face… Some of the children’s families are starting to sell firewood, run small shops and find seasonal Poverty work when their crops fail. Planting bamboo near Poverty makes it all the harder to cope with a riverbanks has started in Bageshwari, this provides changing climate. The children stated that their additional income to families, as bamboo is easily families are often unable to afford improved tools and sold locally. technologies, drought-resistant crops or training in new farming techniques that could help improve their Seasonal migration to urban areas and abroad crop production. for work is an increasingly common livelihood diversification strategy. Remittances have become Infrastructure an important source of income in the rural areas, Poor road networks and limited transportation especially when crops fail and agricultural incomes facilities make transporting goods to market or fall. reaching schools and hospitals extremely difficult, especially during floods and landslides. Young boys often work as porters during school breaks to support their families (image from the children’s participatory video drama in Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal) Children take muddy roads to school in Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal Relocating their homes Some families have moved home (such as Menuka and her family on p.9) to escape the effects of floods Market access and landslides. A similar situation caused by flood is Lack of access to markets makes developing also found in Matehiya. This is often an extra burden alternative livelihoods difficult, especially for families for families because it requires additional investment with little access to credit. and often means a loss of social capital when families leave their communities behind. Poor irrigation Lack of irrigation facilities is one of the main reasons The cattle and belongings have for crop failure. Due to landslides and longer to be transferred to safer places droughts, the water sources for irrigation are in when there is the possibility of decline. flood and landslides. Bima Kumari B.K. age 16, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal. In our village, some of the newly built houses have plinth level raised structures. This is a new practice. Gurubachan Yadav, age 11, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal. www.childreninachangingclimate.org 15
  • 16. children in a changing climate 4 Children speak out: what we need to adapt The research found that children clearly feel the impacts that the changing climate is having on their lives and on the livelihoods of their families. It also found that they clearly know what they need in order to adapt their lives to a changing climate. Stop deforestation Access to improved agricultural technologies Planting trees is one of the most important long- The children and their communities need improved term priorities identified by the children. They irrigation to increase agricultural productivity. want environment conservation programmes to be developed and implemented at the local level. “Without growing more crops we cannot survive in the future and the existing agriculture system may not “I think that the way we have depleted the forest in be sufficient to grow more crops. We need help to recent years is the main reason for flooding. In five learn about how to use new agriculture approaches years, we lost many ropanies [unit of land equal and systems. Otherwise we cannot survive.” to 5476 sq. feet] of forest near our village. If this Suman Budhathoki, age 14, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal. continues, we’ll have to prepare for more floods and landslides. That is why collectively planting trees is the Improvement of basic infrastructure only solution to replenish the forest.” Many children of Matehiya are not able to attend Soma Kumari Rokaya, age 14, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal. school during the monsoon because of the increasing number of rivers that flood. They expressed a need for We need to be prepared and durable bridges to enable them to get to school. The conduct a tree planting campaign, children of Ramche want the immediate construction and people need to learn about of embankments and gabion walls, and training for climate change. community members to reduce the effects of large landslides. Bhim Maya Tamang, age 15, Ramche, Rawuwa, Nepal. In the monsoon, it is difficult to travel. Roads are muddy and bridges are usually broken and we have to cross many dangerous places when going to and returning from the school. If the roads and bridges are not improved, how can we continue our schooling? The most important priority for me is to improve the roads and bridges in the village. Dikisangbo Tamang, age 13, Ramche, Rasuwa, Nepal. Girls gather fodder for cattle to show how far they have to walk before school due to deforestation (image from the children’s participatory video drama in Bageshwari, Banke, Nepal) www.childreninachangingclimate.org 16
  • 17. Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation Laxmi Tamang talks about how lack of rain reduced crop production this year in Ramache, Rasuwa, Nepal Improved awareness The children felt that there is a need to increase awareness and skills in their communities so they can understand the risks and impacts of a changing climate on people, livestock and crops. They want awareness raised through peer education and training. As the new risks are increasing because of the changing climate, there is a need to make more people aware of this. I think people still do not know the reasons and causes of climate change, including me. More access to information and raising awareness is necessary. We should start it at school. If children are aware, they can at least teach their families. Gopal Rokaya, age 15, Matehiya, Banke, Nepal. Good disaster risk reduction The children want the local authorities to plan ahead and design appropriate plans and programmes to reduce the risks from disasters caused by extreme weather. We know where the problems are and what is needed to overcome the problems. But we have not pressured the government to reduce the risks from disasters. I think we should work in advance, before the monsoon comes. Ranju Dahal, age 15, Balaju, Kathmandu, Nepal. Pemba Dawa Tamang explains that if unpredictable weather continues, it will be harder to plant crops and his family will suffer in Ramache, Rasuwa, Nepal www.childreninachangingclimate.org 17
  • 18. children in a changing climate Table 1: Children’s long- and short-term priorities for adaptation to climate change and the constraints they face 17 Short-term priorities Long-term priorities Potential barriers / constraints Improved services Reforestation Poverty  Upgrade local  Develop stronger management  Inadequate financial resources services in health and (e.g. Chaukidar – watchman) for agriculture the protection of forest resources Poor local governance  Ensure health,  Promote community forest planting  Absence of local government agriculture and activities  Unwillingness of government to livestock facilities are  Plant trees, plants and grass along serve people staffed by qualified the river banks personnel Lack of awareness / skills Alternative livelihoods  Poor knowledge and skills Improved / improved agricultural  Strong faith in traditional infrastructure production agricultural practices  Install treadle pumps  Promote alternative crops suitable for micro irrigation for a changing climate Poor infrastructure / market  Construct school  Promote income-generating access buildings in safer activities at local level  Poor transportation facilities places  Provide skill-based training for  Increasing and unregulated  Manage household women and children vehicles waste  Provide training in new  Poor policies on housing in peri-  Treat pollution from agricultural techniques and urban areas factories alternative crops production. Poor irrigation Awareness raising Micro-credit / farming  Declining water sources for  Increase awareness cooperatives irrigation about possible  Promote saving and credit groups impacts of a / cooperatives at local level Labour shortages changing climate  Shortage of labour force at local  Educate people Improved infrastructure level due to seasonal migration about effects of  Improve irrigation facilities pollution on human  Construct bridges health  Construct ditches, canals and  Create awareness culverts to improve drainage of good sanitation  Provide adequate barrage practices management  Provide regular electricity supply for agricultural tools  Prevent landslides, e.g. grazing control  Construct large apartments instead of individual houses  Provide clean drinking water  Replace galvanised tin school roofs Disaster risk reduction  Design appropriate Disaster Risk Reduction programmes www.childreninachangingclimate.org 18
  • 19. Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation 5 Lessons Children learn about the climate change project and see themselves on the camera for the first time in Matehiya, Banke, Nepal www.childreninachangingclimate.org 19
  • 20. children in a changing climate This report and the film that accompanies it aim to provide a platform for Nepalese children to speak out on climate change and their adaptation needs. The impacts of a changing climate on the children will vary according to the local context, but in many communities extreme and unpredictable weather is on the increase and this is having a negative impact on the lives of the children and their families. This report makes a number of recommendations for upholding children’s rights in the context of climate change: • Children’s right to be heard: This report and the children’s participatory videos (showcased in the film accompanying this report) demonstrate that children understand the impacts of climate change Children who participated in the participatory video climate change project in Bageshwari, Banke Nepal on their lives and that they need help to adapt and find solutions. Children have a right to be heard at all levels, in their communities, and in climate change debates at national and international levels. • Children’s rights to adaptation: Life, safety, participation and development are the basic rights of children. From a rights-based perspective, working with children on climate change adaptation is not optional; it is protecting their rights. • Children’s rights to education: The changing climate is impacting families’ livelihoods and their ability to afford to send their children to school. Governments need to ensure, through scholarships, stipends or fee waivers, that families do not take their children out of school as a coping strategy. • Adaptation plans should include the needs of children: Many developing countries, including Nepal, have or are preparing National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs). It is critical that consultation, dialogues and discussions in various policy spaces include the views and needs of children. www.childreninachangingclimate.org 20
  • 21. Child Voices: Children of Nepal Speak Out on Climate Change Adaptation Notes 1 Smith, D. and Vivekananda, J., 2007, ‘A Climate of Conflict: 9 The DFID-funded Disaster Risk and Reduction through Schools The Links Between Climate Change, Peace and War’, (DRRS) project has the objective to make schools in high International Alert. disaster risk areas safer, enabling them to act as a locus for http://www.international-alert.org/publications/322.php disaster risk reduction, and to engage the education sector (accessed 29/10/08) in the Hydro Framework for Action through awareness for disaster prevention, preparedness and mitigation. 2 Stern, N., 2008, ‘Forward: Our Climate, Our Children, Our responsibility. The implications of climate change for the 10 IIED, 2004, Nepal CLAAC Report, IIED Working Paper No. 3, world’s children’, UNICEF UK. London: IIED 3 World Food Programme, UNICEF, Save the Children Alliance: 11 It should be noted that the level of certainty for rainfall Inter Agency Rapid Flood Assessment – Nepal (August, 07) projections is less than for temperature. http://www.un.org.np/reportlibrary/reportlibrary.php?bc=r (accessed 29/10/08) 12 IIED, 2004, Nepal CLAAC Report, IIED Working Paper No. 3, London: IIED 4 Children in a Changing Climate, 2007, The Right to Participate: Securing children’s role in climate change 13 Ahmed, S.M., Husain, A.M.M., Sattar, M.G. and Chowdhury, adaptation, Children in a Changing Climate A.M.R., 1999, ‘A quick assessment of flood losses and post- http://www.childreninachangingclimate.org flood rehabilitation needs in BRAC’s programme areas’, in (accessed 29/10/08) Ahmed, S.M. & Ahmed, H.S. (eds) Experiences of deluge: flood 1998, Research Monograph Series, Dhaka: BRAC 5 Current core programme partners include the Institute of Development Studies, Plan International, ActionAid, Save 14 Gautam, D., Sharma, A., Amatya, A. and Jnavaly, S.S., the Children, UNICEF, UK National Children’s Bureau, RMIT 2007, ‘Climate Change Adaptation on Livelihood of Women Melbourne and Risk Frontiers, as well as a number of research Farmers: Case study of Banke and Bardiya Districts of Nepal’, institutes engaged in individual research projects under CCC- ActionAid Nepal research, www.childreninachangingclimate.org/partners_ccc.html 15 Gautam, D., 2006, ‘Process Documentation of Participatory Vulnerability Analysis (PVA): Disaster Risk reduction through 6 Bimal, R. and Adhikari, A., 2008, ‘Country Case Study School Project (DRRSP)’, ActionAid Nepal – Nepal: Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD)’ in Human Development 2007/2008 16 Gautam, D., Kathayat, R.R. and Yadav R.N., 2008, ‘Impact of Report: Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided Climate Change on Students, Schools and Neighbourhoods’, world, New York: UNDP BEE-Group Nepal 7 International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), 17 Summary of results from focus groups with children and adult 2004, Nepal CLAAC Report, IIED Working Paper No. 3, community members. London: IIED 8 The term Dalit refers to a ‘Pani Nachalne’ (untouchable) group or caste from whom water is not accepted according to Hindu social structure (Source: ActionAid Nepal, CARE Nepal and Save the Children (2002) ‘National Dalit Strategy Report’) www.childreninachangingclimate.org 21
  • 22. children in a changing climate www.childreninachangingclimate.org 22