At a glance

Together with its local partner organizations, the Gossner Mission is committed to combating poverty and disadvantage in Nepal. It supports health and education projects and promotes help for self-help. The Gossner Mission's work in Nepal began in 1968, and since then it has been one of the sponsors of the United Mission to Nepal (UMN). Since the 1950s, the UMN has played a decisive role in shaping the situation in the country by initiating numerous projects in health, rural development, education, and hydropower and industrial development.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. One sixth of the population has less than two US dollars per day at its disposal. According to a study by the United Mission to Nepal, every second inhabitant of Nepal goes hungry at times; especially in spring, before the new harvest arrives. The social situation of the people was worsened by the civil war, which cost the lives of nearly 13,000 people from 1996 to 2006. The severe earthquake of 2015 also meant a severe setback for the country's development, as did the Corona pandemic in 2020/21.

In Nepal today, the Gossner Mission works with three partner organizations:

• United Mission to Nepal (UMN). The UMN is a faith-based development organization that has been operating in Nepal since 1954, with a vision of fullness of life for all in a transformed Nepali society.
• Human Development & Community Services (HDCS): Since 2012, Gossner Mission has been supporting HDCS, which was founded in 1991, primarily in the health sector: it supports the Chaurjahari Hospital in Karnali Province. 
• Asha Hostel in Dhading: The small hostel can accommodate up to ten children and young people to enable them to attend school and receive an education. The children come from difficult social backgrounds in the remote mountain villages of northern Dhading.

In Germany, the Gossner Mission is involved in the Nepal Dialogue Forum. This sees itself as a network for lobbying and political dialogue in Germany and Europe. Activities include discussions, expert meetings, preparation of trips, reports, e.g. on the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Refugee Agency, and more. The main focus is on dealing with the experiences of civil war ("transitional justice", impunity) as well as the topics of human rights, federalism, the status of civil society, the right to food and violence against women.