Conditions
Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. Recent government figures put 38 percent of the Nepalese population below the nationally defined absolute poverty level. Nepal's annual per capita income is US$230, well below the accepted international definition of $1 per capita per day. Access to social services, such as health, education, and drinking water is also limited, which is reflected in the exceptionally low human development index (0.466). Further, within Nepal there are areas that are suffering extreme poverty, including many districts in the far and mid western region. One major reason for poverty in these areas is the lack of regionally equitable development programmes - a factor that unfortunately has rendered the poorest Nepalese vulnerable to a number of different negative influences. One of the most disturbing of these is the on-going civil war, which has strong roots in mass poverty in the remote areas.
