Nepal is a small landlocked country between the two big nations of China and India. It is 885 kms in length and 220 kms in its maximum width. In that short distance, it rises from 70 meters above sea level to the 8848 meters of the Everest, the highest mountain in the world. Nepal has a total land area of 147 181 km2 divided in three main ecological zones :

Its population amounts to 26.3 millions (UN, 2005), of which 44% live in the hills and occupy 42% of the land area. Nepal is one of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the world. In terms of human development, Nepal is 143rd out of 175 countries with a Human Development index of 0.499, the lowest in Asia. Nepal is among the five poorest countries of the World: 49% of the population lives below the poverty line with an annual average income of 260$ according to the World Bank report of 2005. Poverty is widespread in the hills where it is not rare to encounter households with either no land, or only tiny plots of non-irrigated land. Moreover, there are no roads in most parts of the country, leaving much of the population far from the central markets and facilities.

Since 1996, the Government of Nepal has had to contend with the Maoist insurgency, which began in the hill districts of western Nepal. Most of the hills have been affected by the conflict. Banks and government agencies have withdrawn from many rural areas. Household’s livelihood, income and food security, already fragile at the best of the times in the hills, have further eroded as a result of the conflict.

However, despite this unfavorable situation, a few NGOs have continued to play a major role in regional development and the education sector in the rural areas of Nepal. In particular, those employing local people are still implementing development activities even in continued conflict areas.

Peekyee Hill Social Organization (PHISO) is one of the few NGOs who directly work in the rural areas of Nepal.