United Mission to Nepal

The United Mission to Nepal is a co-operative effort between the people of Nepal and a large number of Christian organizations from 18 countries in four different continents.

From the description of United Mission to Nepal archives. (Yale University). WorldCat record id: 702196458

The United Mission to Nepal (UMN) originated in 1954 when, at the invitation of the Nepal Government and with the help of 8 mission organisations, a group of pioneering individuals set up a mission hospital in [Tansen]. A copy of the printed history of the UMN, 1954, is included with the archive. The UMN is interdenominational and has worked with the people of Nepal and various church organisations to develop and empower communities through special projects relating to education, engineering and industrial development, health, rural development. The UMN has also participated in the national church.

Reference: University of Birmingham, Special Collections Department, Online Archive Catalogue (http://calm.bham.ac.uk/DServeA/). Accessed May 2002.

From the guide to the United Mission to Nepal, 1954-2002, (University of Birmingham Information Services, Special Collections Department)

New opportunities linked to the revolution and opening of Nepal in the early 1950s, led to the founding of the United Mission to Nepal as an international, interdenominational mission at a meeting in Nagpur, India on March 5, 1954. The decision was based on an invitation by His Majesty's Government of Nepal to Robert Fleming, an ornithologist and science teacher at Woodstock school, India to open a hospital in Tansen and to start Women's and Children's welfare clinics in the Kathmandu Valley.

The first maternity clinic had already opened in Bhaktapur on 7 January 1954 and the first UMN hospital was opened in Kathmandu a month later, housed in the government Cholera Hospital. This was to become the Shanta Bhawan Hospital, which later evolved into Patan Hospital, established as a partnership with HMGN and the local community. In September 1954, medical work began in Tansen in a rented house in the bazaar. Soon plans were made for building a larger Tansen Hospital, and work expanded to include community health, agriculture, and other activities.

Education activities were quickly added to UMN's work. From 1957 schools were opened in Amppipal and later in Luitel. A dispensary was set up, which later became Amppipal Hospital. Agricultural and animal health work was also initiated - the first seeds of UMN's involvement in rural development. Meanwhile, in Kathmandu, UMN opened the Mahendra Bhawan Girls' School. This was the country's first girls' high school, and it soon gained a reputation for its academic excellence. In Tansen, the building of the new hospital made progress, but the pace was slow because of the difficulty in finding skilled workers. Odd Hoftun, who led the construction work, had a vision for educating young Nepalis in technical skills and utilising the hydropower potential of Nepal's rivers to create opportunities for small businesses. He managed to raise support from his home country, and brought 176 tons of equipment from Norway to Butwal in 1964. This was the beginning of UMN's Engineering and Industrial Development work. Tinau Hydropower plant was built and the Butwal Technical Institute established. In 1966, Butwal Power Company was formed, the first of a series of companies founded by UMN.

In 1959, the Headquarters was established in its current location in Thapathali, Kathmandu. Work expanded quickly in terms of both personnel and activities. Okhaldhunga (initially a dispensary) was added to the UMN hospitals in the early 1960s. The hospitals reached out to the surrounding communities through Community Health programmes, providing primary care in health posts, but also seeking to promote good health practices and prevent illnesses through awareness raising and development activities. Training of health workers was a part of UMN's work from the very beginning. This was first institutionalized in 1959 through the establishment of the School of Nursing at Shanta Bhawan Hospital, known today as Lalitpur Nursing Campus.

A major new venture in the education sector was the establishment of Gandaki Boarding School (GBS) in Pokhara in 1966. GBS earned a reputation throughout Nepal for its high standards, and many GBS graduates today hold positions in government and civil society. Provision of scholarships, UMN ensured that talented boys and girls from disadvantaged and poor communities also had access to quality education through GBS. In 2000, tertiary education was added through the establishment of the Gandaki College of Engineering Science.

The early 80s saw a new wave of enthusiasm and initiative in UMN, including a growing interest in rural development. The Rural Development Centre was established in Pokhara in 1981. This centre provided consultancy and training in animal health and husbandry, and gradually added horticulture, forestry, drinking water systems, organisational development, and training of trainers. The hydropower project in Andhikhola, begun in 1982, was complemented by a significant element of community empowerment and development, and a new project was set up in Surkhet in the same year with the aim of meeting the needs of the local communities.

UMN's emphasis has shifted from input of external resources to facilitating access to and use of community resources. More weight has been given to community ownership of the development activities. This has resulted in empowered communities continuing development work themselves when UMN projects have been phased out.

A new venture in the education sector was the establishment in 1980 of Karnali Technical School, providing technical education in construction, health and agriculture to young Nepalis in the remote Karnali Zone. In 1955, UMN's emphasis shifted towards enabling the learning in the school to benefit the communities outside Jumla bazaar, through extension classes, non formal education (NFE) and development activities. In the 90s other NFE projects were initiated in Jajarkot, Dailekh and Mugu, all of which have now been phased out.

The Non-Formal Education Support Office, established in 1980, played an essential role in developing methodology and materials for NFE work throughout UMN and beyond. UMN was also involved in strengthening formal education (primary and secondary) through the School Partnership Programmes in Dailekh and Syangja districts.

In the past, ten to fifteen years specialised health programmes have evolved, focusing on particular areas of health needs in Nepal. These were Mental Health, Nutrition, Oral Health, Rehabilitation of the Disabled, Tuberculosis, Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS. They have made significant contributions in research, training, health education and development of appropriate services, and have increasingly had an impact on government planning and policy development

In the industrial sector, UMN has continued to build the capacity of the companies it started in the 60s and 70s, while handing over ownership and management. Several of these companies are today market leaders in their respective fields. In recent years, the focus has shifted back to the development and support of small-scale enterprises. The Enterprise Support Programme began in 2000, building on experiences from enterprise development in Andhikhola and on the technology development work of Development and Consulting Services. Kathmandu University has become an important partner for UMN's strategy of skills development.

The divestment of directly implemented programmes, projects and institutions started in early 2003 as per UMN's new strategic directions and several of them were handed over Nepali organisations in orderly manner by July 2005. UMN continues focusing on decentralization and capacity building Nepali organisations and handover of remaining programmes that will be completed in 2008.

From the guide to the United Mission to Nepal Archives, 1949-2010, (Yale University Divinity School Library)