INF’s work in Nepal empowers, equips and releases communities for life. But it wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of the staff who work hard, rain or shine, for transformed communities.
Get a glimpse of life at work for a CHD staff, Dil, in his own words.
My name is Dil. I am an INF staff member in Surkhet, Mid-Western Region. Fifteen years have passed in my walk with INF. During this period I’ve had the opportunity to get involved in INF’s Community Health and Development work. This opportunity has become the corner-stone of my career. After a few weeks of orientation and training, I went on a field visit and as a result of hard work and diligence I was able to work in community development and transformation – both new areas to me.
Over the years INF has helped me grow by providing training opportunities and today, I am a Village Development Committee Team Leader. Prior to being appointed to this position, I worked in different roles across the organisation – as a Community Facilitator for 10 years as well as an Office Assistant and then Office Secretary for several years. I have a heart for service and am passionate about working with the poor and marginalised guided by the strong values of INF.
As I began working in community development I was able to be part of a diverse range of projects including providing safe drinking water, awareness programmes, health and sanitation education, facilitating groups and leadership trainings. I hold strongly to the statement ‘Transformed person, transformed community’ – I believe that a person working in community development can only help transform their community after they themselves have been transformed. I have realised that this is crucial for creating sustainable community transformation.
My journey has not been without challenges. Often local political leaders have accused me of only wanting to share my religion rather than help the community. I’ve been called a spy and others have said I was wasting the time of people in remote communities. There have even been those who have considered killing me.
Despite all of this opposition, the work of INF, that I have been involved in, has been a testimony and proven every accusation false. I’ve been committed to assisting communities, working positively and creating good working environments. Each of these challenges has helped me grow stronger and more committed than ever to work with the poorest of the poor. This is INF’s commitment – to help people rise up and to show God’s love, that’s what motivates me and gives me renewed strength each day at work.
Community Health and Development [CHD]
The overall goal of INF’s CHD work can be summarised as: ‘Sustainably improved quality of life, especially for poor and marginalised people in INF’s working areas.’
INF aims to achieve this through an approach that emphasises participation from the communities. It is based upon people identifying their own needs and how these can best be met, assisting members of a community to identify a community’s concerns, mobilize resources, and implement solutions. At its heart are three distinctives that together make our CHD model a long-term solution to poverty; We empower, equip and release communities for life.
PRAY | GIVE | GO | SHARE – Please thank God and pray for the community development work of INF and CHD staff like Dil working in the remote areas of Nepal enabling communities to make significant changes to their lives through Self-Help Groups.