Shangri-La – an earthly paradise, a happy land, isolated from the outside world. Thought to be a mythical Himalayan utopia, this might be it: Humla. – Situated in the Far West of Nepal, Humla is the least developed district in a country which overall ranks 206 in the world in terms of GDP per capita. More than 110 NGOs work in the area. The next road being a few days walk away, the best alternative to reach the region is the 35 minutes flight from Nepalgunj or Surkhet. The 549 metre long runway of Simikot airport, now paved, is also the lifeline of supplies for this beautiful region. Humla is the gateway to Mt. Kailash in Tibet, though the number of tourists is very low.
About 41,000 Humli live in 30 VDCs (Village Development Communities). One of it is Bergaun, a small village of around 40 households, a good 3 hours trek from Simikot. It is said to be the richest VDCs because people belong to the Lama caste and have gained a high living standard trading with Tibet. Houses are built from mud, timber and stone with the lower level of the house for the cattle, the middle level for the kitchen and eventually livingroom and the top level with (shared) bedrooms. They are well equipped with furniture, Chinese metal stoves – once donated by UNICEF (who has now discontinued supporting the village given its development stage) – and even TV. Supposedly some families also own houses in Kathmandu. People live off the food they grow in their vegetable gardens, their cattle and the rice provided by different donors. There is no shop in the village.
Just 30 minutes down the hill (or one hour to come up again) is Thehe, a dusty village with over 400 houses and 2,000 inhabitants. In contrast it is one of the poorest villlages in the region with tiny little houses of no more than 5-8 sq metres for 6-8 family members. The terraced houses are built closely together with wodden ladders connecting the different levels. The flat roofs are the centre of village life with maize, beans and chillies being dried there, children playing football and people sleeping on the terraces during the day. (Because of the small houses the family has to sleep in shifts.)
Students from these two and other smaller surrounding villages go to Ralling Secondary School in Bergaun – the school we have been supporting through our volunteering.
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