German NGOs and Political Strife in Nepal, Ram Pratap Thapa, December 2003 German NGOs and Political Strife in Nepal Ram Pratap Thapa 1 German Nepal Friendship Association German-Nepal relationship at all levels – governmental, nongovernmental or popular – has always been very friendly, harmonious and marked by mutual respect and understanding. This is attributable to the long bilateral relationship and especially the existence of numerous small organisations aimed at supporting the Nepali people’s development efforts at the grassroots level and promoting friendship between the two peoples. The founding in 1967, in Cologne, of German-Nepal Friendship Association, the first bilateral organisation, was akin to the initiation of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Since then, a relatively large number of voluntarily-run non­governmental organisations(NGOs) that are active in Nepal or on Nepal’s behalf have emerged and their number keeps growing steadily. When the first conference on such NGOs was held in Bonn, in 1995, only about 25 such organizations were known to exist. Nine years later, now, this number has increased to 50, and a few new ones are born each year. This is also an indication that the German NGOs have so far succeeded in steering clear of the ongoing political strife in Nepal, keeping focused on their humanitarian goals. Involvement Patterns Most of the German NGOs are registered as charitable organisations and generate their funds in Germany from donations to run various support programs in Nepal. Located mainly in the German States of North Rhine Westphalia, Bavaria, Baden Wurttemberg and Hessen, these NGOs are volunteer-operated and thus have virtually no administrative costs. These NGOs differ from each other primarily in terms of their fund-raising capacity and the number of projects initiated and supported by them in Nepal. Measured in this manner, the German-Nepal Help Association is the largest one. There are a few others that belong to this category. Most interestingly, the largest group of NGOs consists of those which are focussing on children, including orphanages, and run child-sponsoring programs for school children and provide support for building school houses in Nepal. The third group of NGOs is concerned with the health sector. They finance health posts, small hospitals and operate mobile health camps. A few newcomers are focussing on the community development sector. In recent years, the tendency has been toward founding NGOs for specific projects such as the building of a particular school, health post, solar lighting or drinking-water supply for a given village. Almost all of the German NGOs are basically geared to humanitarian 1 Ram Pratam Thapa is the head of the German-Nepal Friendship Association, Cologne, Germany.