Nivas

Meet Gibi, one of the newest homeowners in western Nepal.

For years, her nights were filled with fear rather than rest. A leaking roof, cracked walls, and the constant risk of intruders and wildlife made her crumbling home unsafe, but it was all she had.

Three years ago, Gibi lost her husband—and with him, her home, her place in his village, and the life she'd spent years building. She returned to her maternal village with nothing but her two children and the determination to start again.

She began doing labor work and cutting firewood to make ends meet. Yet when work was scarce, there were days she had to ask neighbors to feed her children.

Determined to create a better future for her family, Gibi partnered with NIVAS and the Rural Women Development Center (RWDC) to build a safe, disaster-resilient home.

Now, with a secure roof over her head, Gibi is focused on what comes next. Through community programs and livelihood support, she has started goat farming—building stability step by step.

"If my children can study, maybe they won't have to suffer like I did," she says. "I don't want to have to beg. I just want to live with dignity."

For Gibi, this home is more than shelter. It marks the end of survival and the beginning of a future she is building for her family on her own terms.

Meet Nirmala, a single mother of three and one of our newest homeowners in western Nepal.

Since her husband passed away three years ago, she has been supporting her family by traveling to other cities for daily wage labor.

The family had been living on a small, unregistered plot of land in a crumbling two-room house made of mud bricks. The deteriorating structure offered little protection, leaving Nirmala worried for her daughters’ safety when they were alone at night.

Health issues added to their struggles when her two eldest daughters were diagnosed with sickle cell anemia and since have required regular blood transfusions. Balancing their care while living in such difficult conditions was a constant challenge, so her youngest daughter went to live with an aunt - the only way the family could get by.

Determined that her family should finally live together safely, Nirmala partnered with NIVAS and Rural Women Development Center (RWDC) in 2025 to build a safe, disaster-resilient home.

“I have been looking forward to living together with all three of my daughters, and now it is finally happening,” she shares.

After years of uncertainty and separation, this new home offers more than physical protection to Nirmala and her daughters. It has created an opportunity to bring her family back together, providing a stable environment for her daughters as they grow.

? One female goat in Nepal can produce enough offspring in a year to earn a rural family over NPR 20,000 (~$137 US), enough to pay for school fees, buy food, and cover medicine for months.

At NIVAS, we don’t just build homes; we help our homeowners start home-based businesses too. Together with Tukee Foundation and Rural Women Development Center, we’ve supported over 40 families in starting their goat farming journeys, creating livelihoods that grow alongside their new homes.