Life in Barathok village is buzzing again. This village, which was plagued by migration for many years due to lack of water, is now looking forward to reversing that trend. The simple reason – water is now available.

Situated in the Kaski District, 200km west of the capital city of Kathmandu, Barathok is marked by its difficult, hilly terrain. A makeshift road leads from the district headquarters of Pokhara to the small village inhabited by Gurungs, a hospitable, ethnic majority predominately made up of women.

The men of the village have mostly gone to work in neighbouring countries as labourers because agriculture has not been a reliable source of income for the people. It is not only the steep terrain, but also the unavailability of water which has prevented the village from growing, not only crops, but also in its number of residents.

Many years ago, when the natural water sources dried up, women took over the daily job of fetching water. This difficult task required the women to walk downhill for hours through the forest to fetch water, subjecting them to the risk of wild animal attacks and physical ailments. Aita Shree Gurung, 61, recounts her experience of the hard labour and pain that still lingers in her tired feet

“My husband is now a retired soldier. Before, he was hardly at home, so it was my sole responsibility to look after my two sons and do the household chores. I had to walk for almost two to three hours everyday just to fetch water. My legs would hurt but I had no choice,” recalls Aita. “Many of our fellow villagers chose to migrate to the lower lands where water was available but I decided to stay back.”

Aita Shree now lives with her husband, a son, a daughter-in-law and a two-year-old grandson. Her eldest son has migrated to work outside Nepal and her younger son also plans to do the same. She runs her household with the money her son sends her. For her, her only assets are her children.

When World Vision first came to Aita Shree’s village in 2005, the community was asked what they needed the most. Their reply was, “Water”.

In 2006, World Vision partnered with the community in a Drinking Water Project to address the shortage of water. The entire construction, which took almost two years to complete due to the harsh terrain, enabled the community to build a lift water system. The system lifts water to the village through two reservoirs constructed and distributed through community taps.

Today, with a community tap at her doorstep, Aita’s face lights up when she talks about how the water woes of her village have come to an end.

On the day the taps were opened, many community members, who had earlier migrated, joined to celebrate the joy of water returning to their village. Voicing the feelings of many like her, Jamuna Gurung says, “I migrated to the flatlands some years ago due to unavailability of water here but now I feel like coming back to live in my own village.”