THEMES
Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR)
What is CBR? The World Health Organization started CBR after the 1978 Alma-Ata Declaration. It aims to improve access to rehabilitation for people with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries by efficiently leveraging local resources (World Health Organization 2010; CBR Guidelines, Introductory Booklet).
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Community-Based Rehabilitation Model
The model focuses on providing person-centered support in the home, prioritizing non-medical assistance tailored to individual needs and backgrounds. CBR workers are often people with disabilities (PWD) or non-professional workers who work in their own communities.
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Improving Quality of Life
CBR interventions target daily activities such as mobility, self-care, and household tasks to help individuals gain independence and confidence.
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Promoting Social Inclusion
The model supports social participation by reducing stigma through education and community efforts, enabling fuller involvement in community life.
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Respect and Recognition
CBR values dignity and personal goals, integrating them into care plans to ensure effective and meaningful support.
Livelihood and Skills Training
In Nepal, there is a twofold crisis: the youth school graduation rate is 26% (UGC,2023), and the unemployment rate among young people is 20.8% (ILO, 2024). Research has shown that this is because the traditional educational systems focus on rote learning rather than the ‘soft skills’ such as leadership, communication, and digital literacy required by today’s economy (Paneru, 2025; Sigdel & Sherpa, 2024). We are committed to assisting programs that expand equitable livelihood options and provide vocational training to empower young people’s futures.
Health and Well-Being Initiatives
One in eight children in the region experiences severe trauma or abuse before age 18. Yet psychological support is almost non-existent in rural communities. The broader situation in South Asia involves even higher overall prevalence rates of childhood adversity alongside a documented ‘treatment gap’ in rural areas (UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA), 2024).
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With our Nepali and Bhutanese partner charities, educators, and consultants, we develop and implement participatory workshops focused on youth emotional well-being/mental health awareness, as well as physical health. We base our workshops on sound research and deliver education to enable the community to continue their implementation. Health screenings can be conducted to provide baseline needs assessments to determine how we can best help our local partners.
Exploitation Prevention
The Nepal Child Labour Report 2021 (based on the 2017/18 Nepal Labour Force Survey) estimates approximately 1.1 million children (aged 5–17) engaged in child labour (Thapa et al., 2021). This is often in hazardous conditions. We strongly believe that all children should be protected from abuse, exploitation, neglect, and harm. We feel that all children, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation, have the right to be protected.
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​KFN recognizes that protecting children is a universal obligation and that organizations that work with children have a role in safeguarding them. Therefore, we provide educational and training programs to children and other groups that work with and for children.