About Astha

The rationale behind the inception of ASTHA is the realization that the problems of poverty and rural backwardness cannot be addressed through effort of the government alone and complementary programs and initiatives should come from non government sector as well.

Legal status of ASTHA:

ASTHA Nepal is registered by the District Administration Office (DAO), Achham. We have registered originally as Village Development and Women Awareness Centre on Magh 21, 2052 B.S. (Feb 4, 1996). The registration number is 36/052 (DAO-Achham). Upon request the DAO, Achham permitted to change the name of the organization to Association for Social Transformation and Humanitarian Assistance (ASTHA) Nepal on Kartik, 2067 B.S (October, 2010). It is being renewed as per the legal provisions of the local authority. ASTHA Nepal is affiliated with the Social Welfare Council (with affiliation number: 3924/52) and also registered with the Internal Revenue Office, Kathmandu with VAT no 301826679.

Organizational Objectives:

To implement various programs at local level such as adult literacy, Women literacy, Health and Population control to uplift local level socio-economic condition.
To reduce global environment’s negative impacts by implementing various programs such as agricultural improvement, forest conservation, water resources conservation and its effective utilization along with public awareness programs.
To implement various programs for youths to increase their social aberration such as bad friendship, drinking alcohol and further make them active in social development programs.
To implement economic development programme based on public and private partnership.
To implement programs on Human Rights, Media and Information Rights disadvanted and for conflict victims.
To develop local good governance and multi partnership
To implement the programme for long term peace process, human rights and socio-economic transformation.
To assist in promotion and expansion Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs)
To implement the programs for safe drinking water and sanitation
To implement employment generation programme at local level.
To exchange help and cooperation among national and international organizations having same objectives.

The Association for Social Transformation and Humanitarians Assistance (ASTHA-Nepal) is a Nepali non-government, not for profit, social development organization founded and registered in the District Administration Office and affiliated with Social Welfare Council in 1996. ASTHA-Nepal has uplifted living standard of rural people by enhancing their awareness on socio-economic, cultural and environmental issues through various development programs related to awareness raising, entrepreneurship development, community infrastructure development, environment protection, skill development and sustainable development. ASTHA Nepal has 27 years of experience working with poor, dalits, indigenous and marginalized people and their organizations/groups at the grassroots level as a mechanism of enhancing their capacity for rural development. It has been able to expand its diverse development programme in wide geographical area covering 17 districts and the population in Nepal within the short period of time. ASTHA Nepal has been mobilizing the unused and underutilized resources available within the society. ASTHA has been implementing community development programs that focus on social mobilization, capacity building and infrastructure improvement and renovation. ASTHA’s role in the process of development is to serve disadvantaged people by acting development catalyst and service provider towards the achievement of the objectives of the organization.

Strategy and Approach

ASTHA actively integrates a rights based approach of pro-poor development into all areas of its work. This approach is founded on the conviction that each and every human being is a holder of rights and promoting human human rights is an integral part of improving development in Nepal. A right entails an obligation on the part of the government to respect, promote, protect, and fulfill it. The legal and normative character of human rights and the associated government obligations are based on the international human rights treaties and the national laws. Thus, a rights-based approach involves not charity or simple economic growth, but a process of changing systems, actions and priorities to enable and empower people to claim and realize their economic, social, cultural and political rights as well as the right to development. ASTHA has adapted the following two-pronged strategy.

Implement integrated community development projects and conduct action-oriented research focusing on the poorest and most vulnerable (indigenous, Dalit) groups in rural areas

Raise awareness and promote policy changes through policy research, advocacy and lobbying at local, national and international levels on the root causes of poverty, the problems of the poor, social, economic and cultural rights and the right to development.