Impact of Remittances on the Left Behind Families in Nepal: A Case of Vyas Municipality, Tanahun District

Abstract

This paper examines why and how labor migration from Vyas Municipality, Tanahun, Nepal has mastered changes for the left-behind as well as in their community. The information was collected via interview by using a semi-structured interview with 175 migrant households through snowball sampling method. Focus group discussion and key informant interview also conducted for the in-depth information about remittance and its relation with the social changes of left-behind family members. Descriptive as well as inferential statistics were carried out to analyze the impact of remittance. The research finds that the remittance impacts positively on the social and economic conditions of individual migrants as well as their left-behind families. Improvement in the economic status of migrant households, the involvement of the household in community development activities, and participation of the household in social organizations have brought a positive change in the overall socio-economic status of the migrant households. The potential of migration to impact on other aspects of living conditions, social change and development at community levels are shaped and often limited by existing structures of power. The impact of remittances on economic and the social status of the sampled households is remarkable. The perceived status of the household in the post-migration period is better than that in the pre-migration period. For this purpose, one hundred and seventy-five households having migrant family member were selected for the household survey.