Beginning in 1978 CARE was one of the first international aid agencies to work in Nepal. Today, CARE Nepal works to address the systemic and structural causes of poverty and social injustice, such as discrimination based on gender, caste, class and ethnicity; poor governance; and vulnerability from conflict and natural disasters. CARE has identified three core themes for its current programs:

• empowering women
• securing livelihoods and effectively managing natural resources
• addressing equity and social justice

CARE works with some of the poorest, most vulnerable communities in Nepal, focusing on Dalits (people deemed as lower class), socially excluded indigenous people, poor families, marriageable girls and boys, single women, people with HIV/AIDS, and people affected by conflict or disaster.