Helping others be healthy is only one of the responsibilities Devi KC has taken on in her remote village, where she serves as a community health volunteer. She is 35 years old, and one of approximately 50,000 people trained in everything from sanitation and nutrition to modern hygiene.

Devi lives in Khata, within the long, narrow Terai Arc landscape, which spans nearly 20,000 square miles of northern India and southern Nepal. The region holds endangered one-horned rhinos, elephants and the world’s largest concentration of tigers. Communities here depend on the forest for food, water and shelter, as well as firewood and income. This is especially true for women, who dominate rural society as many of the men travel abroad to find work.

When asked what has motivated her to volunteer for the past 14 years, Devi says, “I want my friends and family to live long lives.” But she is also motivated by her concern for the forests. “If people are not healthy, they won’t have energy for things like protecting the environment,” she adds. And she knows that without that protection, the natural resources they rely on will disappear.