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Movement for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Right to Development

ANNUAL REPORT

2014

Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN)

IRRN Annual Report 2014

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EditorSom Rai

Publication Date:April 2015

PublisherRural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN)P.O.Box: 8130, Kathmandu, Nepal

Street Address288 Gairidhara Marg, Gairidhara, Kathmandu, NepalTel: +977-1-4004976/4004507Fax: +977-1-4004508/4443494Email: [email protected] Website: www.rrn.org.np

© RRN 2015

Printed at: S.B. Printers, Kathmandu

II RRN Annual Report 2014

Reproduction and dissemination of information on RRN’s programmes, finances, methods andprocesses contained in the Annual Report 2014 is encouraged on condition that the source isindicated. However, the production of whole or part of this report including financialinformation may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of RRN. RRN highlyappreciates receiving a copy of the publication that uses the materials from this report. Theopinions expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of RRN and those of ourpartners.

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TABLE OF CONTENTSACRONYMS v

FOREWORD vi

1. INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Who We Are 1

1.2 Vision, Mission and Objectives 1

2. STRUCTURE AND RESPONSIBILITIES 3

2.1 General Assembly 4

2.2 Executive Committee 4

2.3 General Management 4

2.4 Approaches and Strategy 5

2.5 Programme Focus 6

2.6 Resources and Facilities 7

3. RRN PROGRAMME AND PROJECTS - 2014 9

3.1 Community Support Programme (CSP-II) 10

3.2 Multi Stakeholder Forestry Programme (MSFP) 13

3.3 Community Initiative for Disaster Risk Reduction Project (CIDP) 15

3.4 Food Security and Disaster Risk Reduction for Marginalised People in Rural Areas of Eastern Nepal (FSDRRMP) 17

3.5 Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation Project (IRDNCP) 20

3. 6 Peace Building from Below (PBB) 23

3.7 Campaign for Integrating Right to Food Policy, Programmes and Institutional Practices in Nepal (CIRFP) 26

3.8 Strengthening Community-Based Biodiversity Management through Sustainable Financing Mechanisms in the Sacred Himalayan Landscape of Nepal (SCBDM) 28

3. 9 Women’s Empowerment through Community Based Sustainable Livelihood Enhancement Project (WEP- II) 31

3.10 Improving Water Security and Sanitation amongst Marginalised Communities (WASH) 34

3.11 Fight Hunger First Initiative in Nepal, Primary Education, Health and Nutrition (FHFIPEHN ) 36

3.12 Education for Vulnerable and Marginalised Children in Nepal (EVMCN) 38

3.13 Right Based Education to Dalit Youths in Nepal (SAMVAD Programme) 41

3.14 Rural Community Empowerment through Strengthening of Social and Economic landscape (SANKALPA Project) 43

3.15 Reintegration of Children/Youths Formerly Associated with Armed Forces & Armed Groups and Children Affected by Armed Conflict (CAFFAG) 45

3.16 Raising Income and Improving Livelihoods of Poor Households by Introducing New/innovative Actors and Practices 46

4. CAMPAIGN, ADVOCACY AND NETWORKING 48

4.1 Promotion and Protection of Rights of the Child 48

4.2 Campaign against Human Trafficking 49

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4.3 Advocacy, Lobbying and Campaigning for Right to Food, Food Sovereignty and Food Security 50

4.4. Advocacy and Campaign for Climate Justice 52

4.5 Campaign for the protection and promotion of Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) 53

4.6 Campaign for Eradication of Poverty and Injustices 44

4.7 Campaign for Tax and Fiscal Justice 56

4.8 Advocacy for Rights of the People of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) 56

5. FINANCIAL OUTLOOK 60

5.1 Independent Auditors' Report 60

5.2 Balance Sheet 61

5.3 Income and Expenditure Statement 62

5.4 Cash Flow Statement 63

6. RRN PEOPLE 64

Executive Committee 64

RRN Staff Members 64

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ACRONYMSBCTS Brahmin, Chhetri, Thakuri and SanyasiCAP Community Adaptation PlanCBPO Community Based People's OrganisationCC Climate ChangeCF Community ForestryCFUG Community Forest User GroupCLTS Community Led Total SanitationDAG Disadvantaged GroupDDC District Development CommitteeDEO District Education OfficerDFSCC District Forestry Sector Coordination CommitteeDSM District Support Mechanism FCHV Female Community Health VolunteerFECOFUN Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal DFO District Forest OfficerFFS Farmers Field SchoolGESI Gender Equality and Social InclusionGoN Government of NepalGPSE Gender, Poverty and Social Equity ICESCR International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural RightsICS Improved Cooking Stoves IGA Income Generation ActivityLAPA Local Adaptation Plans for ActionLDMC Local Disaster Management CommitteeLDRMP Local Disaster Risk Management Plans LFG Local Forest GroupLIP Livelihood Improvement PlanLPC Local Peace CommitteeNAP National Action PlanNERP Nutrition Education Rehabilitation ProgramNTFP Non Timber Forest ProductsODF Open Defecation FreePES Payment for Environment ServicePTA Parent Teacher AssociationRBA Right Based Approach ReFLECT Regenerated Freirean Literacy through Empowering Community TechniquesRtF Right to FoodSHG Self Help GroupSIFFS Sustainable Integrated Forest and Farming Systems SIPs School Improvement PlansSMC School Management CommitteeSST Samvad Support TeamToA Training of AnimatorUNMIN United Nations Mission in NepalVDC Village Development CommitteeVEC Village Education Committee VLPC Village Level Peace CommitteeV-WASH-CC Village WASH Coordination Committee

VRRN Annual Report 2014

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I am very pleased to introduce the RRN Annual Report 2014. This report covers the activitiesand achievements of various community development programmes and projectsundertaken during the year 2014. It also includes the summary report of the RRN'sadvocacy, lobby, campaign and alliance building initiatives on various issues at differentlevels.

RRN was able to successfully implement diverse community development programmesand projects in several districts of the country; covering the Mountain, Hills and Lowlands(Tarai) ecological zones. It is estimated that these programmes benefited over 600,000households.

Implemented in 19 districts of Nepal since 2003, Community Support Programme (CSP)was a flagship programme of RRN. This served as an exemplary programme for “working-in-conflict” and for “immediate post-conflict” environment. It was phased out in 2014. RRNas the lead with the World Food Programme (WFP) and Oxford Policy Management (OPM)as its consortium partners competed in the international bidding process for DFID-fundedCommunity Development Programme (CDP) and was able to secure the bid . This is amatter of great pride to all national NGOs and organizations.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere appreciation to the people, theGovernment, Social Welfare Council, development partners, joint-venture partners,network organisations, and staff, interns and volunteers of the organisation for theircontinuous support, team spirit and solidarity. My special thanks go to Dr. Sarba RajKhadka, Som Rai, Nirjala Pandey, Ankur Thapa and other colleagues for compiling, editingand designing this report.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Prabin Manandhar, former ExecutiveDirector of RRN for the leadership he provided to bring about the results in 2014 and forundertaking institutional and governance reform initiatives at RRN.

Arun Dhoj AdhikaryExecutive Director

VI RRN Annual Report 2014

FOREWORD

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1.1 Who We Are

Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN) is a Nepalinon-government, not for profit, socialdevelopment organisation, initially set up as asmall organisation in 1989 by a group ofgraduates of the Institute of Agriculture andAnimal Science (IAAS) with its initial name of'Grassroots Institute for Training and Services-Nepal' (GRITS-Nepal). By subscribing to thebasic principles of the International RuralReconstruction Movement, GRITS-Nepal wasrenamed and officially registered in 1993 asRural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN). With thepassage of time, RRN has been able to expanditself into one of the fastest growing NGOs inthe country together with its diversedevelopment programmes covering vastgeographical area and population.

RRN enjoys the Special Consultative Status withthe Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) ofthe United Nations since 1997 and is alsoaccredited to the Global Environment Facility(GEF), the UN Framework Convention onClimate Change (UNFCCC), and the GreenClimate Fund (GCF). Currently, it is hosting theSub-Regional Secretariat of the CSOPartnership for Development Effectiveness(CPDE), the Regional Secretariat of the SouthAsia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE),and the International Secretariat of LDC Watch.

Since its inception, RRN has been working withthe poor and marginalised people in ruralNepal to empower them in the process ofmeeting their basic needs, improvinglivelihoods and building their own institutions.It substantially contributes to rural people'sempowerment and socio-economicreconstruction process, by embracing therights-based approaches to development. RRNis also committed to creating an enablingenvironment for building a just, equitable,peaceful and prosperous society throughsocial, economic and political empowermentof the rural poor, particularly the poor ruralwomen, peasants, landless people and otherdisadvantaged and socially oppressed strata ofNepalese society. Therefore, besidesimplementing integrated communitydevelopment programmes at grassroots, it isalso extensively engaged in advocacy,lobbying and networking at local, national andinternational levels to protect and promotehuman rights and social justice.

In the post conflict context of Nepal, RRN haspositioned itself to facilitate conflicttransformation initiatives by adopting theapproach that strongly focuses oninstitutionalising democracy and peacebuilding through reconstruction, rehabilitationand reconciliation - RRR process. In order tosuccessfully embark on such a significantprocess, RRN considers the following key

1RRN Annual Report 2014

1. INTRODUCTION

Commercialvegetable farming

supported byRRN/CSP-II

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aspects - people's genuine participation,gender equality and social inclusion,transparency, accountability, social justice,coordination and collaboration, community'sdemand, and community ownership over theinterventions and sustainability as itsstrategies. RRN, with over 400 staffs andvolunteers, has been able to successfullyimplement diverse community developmentprogrammes and projects in several districts ofthe country; covering the Mountain, Hills andLowlands (Tarai) ecological zones. It isestimated that these programmes havebenefited over 600,000 households.

1.2 Vision, Mission & Objectives

Vision

A world with JUSTICE, EQUALITY, PEACE andPROSPERITY for all citizens.

Mission

To improve the lives of the poorest ruralpeople, particularly rural women, peasants,landless people and other disadvantaged andsocially oppressed strata of Nepalese society byproviding them opportunities for their socio-economic empowerment.

Credo

RRN subscribes to the philosophy andprinciples of the International Rural

Reconstruction Movement, which areencapsulated in its credo. The rural poor havethe potential power for self-development andshould be given opportunities to release anddevelop this power. The rural poor also havepersonal dignity and should be regarded withrespect not pity.

Objectives

RRN adopts the following broad objectives tofulfil its strategies:

- Implement development programmes witha rights-based perspective to improve thesocio-economic status of the poor,oppressed, and vulnerable groups in ruralareas and arrest accelerating naturalresource degradation.

- Conduct action-oriented research onrelevant socio-economic andenvironmental issues and utilise thelearning within its developmentprogrammes and campaigns.

- Publish people-oriented educational,advocacy, and development publicationsfor the rural poor, field workers, and othersinvolved in rural development.

- Campaign at the local, national, andinternational levels on the root causes ofpoverty, human rights violations, and keydevelopment issues.

RRN embraces a two-pronged approach for itsdevelopment intervention: (i) Working withpeasant people by implementing integratedcommunity development projects and action-oriented research focusing on the poorest andmost vulnerable people/groups in rural areasand (ii) Policy research, advocacy, campaignand lobbying at the local, national, andinternational levels on the root causes ofpoverty; the problems of the resource poor;and social, economic, and cultural rights; andthe right to development and environmentaldegradation.

It also works on impacting developmentactivities like emergency relief, rehabilitation,rural infrastructure, life skill development,group savings and credit programmes amongothers. In recent times, RRN has also focused onconflict affected areas pursuing a ‘conflictsensitive development’ approach to create anenvironment for peace building and for theoverall development of affected people.

2 RRN Annual Report 2014

RRN CredoGo to the peasant people

Live among the peasant people

Learn from the peasant people

Plan with the peasant people

Work with the peasant people

Start with what the peasant people know

Build on what the peasant people have

Teach by showing, learn by doing

Not a showcase but a pattern

Not odds and ends but a system

Not a piecemeal but an integrated approach

No about relief but release

Not to conform but to transform


The organisation structure of RRN comprises of the general assembly, executive committee,central management, and field operations.


2. STRUCTURE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Executive Secretary

Thematic Functions• Education• Agriculture and Food Security• Non-farm Livelihoods• Health and Nutrition• Governance and Human Rights• Gender Equality and Social Inclusionand Peace Building

• DRR, Climate Change, Forestryand Environment

• Policy Research, Advocacy and Campaign

Management Functions• Human Resource Management• Monitoring and Evaluation• Publication, Communication & Media Dev.• Information Technology• Administration and Logistics• Finance• Procurement• Maintenance• Training• Legal Advice• Internal and External Audit

General Assembly

Executive Committee

Executive Director

Central RegionalCoordination & Support Office• Resource Centre Management• Monitoring and Evaluation• General Administration

District Offices(Central Region)

• Project Management• District Administration & Finance

Eastern RegionalCoordination & Support Office• Resource Centre Management• Monitoring and Evaluation• General Administration

District Offices(Eastern Region)


District Offices(Mid & Far-Western Region)


Mid and Far-WesternRegional Coordination & Support Office• Resource Centre Management• Monitoring and Evaluation• General Administration

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE


2.1 General Assembly

The General Assembly (GA) of RRN is thehighest body governing the organisation. Itmeets annually to review and provide overallinstitutional policy framework. It reviews andapproves law amendments, strategies,programmes and plans, and ensures that RRNis operating within the overall policyframework towards the organisation’s vision,mission, strategies and objectives. The GA alsoreviews and endorses the annual financialaudit report of the organisation.

2.2 Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is the principalexecutive structure of the organisation thatensures the delivery and implementation ofthe GA’s decisions and resolutions within theoverall policy framework defined by the GA.The committee annually reviews and providesfeedback on the overall progress, plans, andcorresponding budgets of differentprogramme areas and projects. The ExecutiveCommittee also provides funds for operationalcosts.

2.3 General Management

The general management system of theorganisation comprises of the ExecutiveDirector, Central Thematic and ManagementFunctions, Regional Coordination and SupportOffices, and District Offices.

2.3.1 Executive Director

The Executive Director, as the Executive Headprovides strategic leadership and guidance to

RRN and represents RRN on various forums anddrives the vision, mission, strategies, andobjectives of the organisation. The ExecutiveDirector has the general responsibility ofoperating day-to-day management functionsand provides overall supervision to all thematicand management functions comprising ofprogrammes, projects, general administration,human resource management, financialmanagement, and knowledge management.

The Executive Director may appoint senioradvisors to provide advice on thematic andmanagement functions of the organisation.Similarly, the Executive Director may alsoappoint senior associates who should mainly(but not exclusively) be academicians,intellectuals, and practitioners in the generalfield of rural development in Asia. They mayalso represent Africa, Latin America, the MiddleEast and share RRN's progressive outlook andapproach. Senior associates play an active roleto promote RRN’s different working areas andmeet once a year in Nepal to discuss theAnnual Report.

2.3.2 Central Functions

There are two functions at the central level –'Thematic' and 'Management' for collective andsynergetic effects. Different personnel aremade responsible to individually and/or jointlylead these functions. The Executive Directormay also assign thematic heads as projectmanagers to administer RRN’s projects on aday-to-day basis. According to requirement,the Executive Director may also outsource anyfunctions.

Thematic and management heads organiseregular staff meetings to review and planorganisational priorities and achievements.Some of these meetings are held together ororganised separately. According torequirement, regional coordinators and otherofficials are invited to participate in thesemeetings.

Thematic Functions

Thematic functions include: Education;Agriculture and Food Security; Non-farmLivelihoods; Health and Nutrition Security;Governance, Human Rights and PeaceBuilding; Gender Equality and Social Inclusion;Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Climate Changeand Environment; and Policy Research,Advocacy, and Campaign. Advocacy issues


RRN Central Office(Gairidhara,Kathmandu)


deal with democracy, equality, and justice.Thematic heads will lead each thematicfunction and project as project manager andbe responsible for human resourcemanagement as assigned by the ExecutiveDirector.

Management Functions

Management functions include: HumanResource Management; Monitoring andEvaluation; Publication, Media andCommunication; Information Technology;Administration and Logistics; Finance;Procurement; Maintenance, Training, LegalAdvice; and Internal and External Audit.Managers will lead each core managementfunction and also be responsible for humanresource management functions as assignedby the Executive Director.

2.3.3 Regional Coordination andSupport Office

There are three regional coordination andsupport offices headed by RegionalCoordinators. The regional coordination andsupport offices are located in Biratnagar,Chitwan, and Nepalgunj. Based on RRN’sstrategic work plan, each office reviews its unitfunction on a quarterly basis and providesprogress reports to the Executive Director.

2.3.4 District Office

According to the requirements of projectimplementation, district offices are headed byDistrict Coordinators. Based on the projectwork plan, each district office reviews its fieldfunction on a quarterly basis and providesprogress reports to the Project Manager andRegional Coordinator. The District Coordinatorwill be responsible for the overall districtoperation including coordinating andreporting on all the projects within the districts.The Executive Director appoints the DistrictCoordinator among the project officers.

2.4 Approaches and Strategy

In order to realise its objectives, RRN embracesthe following strategic approaches for itsprogramme and project implementation:

Rights Based Approach: The Rights BasedApproach of pro-poor development is foundedon the conviction that all human beings areholders of their rights. A right entails an

obligation on the part of the government torespect, protect, fulfil, and promote it. The legaland normative character of human rights andassociated obligations are based on theinternational human rights instruments andthe national laws. Thus, a rights basedapproach does not involve charity or simpleeconomic growth, but a process of changingsystems, actions and priorities by enabling andempowering people to claim and realise theireconomic, social, cultural, civil and politicalrights including the right to develop theircommunities.

Inclusivity: The inclusive approach ofdevelopment is the process of ensuring that allmarginalised and excluded people and groupsfrom diverse geographical areas and culturesare included in the development process byreleasing them from social, psychological,cultural and institutional barriers with a view tofacilitate them to enjoy the benefits ofdevelopment programmes.

Sustainability: If development is related toimproving the quality of life of the people,sustainability is about understanding andachieving social, economic, and environmentalbalance among community members andproviding them with a healthy, productive, andmeaningful life in the present and the future.

Democracy and Participation: Democracyand participation is key to ensuring inclusivedevelopment. It exercises democraticprinciples and decision-making powers andinvolves genuine participation andempowerment of stakeholders, mostimportantly community beneficiaries. Itinculcates community ownership of


Eastern RegionalCoordination andSupport Office(Bhattachowk,Biratnagar)


development programmes while maintainingtransparency, accountability, and goodgovernance in the implementation ofdevelopment projects and policies.

Development from Below: RRN’sdevelopment from below approach mobilisesand engages those who are unreachable orthose who have been left far behind in thedevelopment process. Development reportsreveal that conventional development effortshave failed to bring these communities withinthe framework of the development agenda.Consequently, these communities are furtherpushed towards the extreme periphery of thedevelopment boundary. Therefore, RRNprioritizes these communities first withbenefits of development initiatives.

Coordination and Collaboration: As far aspossible, RRN maintains the highest level ofcoordination and collaboration with national,district, and village level governments,government-line agencies, funding partners,civil society, and the private sector. The mainpurpose of this approach is to create a synergyeffect with development stakeholders andincrease development effectiveness by sharinginformation, resources, and good lessons fromelsewhere.

Integrated Intervention: RRN’s developmentinterventions are designed to address theinterlinked problems in a holistic manner thandealing with them in isolation or singly. Thefour interlinked areas of education, health,livelihoods and self-government are the majorintegrating components of our undertakings.

RRN Embraces Two-Pronged Strategyfor Development Intervention

Implement integrated communitydevelopment projects and action-orientedresearch focusing on the poorest and mostvulnerable people/groups in rural areas.

Raise awareness and influence policyenvironment through policy research,advocacy, and development campaigns. Lobbyat the local, national, and international levelson the root causes of poverty; the problems ofthe resource poor; social, economic, andcultural rights; and the right to developmentand environmental degradation.

2.5 Four-fold Approach

All developmentprogrammes of RRNfocus on the fourfoldapproach of RuralReconstruction as thefoundation upon whichits programme andproject activities arebased on. The focus lies

on the following four key building blocks:

Education: to combat illiteracy and ignoranceand provide exposure to the outside world

Sustainable livelihoods: to fight poverty andhunger

Health: to prevent disease and promote rightsto health

Self-Government: to overcome civic inertiathrough institutional development leading toself-reliance

Education: RRN implements educational andawareness raising programmes with thecredence that a human being cannot be aperfect human being in the real sense till s/heis aware of his/her rights. Awareness andeducation are essential to human progress.Besides the vital necessities of life like food,clothing, and shelter, people have a right toeducation. RRN’s awareness and educationalprogrammes target mostly those who are inthe state of chronic poverty and are constantlystruggling to fulfill their basic needs and areusually left out by conventional developmentprogrammes.


Mid-regionalCoordination andSupportOffice(Khairahani,Chitwan)


Sustainable Livelihoods: A sustainablelivelihood framework encompasses theactivities intended to help disadvantagedmembers of society to meet their dailysubsistence needs in a manner that ispersonally dignified, culturally appropriate, andenvironmentally sustainable.

RRN believes that the principal need of therural resource poor is not temporary relief fromtheir sufferings but the release anddevelopment of their innate intellectual,productive, physical, political, and organisingpowers. It believes in promoting livelihoodsdevelopment activities and enabling ruralcommunities and the present generation toundertake development initiatives that meettheir short and long-term needs withoutcompromising the ability of future generationsto meet their needs.

Health: The capacity of people to adapt andrespond to life’s challenges and changes lies intheir healthy lives. The philosophy of RuralReconstruction supports the transformation of‘sick societies’ into ‘healthy societies’ not only inthe physical sense but also in the social,psychological, political, and economic sense.Health and nutrition problems in Nepal arevaried, enormous, and spiraling, particularlyamong the rural poor and this has greatlyimpeded their self-development. RRN,therefore, tries to integrate a community healthcomponent into its development programme.It places emphasis on preventive measures;however, curative measures are also an integralpart of our health intervention. Our healthrelated activities include: nutrition, sanitation,drinking water, capacity building of health careprofessionals and institutions, healtheducation, outreach/mobile health clinics,community drug rehabilitation, andimmunisation programmes, among others.

Self-Government: Inculcating a sense of self-government is indispensable for sustainabledevelopment. Self-government is understoodin terms of democratic exercise andparticipation and inclusion into governance byempowering the deprived and marginalisedpeople in society. RRN follows the principle thatdevelopment must be planned andundertaken primarily by the ‘insiders’ – the verypeople for whom it is meant for to be relevantand sustainable. Development workers – the‘outsiders’ – can help by facilitating aparticipatory process through which thepeople organise themselves and collectively

analyse their situation, identify their problems,articulate their demands, select and plansolutions, mobilise resources and thenimplement, monitor, share benefits andevaluate actions taken on. The process ofempowerment, self-reliance, and self-government includes: awareness raising andactive participation in analysing problems,opportunities and constraints; capacitybuilding through management; leadership andtechnical skills training; and federating andnetworking between people’s organisations. Asone of the vital components of its programmes,RRN encourages and facilitates the people tobuild their own organisations and institutionsfor their own development. Such people’sgroups form the building blocks for bottom-uporganisational development and promotinggenuine participation in the developmentprocess.

2.6 Resources and Facilities

Over the years, RRN has developed areasonable resource base to respond to thedevelopment needs of the communities andthe people. These resources mainly includehuman, physical, and institutional capacities.

Human Resources

RRN possesses an established pool of humanresources with high level of academic trainingand multiple years of experience in diversefields. RRN staffs have practical expertise andhands-on experience of working withcommunities in rural settings in connectionwith community development programmes.Their key expertise include: designingdevelopment programmes/projects,


Western RegionalCoordination andSupport Office(Nepalgunj)


community facilitation, organisation andmobilisation, monitoring and evaluation,human resource and institutionaldevelopment, coordination, networking,resource generation, livelihood development,gender and social inclusion, research, humanrights and advocacy, and organisingcampaigns. RRN is well staffed with amultidisciplinary management team in its

central office, three regional coordination andsupport offices, and project districts.

Physical Resources

The organisation is well equipped withnecessary modern communication facilitiessuch as telephone, fax, e-mail, internet, Wi-Fi,video conferencing, and other necessary officesupplies and equipments to carry out day-to-day businesses.

RRN possesses a wide variety of physical assetssuch as motor vehicles (four-wheelers andmotorbikes), office and training buildingsequipped with necessary appliances such ascomputers, scanners and printers, photocopymachines, LCD projectors, etc. RRN also has amultipurpose conference hall at its centraloffice building, appropriate for organisingvarious types of events with a capacity toaccommodate about 100 people comfortably.

Community Learning and Resource Centres

With an objective of achieving positive impactson the lives of the resource poor andmarginalised people in the rural area, RRN hasestablished multipurpose resource centres inMorang, Sankhuwasabha and Chitwan Districtsand a similar resource centre in Banke Districtis currently under construction. The existingcentres are fully equipped with modern audio-visual learning facilities to organise training,workshops, and conferences. These trainingcentres and halls can also be rented out toother individuals and organisations fordevelopment related activities.


Community Learning and ResourceCentre, (Jhorahat, Biratnagar)

Community Learningand Resource Centre(Tumlingtar,Sankhuwasabha)

When we talk about democracy, if the people's stomach is

empty, democracy is also empty. Democracy can not be

installed by fiat; it must be achieved by the people

themselves.- Y. C. James Yen



3. RRN PROGRAMMES AND PROJECTSS.No. Projects Location Period Funding Partner(s)

1. Community Support Programme (CSP)

Rolpa, Banke, Bardiya, Kanchanpur,Salyan, Dang, Ilam, Jhapa, Morang,Sunsari, Siraha, Saptari, Bhojpur,Khotang, Sankhuwasabha, Solukhumbu,Mahottari, Sarlahi and Dhanusha

April 2010 - March 2014

DFID/UKaid

2. Multi Stakeholders Forestry Programme (MSFP)Dhankuta, Terathum, Bhojpur andSankhuwasabha

March 2013 - July 2016

SDC, DFID and Government ofFinland

3.Community Initiatives for Disaster Risk ReductionProject (CIDP)

ChitwanDecember 2011 -March 2015

ShaplaNeer

4.Food Security and Disaster Risk Reduction forMarginalised People (FSDRRMP)

Morang, Sankhuwasabha andRamechhap

September 2011 -September 2014

Ministry of Development(BMZ) Germany and DeutscheWelthungerhilfe (DWHH)

5.Integrated Rural Development and NatureConservation in the Mountainous Regions ofChitwan District (MDG Village)

Chitwan (KORAK)August 2011 -December 2014


6. Peace Building from Below (PBB) Sankhuwasabha and BhojpurDecember 2013 -September 2014

NPTF

7.Campaign for Integrating Right to Food Policies,Programme and Institutional Practices in Nepal(RTFPPP)

Banke, Dailekh and SurkhetJanuary 2014 -December 2015

Bread for the World

8.

Strengthening Community-Based DiversityManagement through Sustainable FinancingMechanisms in the Sacred Himalayan Landscapeof Nepal (SCBDM)

Eastern development region: Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale (TMJ) Rhododendron areain Sankhuwasabha, Terhathum andTaplejung districts.

January 2014 -December 2017


9Women’s Empowerment through CommunityBased Sustainable Livelihood EnhancementProject (WEP- II)

Jhule, Hawa & Mirge VDCs of DolakhaDistrict

July 2010 to June 2016

Hilfswerk der KatholischenJungshar (DKA), Austria

10.Improving Water Security and Sanitation amongstMarginalised Communities (WASH)

Chitwan, Ramechaap andSankhuwasabha

July 2012 - June2015

Vivacon Agua/WHH

11.Fight Hunger first Initiatives in Nepal/PrimaryEducation, Health and Nutrition - first phase(FHFIPEHN)

Morang, Chitwan and RamechaapFebruary 2013 -December 2016


12.Education for Vulnerable and MarginalisedChildren in Nepal (EVMCN)

Sindhupalchok, Dolakha and RamechhapMarch 2010 -February 2014

European Commission

13.Right Based Education to Dalit Youths in Nepal(SAMVAD Programme)

Makwanpur and BaraJanuary 2013 -December 2017

Stromme Foundation

14.Rural Community Empowerment throughStrengthening of Social and Economic Landscape(Sankalpa Project)

MakwanpurApril 2011 - March2014

Stromme Foundation

15.Reintegration of Children/Youths FormerlyAssociated with Armed Forces & Armed Groupsand Children Affected by Aremed Conflict

Sankhuwasabha and BhojpurJuly 2013 -December 2014

PAG

16.Raising Income and Improving Livelihoods ofPoor Households by Introducing New/inovativeActors and Practices

Dhankuta and BhojpurJuly 2014 -February 2015

SDC, DFID and Government ofFinland

17 RtFN: Right to Food CampaignThroughout Nepal but Udaipur, Sirahaand Okhaldhunga in particular.

January 2014 -December 2014

Care Nepal/ DCA/LWF/OxfamGB


Introduction

Since July 2003, CSP (Phase I) was implementedwith the support of DFID Nepal. The projectwas extended for the second phase from April2010 to March 2012 and, again, for two moreyears from April 2012 to June 2014 aiming toreduce poverty and promote social inclusionand increase access to community-baseddevelopment opportunities for the poor andexcluded. The Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)component was mainstreamed intoprogramme activities to prepare localcommunities to reduce possible losses fromdisasters and be better prepared during naturalcalamities. Since the programme’s inception,RRN has been one of the programimplementing partners of DFID Nepal. Out of44 CSP districts, RRN has covered 19 districts.

Objectives

The overall goal of CSP phase II extension wasto reduce poverty and promote social inclusionin 44 districts of mid-western, far-western,central, and eastern regions of Nepal. CSPphase II aimed at improving access tocommunity-based development opportunitiesfor poor and marginalised groups within thefour regions. The extension period of CSPphase II focused on the following objectives:

- To improve disaster resilient basic serviceinfrastructure;

- To ensure that communities are able toeasily access services related to disasterpreparedness;

- To strengthen the capacity of poor andexcluded communities, including womenand girls and to carry out social actionsfocusing on their rights, thereby generatingsustained income;

- To improve community planning,monitoring and accountability processes atthe district development committee (DDC)and village development committee (VDC)level and promote CSP good practices;

- To increase climate and natural shocksresilience of vulnerable communitiesincluding women and girls.

Expected Results

Improved access of poor and excluded people,including women and girls to community-based development opportunities andenhanced preparation to cope against naturaldisasters.

Key Achievements

- A total of 4,320 students (female: 2,207 andmale: 2,113) have benefited from theprogramme. The number of school goingstudents has also increased especiallyamong the primary level. Schoolattendance has increased and because ofgood roofing and availability of classrooms,schools remained open even duringextreme weather conditions. Overall, theproject has created a favourableenvironment for teaching and learning.

- Sub-health posts have been supportedwith the construction of buildings andhealth equipment facilities. As a result, localpeople have been able to access differenttypes of health services while institutionaldelivery increased by 25%.

- Supporting irrigation facilities has helpedincrease production by 30%. Crop resourceshave also been preserved by increasingcropping intensity.

- Women participation in users’ committeeshas increased from 42% to 48% with projectinterventions.


3.1 Community Support Programme (CSP-II)

Geographic Coverage: Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, Khotang,Solukhumbu, Ilam, Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha,Dhanusa, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Salyan, Rolpa, Dang, Banke,Bardia and Kanchanpur

Project Duration: April 2010 to June 2014

Budget: NPR 1,160,046,400

Funding Partner/s: DFID/UKaid

Target Group: 77,358 households (179,160 beneficiaries)benefited from the project. Male: 89,461 (49%) and Female:89,699 (51%)

Composition by Ethnicity: Total number of beneficiaries:179,160 (Brahmin, Chettri, Thakuri, and Sanyasi (BCTS):42,932; Relatively Advantaged Janjati (RAJ): 5,863; RelativelyDisadvantaged Janjati (RDAJ): 59,944; Dalit: 29,837; OtherExcluded Caste (OEC): 24,637; and Religious Minority (RM):15,947.


- The Citizen Awareness Centres (CACs) havebecome a common forum to discuss anddebate several issues of the disadvantaged,voiceless, and excluded groups of thecommunity. 107 claims have been made bythe CAC to local government line agencies.

- IGA support and vocational trainings havesupported an average annual income ofNPR 25,000 per household. This has beenverified by on-the-spot observation andinteraction with participating members.

- 81 Local Disaster Risk Management Plans(LDRMPs) have been prepared andendorsed from the VDC council in 19 CSP-IIimplementing districts.

Impact on Gender Equality andSocial Inclusion (GESI) andEnvironment

The GESI concerns were addressed in manyproject activities that were conducted atdifferent levels. RRN/CSP gave utmost priorityto women and DAG communities to improvetheir capacity through the incorporation ofconstruction management, GESI, and otherawareness activities. Each user committee wasformed in an inclusive manner with a goodrepresentation of both genders.

Women were empowered through many CACclasses. Under their leadership, numerousinfrastructure activities were demanded as well

as implemented. Many CAC members werealso engaged in income generating activitieswhich led to an increase in livelihoodopportunities. At the community level, CACwomen members were involved in advocacyand human rights activities.

The CSP was concerned about potentialenvironmental that might have arisen due toinfrastructural and other support activities. Theprogramme ensured that infrastructures theywere supported small in size and had minimumimpact on the environment. From site selectionto the completion of the project, programmestaffs continuously monitored the workprogress and were aware of any possibledamages to the environment. Communitymembers, mainly those representing theconstruction committee and sub-committees,were oriented on disaster risk reduction duringtraining programmes on GESI, RBA, DRR andpublic audit. In Bardiya, Dang, Sarlahi, Siraha,and Jhapa Districts CSP supported farmers whopracticed Integrated Pest Management (IPM)with commercial vegetable farming. This efforthelped to produce organic vegetables andreduce the risk of health hazards frompesticides along with air and soil degradation.

In addition, to prevent and mitigate floods andlandslides, RRN/CSP also established a forestnursery and distributed saplings to be plantedon river banks and barren land in the same fivedistricts.


Dr. Arjun Karki,President of RRN

addressing the 'FinalSharing Workshop ofCommunity SupportProgramme (CSP-II)'


Lessons Learnt

- Inclusion of poor, excluded people andwomen in construction/managementcommittees helped to improve theircapacity and build social harmony in thecommunity.

- Proper and transparent information helpedimprove community involvement andreceive the community’s support tocomplete the project on time.

- Formation of an independent monitoringand public audit committee was moreeffective to ensure transparency andincreased accountability among committeeand community members.

- There was lesser risk of funds and in-kindsupport being misused when self-monitoring took place among group

members. Project activities were also bettersupported and sustained in the community.

- The training programme helped IntegratedPlanning Committee (IPC) and Ward CitizenForum (WCF) members to learn aboutplanning processes at the VDC level.However, such training programmes shouldbe provided to all members instead of a fewselected and should be carried out beforethe initiation of VDC planning processes.

- The installation of DRR message boards waseffective to increase awareness amongcommunity people and students onprevention and mitigation of naturaldisasters. However, such message boardsshould be installed in places that are moreaccessible by the public like schools andhealth posts.


CAC Made Lalita Self ReliantLalita Sardar, 40, is an inhabitant of Thalaha-1 of Morangdistrict. Having two small children, she had to makeconsistent effort to sustain their livelihood. When she becameone of the active members of Ramjanaki CAC three years ago,she started exploring alternative ways of livelihood.Assessing the needs of CAC members, RRN Morang providedpiglets to 7 women of the group. Lalita was among thosewhoreceived a piglet in 2067 BS. In the same year, her pig gavebirth to 5 piglets. She sold 4 piglets for NRs 1,600 each andearning NRs 6,400 in total. She also provided one piglet toanother member of the CAC as a revolving fund. In secondthe round, she again earned NRs 62,000 from selling newpiglets. Now, she has switched her pig-farming business to apoultry-farm.

Lalita had invested NRs 54,000 on poultry business andearned NRs 69,000 in the first lot itself. She expects to earnmore from the second lot. Lalita happily said, "Now, even my

husband has changed his duty from a wage-earner and became a vegetable vendor. If we are able to managetime and business properly we do not need to go to foreign countries in search of employment." Shementioned that they are able to afford the school fees for their elder son and run their livelihood easily.

She further mentioned, "Nowadays, villagers in the locality come to me to learn about pig-farming and poultry-farming. I am managing my work in the best way possible." she has become an ideal person in their localityand many locals have started imitating her.

Technical know-how of the experts must be

transformed into practical do-how of the people.

- Y. C. James Yen


Introduction

MSFP is the product of the multi-stakeholderdesign process, which was recently practicedin Nepal for the first time. Lessons learnt fromall programmes launched by the GoN in theforestry sector have reinforced that strongmulti-stakeholder coordination mechanisms atdifferent levels are crucial for achieving impactson locally managed forests and the livelihoodof poor people. Likewise, an empowered anddemocratically governed community is equallyvital to achieve this feat. These lessons havebeen used to scale up the MSFP into newgeographical areas and cover new sub-sectors,and to support reforms that will furtherdemocratise and decentralize the forestrysector.

RRN, as a lead organisation in a joint venturearrangement with Forest Action (FA), has beenimplementing MSFP programme in fourdistricts of Koshi hill (Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur,Tehrathum and Dhankuta) under cluster 1 (Lot-1) among 6 separate and distinct Lots that areimplemented in 23 selected districts. RRN hasbeen implementing the programme in thesefour districts in partnership with local levelorganisations known as Local ImplementingPartner Organisations (LIPOs). Whereas, FA isresponsible of piloting enterprise model,knowledge management and thedocumentation part of the programme.

MSFP has been implemented in closecoordination with district stakeholders whoensure transparency, accountability andparticipation during its implementation. Jointmonitoring programme through DFSCC hasbeen used as a platform to showcase MSFPactivities among the stakeholders.

Objective

To improve the livelihoods and resilience ofpoor and disadvantaged people in Nepal.

Expected ResultThe expected outcomes of the project are:

- Government and non-state actors jointlyand effectively implement inclusive forestsector strategies, policies and plans

- Increase job opportunities in the Privatesector (farmers, entrepreneurs, and

financial institutions) by investing in theforestry sector

- Rural communities – especially poor,disadvantaged and climate vulnerablepeople and households - benefit from localforest management and other investments

- Forests and trees sustainably managed andmonitored by government, communitiesand private sector and climate resilient

Key Achievements

- 15 District Forestry Sector CoordinationCommittee (DFSCC) meeting and 3 MultiStakeholder District Support Mechanism(DSM) meeting have been conducted,

- Three joint monitoring visit have beenconducted,

- 59 forest based enterprises have beensupported which created 749 jobs fordisadvantaged group

- 16 new forest user groups have beenformed,

- 282.68 ha additional area brought undercommunity management,

- 768 additional households with access tomanagement of forests,

- 288 LFGs members have been supportedand benefitted with good governance andGESI activities

- Livelihood support (Pro-poor IGA, LIPsupport, Quick Impact IGA and CF Land


3.2 Multi Stakeholder Forestry Programme (MSFP)

Geographic Coverage: Four districts of Koshi Hills:Sankhuwasava, Terathum, Bhojpur and Dhankuta (MSFP LotNo. 1)

Project Duration:March 2013 to July 2016

Budget: NPR. 325,407,473

Funding Partner/s: Swiss Agency for Development andCooperation (SDC) , Department for InternationalDevelopment (DFID) of United Kingdom and Government ofFinland (GoF)

Target Group: 23,442 HHs (117,210 Beneficiaries) Poor,disadvantaged people and vulnerable groups in Nepalfocusing on women, Dalits, Janajatis and climate vulnerablegroups.


Allocation) has been provided to 3778 poorand disadvantaged group,

- Pre-SLC scholarships have been provided to145 students from DAG and CC vulnerableHHs,

- 16 new Operational Plan and 248Operational Plan were revised byincorporating CAP and GESI,

- 211 communities have CommunityAdaption Plan (CAP),

- Solar panels have been distributed to 661HHs and ICS support have been provided to83 HHs,

- 75 Conservation activities have beencarried out,

- 1 PES study has been carried out and 1 PESmechanism initiated,

- 3 Farmer Field Schools have beenestablished.

Impact on GESI and Environment

Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) orGender, Poverty and Social Equity (GPSE) is oneof the key strategies of the programme. GESI orGPSE has been incorporated in all the activitiesand partner organisations have been clearlyinstructed and facilitated to do the same. Theprogramme interventions have prioritisedsupport for empowering poor, disadvantagedand vulnerable groups focusing on women,Dalits, Janajatis and and those who are at theforefront of climate change.

All activities have, therefore, been conductedconsidering the ecosystem and environmentalbalance. Formation and or revision of LAPAs,CAPAs, their implementation, sustainableforest management, Payment for Ecological

Services, NTFP cultivation, nurseryestablishment and support, watershedmanagement coaching and its integration onCFOP, ecosystem based adaptation- all havebeen designed and implemented withconsideration of the environmental balance.This has been helpful to sensitise and preparethe local communities to consider adaptivemeasures for climate change and its long termimpact as well as promote initiatives to reducethe effects of climate change on environmentand livelihood.

Lessons Learnt

- Regular coordination and networking withthe stakeholders creates synergy forimplementation of programme andprovides an opportunity to exchangemultiple ideas and opinions,

- Participatory method for the identificationof the poor and CC vulnerable HHs at thegrassroots level is the best and still followthe process of NAPA and LAPA guidelinemake free and fair,

- Traditional skills and/or acquired skills ofIGA participants are the key tools forsuccessful IGA and should be addressedwhile facilitating the enterprise selectionprocess,

- Appropriateness of technology based onhousehold socio-economic status is crucialwhile selecting the enterprise. For example,availability of feed in the case of pig rearing,availability of irrigation and suitability ofland in the case of vegetable farming, etc.,

- Based on remoteness and povertyprevalence, the activity should focus on thecluster area rather than wider geographicalcoverage with scattered activities, which isnot rational to bring tangible impacts.


A mandemonstrating Loktapaper (handmade)making process(Bhojpur)


Introduction

RRN in partnership with Shapla Neer, Japanimplemented the Disaster Preparedness andSustainable Livelihood Project (DPSDP) from2007 to 2010 as the first phase of CIDP inKabilas and Kumroj VDCs of Chitwan district.The project aimed to reduce the impact ofwater induced disasters and carried out variousdisaster-preparedness and mitigation activitieswith the local Community Based People'sOrganisations (CBPOs). Through theimplementation of DPSDP, it was learnt thatdisaster-preparedness and mitigation shouldbe integrated with the livelihood activities tostrengthen the community participation.

Thus, the 'Community Initiatives for DisasterRisk Reduction Project (CIDP) was then initiatedand implemented in Chitwan from December2011 as the second phase of DPSDP. The mainfocus of the project is to strengthenmanagement capacity of the people living inflood prone areas. Therefore, CIDP has devisedmany activities to raise awareness on DisasterRisk Reductions (DRR) issues and strengthentheir capacity.

Objective

The overall goal of this project is to reducedisaster risk through strengtheningcommunity based disaster preparednessprogrammes in water-induced disaster areas inChitwan District through collaborationbetween villagers and the government.

Expected Results

- Disaster preparedness and environmentrelated information have been shared withlocal communities.

- Existing coping mechanism against floodsat the local level have been strengthened.

- Villagers’ skills to advocate local issues tolocal governments have been strengthenedso that it becomes possible for them toaccess government resources bythemselves.

Key Achievements

- Flood related information was compiledand hazard maps were prepared at the tolelevel. Thirteen Disaster Management Plans

(DMP) were also revised and prepared in 16toles. The communities are now awareabout flood control mechanism of thegovernment which helped the communitypeople to coordinate with the governmentline agencies at the time of an emergency,

- LDMC and LDRMP were formed in Gardiand Bagauda VDCs. 50% villagersunderstood the information described inthe hazard maps. Evacuation drills werepracticed by 810 villagers

- During monsoon, early warnings againstnatural disasters were provided to thecommunities in Madi through radioprogrammes and distribution of calendars,

- 12 flood coping mechanisms wereidentified and shared through differentactivities among different HHs,

- By the initiation of villagers, nine small-scaleinfrastructures (for e.g., building ofembankments, safe shelters, bio-engineering structures, etc.) and nineCBPOs were established and maintenanceplans were developed,

- 1400 households received contingencyplans and knowledge on evacuation routes,safe shelters during natural disasters,emergency material, and contact lists, etc.


CIDP has facilitated to incorporate meaningfulparticipation of women and disadvantagedgroups (Dalits and other minority groups), andthose most vulnerable to disaster situations inthe development process and empower themto access available funds in the programme. Asa result of project’s intervention, women are


3.3 Community Initiative for Disaster Risk (CIDP)

Geographic Coverage: Chitwan District

Project Duration: April 2013 to June 2016

Budget: NPR 9,011,238

Funding Partner: Shapla Neer

Target Group: Total households: 1789 (9,293 beneficiaries),Male: 4664 (50.18%) and Female: 4629 (49.82%)

Composition by Ethnicity:Dalit: 151, Janajati: 1241, BCTS:330 and Madheshi: 66


more aware of disaster issues and they nowpossess skills of disaster management.

The project also envisages opportunities tosupport CBPOs to use sustainableenvironmental measures in order to reducedisaster risks at the local level. Environmentalanalysis of the project indicates that someactivities supported by the project may havenegative impacts if not effectively planned andimplemented. For example, minor adverseimpacts may occur while constructing smallinfrastructure schemes such as buildingembankments, gabions, and check dams, etc.Therefore, the project has been adoptingmitigation measures developed by theGovernment of Nepal’s EnvironmentalAct/Policies.

Lessons Learnt

- The inclusion of poor, excluded people andwomen in construction/managementcommittees helped create social harmony

in the community and also helped withcapacity building,

- Villagers were encouraged to completeproject activities on time and became moreinvolved in community work when therewas a proper dissemination of informationand when projects were carried outproperly.

- The formation of an independentmonitoring and public auditing committeewas more effective in ensuringtransparency which ultimately increasedaccountability among the committee andcommunity members.

- The training provided to IPC and WCFmembers helped them to learn aboutplanning processes carried out at the VDClevel. However, such training programmesshould be provided to all members insteadof a few selected ones and should beconducted before the start of the VDCplanning process.


People'sparticipation in spurconstruction(Chitwan)

We work with the people not out of pity

but out of respect for their potential for

growth and development, both as individuals

and as communities.Y. C. James Yen


Introduction

The FSDRRMP project was implemented inRamechhap, Sankhuwasabha, and Morangdistricts to improve food availability amongmarginalised farmers by providing them withagricultural infrastructure support and skilldevelopment trainings. The project aimed forthe development and promotion of integratedfarming systems, which eventually helpedincrease and diversify smallholder productions.The farmers were provided trainings on kitchengardening, cultivating fruits, vegetables andanimal husbandry. The trainings were furthersupplemented by raising awareness within thetargeted communities regarding health andnutrition, promotion of local seed productionand development of appropriate irrigationsystems. In an effort to improve the incomesituation, the members of cooperatives weresupported in their efforts to produce, processand market high quality organic forests andagricultural products. Representatives from thecooperatives were facilitated to participate inexposure visits and youths were trained insustainable agriculture. The project alsosupported the community farmers to improvetheir market access by constructing andupgrading the rural roads. Disaster riskreduction through capacitating communityand constructing small mitigationinfrastructure were some of the majorcomponents of the project.

Objectives- To empower 5,300 food insecure

households in three rural districts of Nepaland bring about long-term improvement intheir food situation through sustainable useof available resources,

- To enable selected communities to bebetter prepared to cope with naturaldisasters and calamities,

- To foster participation of differentpopulation groups to partake in decision-making processes at the village level todevelop proper physical structures indisaster prone areas and mechanisms that

will ensure food security among poor HHs,

- To ensure that local authorities are involvedin the implementation of project activitieson an on-going basis.

Expected Results

- Participatory planning and developmentprocesses have been strengthened andestablished at the community level.

- Knowledge on nutrition and health relatedissues have also been disseminated in threecommunities.

- Food availability has improved in theproject area.

- In three communities, civil society groups,local institutions and authorities have beenapplying their capacity and differentmechanisms and structures in a sustainableand effective manner to improve disastermanagement on a long term basis.

- By increasing and diversifying agriculturalproduce new marketing structures havebeen developed while new sources ofincome have also been generated in thecommunities.


3.4 Food Security and Disaster Risk Reduction forMarginalised People in Rural Areas of Eastern Nepal(FSDRRMP)

Geographic Coverage: Jante and Letang VDCs of Morangdistrict; Siddhakali and Siddhapokhari VDCs ofSankhuwasabha district; Gelu and Chisapani VDCs ofRamechhap district

Project Duration: September 2011 to December 2014


Funding Partner: Welthungerhilfe/Federal Ministry forEconomic Cooperation and Development - BMZ

Target Group: 6,891 households (approx. 38,611individuals) Male: 19,057(49.36%), Female: 19,554 (50.64%)

Composition by Ethnicity: Dalit: 3,368 (8.72%); Relativelydisadvantaged Janajati: 15,825 (40.99%); AdvantagedJanajati: 3,484 (9.02%); BCTS groups: 15,887 (41.15%); otherexcluded groups: 47 (0.12%)


Key Achievements

- Six community centres (one at each VDC)work as resource centres for agricultural,education and awareness, health andcommunity forestry,

- Irrigated 1521.5 ha of land of 2521 farminghouseholds through construction/rehabilitation of 32 irrigation systems,

- Introduced additional 4-6 crop varieties to1332 farmers through different agriculturaltrainings and input support activities,

- Introduced new varieties of paddy, maize,wheat and bean seeds to 1615 farmers inthe project VDCs through six communityseed banks,

- Started production and marketing of high-value agricultural and forest productsthrough seven cooperatives in the workingVDCs,

- Improved access to market throughconstruction and upgrading of 36.369 kmof access roads.

- Increased food sufficiency of 2170 familiesthrough self-production by 2 to 6 months,

- Increased income of 1583 households byNRs 5,000 to 25,000 per year throughadditional income generating activities,

- Prepared and endorsed Local Disaster RiskManagement Plans (LDRMPs) of Jante,Letang and Geluhave VDC councils.Prepared contingency plan of 18 schools,

- Promoted forestation in three DRR VDCs byestablishing multi-purpose tree nurseries.


The project considered gender and socialinclusion as a vital element throughout itsimplementation. Most of the selectedbeneficiaries were from poor, food insecureand disadvantaged communities i.e., 48.5% ofmembers of the self-help groups and userscommittees were women and 58.85% ofbeneficiaries belonged to ethic minority anddalit.

The project also conducted environmentalimpact assessment on community building,road and irrigation construction sub-projectsand devised a tool to minimize environmentalimpacts. Awareness activities related todisaster risk reduction and construction ofsmall mitigation infrastructure were designedto protect the environment. Additionally,establishing multipurpose trees and nurserypromoted forestation in VDCs where theproject was implemented.


Water collectionpond for year roundirrigation facility


Lessons Learnt

- Development of management skill of thegroups, users committees and cooperativesis a key factor for ensuring sustainabilityand effectiveness of groups andcooperatives.

- Participation of community and localstakeholders helps to increase ownershipand accountability of the work.

- Linking groups and users committees torelevant line agencies ultimately supportsfor aids in the sustainability of the work.


Change after IPM TrainingHarkamaya Majhi, 42, is a resident of Chisapani-8, Ramechhap living with a six-member family.She belongs to a marginalised Majhi (Fisher folk)community. The two ropanies of land her familyowns was insufficient to feed them all. Hence,she used to work as a seasonal labour during thefarming season and fish from the nearbyTamakoshi River to feed her family.

With the start of FSDRRMP in Chisapani, she hadthe opportunity to be involved in a 16 week longFarmers Field School (FFS) conducted in hercommunity. At FFS, she learnt about freshvegetable farming, integrated pestmanagement (IPM) method for the pest control,preparation of environment friendly bio-pesticides and composting. She then started seasonal as well as off season vegetable farming in her 2 ropaniplot and planted cabbages, cauliflowers, carrots, tomatoes and some other species of green vegetables. Localmarkets such as Karambot, Manthali where she could sell her products were close by. “Now I can sustain upto 9 months from my own production, whereas, before it was not enough even for 2 months from my 2ropanies of land” she told. “I use the income from the vegetable farming for my children’s schooling and alsosaved some in the cooperative.”

She has been applying the techniques learnt at the IPM-FFS in her land. She has moved up from subsistenceto commercial farming and eventually to organic farming. “I’ve collected NPR 35,000 and I don’t have to go tothe river anymore as I am busy in my own field” she added happily. “I have a target of earning around 70,000rupees in the next year” she said confidently. “The FFS has taught us that we can increase our income andimprove our lives and livelihood by commercial vegetable farming in an organic way. Now our habits havechanged and we consume green vegetables regularly” she said.

The people are the foundation of the nation. Our only chance

for a lasting peace on earth: the release of

the strength of the common man.- Y. C. James Yen


Introduction

RRN, with funding from DeutscheWelthungerhilfe (DWHH) and Federal Ministryfor Economic Cooperation and Development(BMZ), Germany, implemented the IRDNCproject in Korak VDC of Chitwan District. Korakis predominantly populated by Tamang andChepang communities. Both communitieshave been socially, politically and economicallymarginalised throughout the centuries. 95%percent of the population of the VDC’s isinvolved in informal sectors includingsmallholder farming. Due to extreme poverty,members from this VDC, on average, havelower life expectancy compared to that of theoverall population of the country. The localeconomy of Korak is weak and most peoplesuffer from extreme hunger, malnutrition, andexternal debt. The predisposing factors behindextreme poverty are small land holdings,illiteracy, and poor participation ofcommunities in governance. Thus, the projectaimed to create an environment that willenable members of the VDC to independentlyattain lasting food security and use naturalresources sustainably. It also aimed tostrengthen social, economic and individualgrowth of the local populace.

Overall Objective

The project’s overall objective was to achievethree MDGs – namely; ending extreme povertyand hunger, promoting gender equality andwomen’s empowerment, and ensuringecological sustainability.

Specific Objectives

- Create conditions that support pluralisticand democratic co-existence,

- Support the population to achieve lastingfood security and sustainable naturalresource management,

- Strengthen structures and mechanismsthat enable target groups to activelyparticipate in the social and economicdevelopment processes,

- Improve agricultural productivity for long-term food availability,

- Enable local people to effectively marketagriculture and forest products,

- Increase the target population’s incomelevels,

- Implement sustainable integrated forestmanagement practices in order to protectforest areas in the project area.

Expected Results

- Structures and mechanisms strengthenedin the project area and this enabled targetgroups to participate actively in economicand social development process,

- Food availability secured in Korak VDCthrough improved agricultural productionand productivity,

- Income levels of target populationsincreased through processing andmarketing of agricultural and forestproducts,

- Forests in the project area protectedthrough sustainable integrated forestmanagement.

Key Achievements

- Through institutional development andimproved working mechanisms, the projecthelped in capacity building andinfrastructure development in the VDC. APeople’s Forum accompanied by 55 SHGsand 24 other users’ groups formulateddevelopment action plans andimplemented them via mutualcoordination with VDC body, people’sforum and cooperatives.

- Food availability has improved in the VDC,owing to the farmers’ increased agricultural


3.5 Integrated Rural Development and NatureConservation Project (IRDNCP)

Geographic Coverage: Korak VDC, Chitwan District

Project Duration: August 2011 to December 2014


Funding Partner/s: Deutsche Welthungerhilfe/BMZ

Target Group: 1,200 smallholder households from Tamangand Chepang communities in Korak VDC.


productivity. It became possible due to theproject’s support with irrigation facilitiesand trainings, support to enhanceagricultural productivity and to use qualitycomposite seeds. The total irrigationcoverage in the VDC reached 211 ha (with7 ha of additional land covered during theyear 2014), which led to the averageincrease in production during the period by28.88%. There was food sufficiency for 533families with obvious organic productionsystem for crops and vegetables. The VDC isnow recognised as organic production VDCin the district.

- The community people have been able toimprove their income situation throughincome generating activities such ascommercial and semi-commercial farming(that involved kitchen gardening schemes,plastic tunnel tomato production,diversified crops cultivation and organicfarming), livestock rearing and saving &credit schemes. Improved roads helpedfarmers to gain a better access tomarketplaces which further led to anincrease in sales of their products.Altogether 533 HHs garnered the total ofNPR 19,596,736 income through vegetableproduction in 2014, of which the averageincome of a single HH stood at NPR 36,766.In 2014, the cooperatives helped reach totalsavings of NPR 425,122.

- The cumulative achievements such asreforestation (104 ha.), establishment ofnurseries (3), and development of energysaving technologies like improved cookingstoves (350), bio gas (36) and bio-briquettesreduced the community people’sdependency on forest firewood by morethan 25% which eventually helped toconserve forest resources in the VDC.

- Four community buildings supported bythe project have enabled communities forregular meetings, arranging workshops andconducting health/education campaigns.

- Earthen motorable road of 25 Km in threespots have largely facilitated for inputcollections, marketing and people’s accessto market areas.

- Chepang and Tamang people havedeveloped a threshold level capacity todelegate with development agencies,market actors and government wings forclaiming their rights.


The project has executed its activities in linewith the cross-cutting issues such as genderequality, environment protection, bio-diversityconservation, agro-forestry, integrated farmingsystem and income generation, keeping inmind the overall livelihood development in theVDC. Around 45% of the community women


Plastic tunnel fortomato production

(Chitwan)


contributed in terms of agricultural productionand income generation and their participationin the social platforms such as SHGs, people’sforum, cooperatives alongside trainings andinteractions also saw a steady progress in 2014.Likewise, the alternative energy schemes,awareness and support on forest preservationalongside the establishment of forest nurseriescontributed to ecological conservation in theVDC.

Lessons Learnt

- Integrated Rural Development comprisingof different development entities producedvisible effects on rural development likeaccessibility through rural roads, incomegeneration with input facilitation,cooperative development through socialmobilisation, production increase throughtechnology support and marketing withlinkages to market actors. These factors playsymbiotic relation to produce the targetedresults in the VDC and produced means ofsupport to 1004 households.

- Integrated pest management and organicfarming approach in Korak has encouraged518 farmers to produce commercialvegetables with organic productionsystem. This has proved that an intensivesocial mobilisation approach with the use

of local resources inspire farmers toproduce organic vegetables.

- 65 youths who were supposed to go toother places for employment are nowassociated with different enterprises forincome generation. The youths weremotivated through rigorous training,exposure visits and on farm practices by theproject staffs. Hence, youth motivation inthe project site through learning by doingis proven and got well adapted in the VDC.

- With capacity building activities liketraining, workshop, exposure visits, andinvolvement in planning and monitoring,the Tamang and Chepang women in theVDC are now well capable to put theiragendas in the VDC and with local NGOs,who in the beginning were afraid to talkand exchange their ideas with projectstaffs. Thus, right based approach towomen and marginalised people isapparent in the VDC. People’s forum, acommittee of group leaders in the VDCplayed a vital role for leading thedevelopment activities and laying out animportant decision for supporting VDCsecretary. The forum was created for fillingthe gaps within the local governmentwhich was dismissed for a long time.


Cooperative Leading to Improved Livelihood'Korak Small Farmers Agricultural CooperativeLimited' was established in ward number 5 ofthe Korak VDC with the physical and financialsupport from RRN. It was officially registered atthe Cooperative Training and Division Office,Chitwan in April 7, 2013. Apart from RRN’ssupport, the enthusiasm and activeparticipation of the VDC members helped thecooperative to come into existence. Itmobilised NPR 142,964 in loan (mostly foragriculture and business sectors) and garneredNPR 310,150 as its savings from July toSeptember 2014 and its cumulative loandistribution accounted for NPR 233,183 as ofSeptember, 2014. Likewise, it provided NPR

1,390,978 in subsidy to buy a vehicle to assist in project activities. It also granted NPR 75,000 for the project’sseed capital subsidy. The smooth functioning of the cooperative so far has instilled confidence among itsmembers over its long-term sustainability. Considering these aspects, the cooperative has indeed played avital role in improving the livelihood of the local residents while bearing even more promising prospects inthe days ahead.


Introduction

RRN implemented 'Peace Building from Below(PBB)' project covering six VDCs ofSankhuwasabha and Bhojpur districts. The PBBproject aimed institutionalise mechanismwithin the community groups to harmoniouslysettle locally arising conflicts to maintain andpromote communal cohesion andtogetherness. Therefore, the goal of the projectwas to support and strengthen community-ledpeace building initiatives in project districtsthrough reconstruction, rehabilitation andreconciliation (RRR) of the conflict affectedpeople at the grassroots level. PPBimplemented various development activitiesdesigned to improve the socio-economic,mental and physical well-being of the conflictaffected people.

The project activities were envisioned to beimplemented based on the community needsand demands to enhance peace and harmonyin the society. It envisaged enhancing people’saccess to decision making, resources andgovernance processes by supporting localinitiatives of communities.

Objective

The overall goal of the project is to support andstrengthen community led peace buildinginitiatives in project districts

Expected Results

- Strengthened capacity of 18 communitybased peoples' organisations (CBPOs)comprising conflict affected people andformer combatants in 6 VDCs to initiate andmanage community reconciliation anddevelopment activities in ways thatimproves and ensures gender equality andsocial inclusion leading to sustainablepeace building

- Enhanced assets and capacity of localcommunities to improve livelihoods

- Reconciled the conflict affected peopleworking together with the governmententities for the development of theircommunity

- Enhanced wider peace building effortsthrough policy advocacy and collaboration

with on-going initiatives of Nepal PeaceTrust Fund projects and priorities

Key Achievements

- The CBPOs started to manage socialdisputes and work on gender and socialinclusion issues in their groups and at thecommunity level.

- The project intervention in specific areas i.e.livelihoods and infrastructures, hasprovided an opportunity to heal andreconcile the relationships among themembers of the community whopreviously had differences. While workingin off farm and on farm activities andinfrastructure works, the diverse group ofpeople came together (directly/indirectlyconflict affected people, women, dalit,poor, excluded groups, youths etc) andworked for their common developmentneeds.

- The project produced a documentary andcollected case studies by capturing theresults and progress in peace buildingprocess at the local level. The producedmaterials were disseminated and sharedwith national and district levelstakeholders.


3.6 Peace Building from Below (PBB)

Geographic Coverage: Siddhakali, Nundhaki and MawadinVDCs (Sankhuwasabha district) Kudakaule, Nepaledandaand Mulpani VDCs (Bhojpur district)

Project Duration: December 2013 to September 2014


Funding Partner/s: Nepal Peace Trust Fund (NPTF) andDeutsche GesellschaftfürInternationale ZusammenarbeitGmbH (GIZ)

Target Group:

Primary Beneficiaries: Directly conflict affected people thatinclude conflict affected poor, women, youths, excluded andformer combatants (600)

Secondary Beneficiaries: The whole community who getsbenefits from project initiative (1,000)

Composition by Ethnicity: Male-198, Female-572 Total-770(By Ethnicity: BCTS-281, Janajati-323, Dalit-66)


- The project coordinated with Non-Government Agencies (NGA) partners towork on identified areas such as effectiveimplementation of Truth ReconciliationCommission (TRC) and LPC mechanisms forlocal peace building process. The partnerscame up with the concept note and sharedamong the NGAs members. The NGAsmembers agreed to work further on theseissues by producing briefing paper forpolicy advocacy.

- Nine community infrastructure projectswere constructed and rehabilitated (2school building, 3 furniture support, 3community buildings and 1 water supply).

- With improved knowledge and skillsprovided through the training onenhancing GESI, human rights, right-basedprogramming, good governance andconflict mitigation all 18 CBPOs conductedthe capacity assessment of theirorganisation. On the basis of the results,they have made action plan for a year andhave been discussing about the progress ofaction plan in each monthly meeting. Thishas improved coordination between VLPC,LPC, VDC and DDC.

Impact on GESI and Environment -

- The project integrated gender and socialinclusion as a cross-cutting component

throughout its implementation period toengage women and excluded groups inlocal peace building process. It alsoprovided gender and social inclusiontrainings to the CBPOs members and otherstakeholders. Due to trainings andawareness on such issues, the changes andprogress has been observed in CBPOsgovernance structure as well as in theperception and the behaviour of thecommunity.

- Following the training, the CBPOs are tryingto minimize the issues related tountouchability. The CBPOs realised thatbehaviour towards Dalits should changeand they should be treated equally as othercastes. Therefore, they first started tochange their behaviour within their groupsand further extended to community. Inthose groups, Dalits who wanted to be partof CBPOs were included. Likewise, they alsostarted to sit and eat together as a group.The Dalit members expressed that they donot feel any kind of discrimination now.

- Now women are no longer confined tohousehold activities alone. They havestarted to participate in meetings andworkshops organised by differentorganisations and also are involved indecision making level of the CBPOsgovernance. They are raising their voices forviolence against women and gender based


Participants of theprofessional housewiring training(Sankhuwasabha)


violence. They realised the importance ofpeace and how women can contribute inpeace building and reconciliation process.

- The project has used RRN’s GESI strategy forthe effective incorporation of gender andsocial inclusion component in itsimplementation. Similarly, the project alsopublished and disseminated awareness onNAP 1325 and 1820 for women’sengagement in local peace buildingprocess during the transition period.

Lessons Learnt

- Social mobilisation proved to be the beststrategy in bringing the Conflict AffectedPeople (direct and indirect), women, Dalit,Janajati and other disadvantaged people toa single platform to discuss and debate ontheir social problems/disputes and increating environment of peace andreconciliation.

- There is an advantage of working withexisting Community Based People'sOrganisations (CBPOs) instead of creatingnew groups. This is not only anacknowledgement of local efforts but it alsoenhances sustainability prospects. TheCBPOs existed before the project andcontinue to exist after the end of theproject.

- By making development component i.e.livelihoods, infrastructure support, etc. asan entry point, the project has been able tocreate environment for peace building andreconciliation by healing woundedrelationships among communities. Thisprocess facilitated to bring diverse group ofpeople (women, Dalit, conflict affected,excluded etc.) into common platform towork for their common developmentneeds.


Alcoholic Thapathali Chowk Becomes a Model Peace VillageNepale Danda Village Development Committee (VDC) lies in Bhojpur district in eastern Nepal. ThapalithaliChowk is one of the gathering places of the VDC. But this village was notorious for being a hub for alcoholics.Some small hotels and shops located at the Thapathali Chowk used to sell alcohol and locally fermented beer.People from far and near used to come here to drink. After getting drunk they would gamble, and makeunnecessary noises. They would return home late and quarrel with their families, which often lead to domesticviolence. These kinds of activities polluted the social environment of the Chowk and were becoming a bigsocial problem for the village.

A local women's group called Bhumedevi Women's Group of Nepale Danda-9, was one of the partner CBPOsof RRN for implementing the PBB project. The project provided required trainings to the CBPO members suchas Peace and Conflict Impact assessment, Conflict management, Gender Equality and social Inclusion,leadership development and participatory organisational capacity assessment to strengthen capacity of CBPOand to establish sustainable peace and maintain social harmony in the village. After taking these trainings,Bhumedevi Women's Group decided to address the issue of Thapathali Chowk. They organised ward levelgeneral meetings in coordination with VDC and the police. Women raised the agenda to stop selling alcoholand punish drunker and the seller to which all attendees of the meeting agreed. Police also promised tosupport the issue raised by women. Following this meeting, women put up information regarding thisagreement in the form of notice at all public places of the village. This led to a minimisation in excessivedrinking as well as its concomitant problems. Today, Thapathali Chowk is not only becoming a peaceful areagradually but also a Model Peace Village.

“Now, women in our society are not subject to domestic violence arising from alcoholics and we have not hadto deal with the problem of gambling. . Social harmony in our community has been restored. People,especially women and girls, feel free to move from one place to another.” said Uma Bista a member ofBhumedevi women group


Introduction

RRN implemented “Enhancing Short/Medium-Term Food Security and AgriculturalProduction Capacities among RuralHouseholds in Remote Hill Districts of Nepal”with financial support from EED. The projectwas carried out from April 2010 to September2012 in the remote hilly districts of EasternNepal i.e. Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, andKhotang districts. The project focused onstrengthening the capacity of smallholders andvulnerable communities to access their right tofood. It also aimed at sensitising localauthorities to become responsible towardssupporting the poor and vulnerable people togain access to their right to food. Consequently,the local authorities (VDCs, DDCs, and relevantgovernment line agencies, especially DistrictAgricultural Development Office) have startedimplementing food and nutrition developmentprogrammes in their respectiveconstituencies/districts. At this stage, it ishighly important that the state authorities andother stakeholders, particularly authorities atdifferent levels (local, regional, and national),political leaders, and activists as well as thosein charge of implementing relevant legislationsare sensitised on how to integrate right to foodissues in mainstream policies, legislations, andinstitutional practices.

Therefore, RRN, in association with RtFN andother stakeholders, took an initiative tostrengthen the capacity of all concernedstakeholders, peasant associations, politicalleaders, activists, and government authorities

in monitoring and developing legislation foreffective implementation of right to food inNepal.

Thus, the works of 'Campaign for IntegratingRight to Food into Relevant Policies,Programmes, and Institutional Practices inNepal' is the continuation of 'EnhancingShort/Medium-Term Food Security andAgricultural Production Capacities AmongRural Households in Remote Hill Districts ofNepal' project.

The project envisions contributing in threemajor areas (i) enhancing the capacity of thepoor and vulnerable people in areas of right tonutritious food and food security in their ownlocality; (ii) sensitising government authoritiesand civil society organisations concernedthrough raising genuine issues of the poor andvulnerable communities so that they could feelresponsible to address the concerns raised bythe vulnerable community (iii) assisting policymakers/implementing authorities to integrateright to food policy, programme with adequatebudget allocation targeting vulnerablecommunities who are struggling for hand tomouth problem.

Objective

The CIRF project envisions its goal asvulnerable people in the grass root level enjoytheir living with nutritious food securedcondition through asserting their right to food.

Expected Results

- Vulnerable communities and otherstakeholders advocate for/assert their Rightto Food access.

- Vulnerable communities, duty bearers, andother stakeholders identify gaps and otherinadequacies in public policies,programmes, and practices with respect tobeing sensitised regarding Right to Food ofvulnerable communities.

- Public authorities (duty bearers) becomeresponsive towards rights to food ofvulnerable communities.


3.7 Campaign for Integrating Right to Food Policy,Programmes and Institutional Practices in Nepal (CIRFP)

Geographic Coverage: Banke, Surkhet and Dailekh Districts

Project Duration: January 2014 to December 2015


Funding Partner: Bread for the World

Target Group: Total households: 518 (2693 beneficiaries).Male: 1309 (49%) and Female: 1384 (51%)

Composition by Caste/Ethnicity: BCTS: 500; Janajati: 466;Dalit: 1375; Other Excluded Caste (OEC) and ReligiousMinority (RM): 352.


Key Achievements

- Around 15 groups presented their plan(verbally) during the period of local levelplanning meetings held in their respectiveVDCs in the project districts. Their demandsinclude income generating activities andskill development such as tailoring, offseason vegetable farming training, poultryfarming training, deep boring for smallscale irrigation, etc.

- Local people including governmentauthorities, political leaders and socialactivists have gradually started realising theimportance of the right to food issues toreduce the food insecurity condition facedby the vulnerable people at grass root levelwhich are a result of the massive impact ofclimate change.

- Vulnerable people including VDC levelintegrated planning committee of thetargeted VDCs are being empowered onright to food issues and theroles they canplay to assert (claim) programmes/planswhich could address their food insecuritysituation through incorporating them intolocal planning process.

- Group members as well as other peoplewho have been attending the RtF

programmes held in the project districtshave realised and understood that fightingfor nutritious food security is their legal andhuman right. In addition, they have alsobeen aware that reducing food insecuritysituation of the vulnerable people is thesole responsibility of the state.

- Right to Food Network in Banke district hasbeen reformed and is now taking initiativesto raise RtF issues in the district. Now, thenetwork is seeking support to develop itsstrategy paper (working guideline).

- Local media (print and electronic) has givenattention to cover the day to day foodproblem faced by the people. News articlespublished in newspapers have drawn theattention of the concerned governmentauthorities and political leaders.

Lessons Learnt

- The project should work with IntegratedPlanning Committee formed at VDC level inthe targeted VDCs of the project rather thanforming new groups.

- Financial support or skill developmenttrainings should be provided to groupmembers to run income generatingactivities along with advocacy on RtF issues.


Participants of theIPC training on FoodSecurity (Banke)


Introduction

RRN has been implementing the project‘Strengthening Community-Based BiodiversityManagement through Sustainable FinancingMechanisms in the Sacred HimalayanLandscape of Nepal’ from January 2014 inpartnership with Welthungerhilfe (WHH) andfinancial support from BMZ, Germany. Theproject aims to reduce the threats tobiodiversity and strengthen sustainablefinancing mechanisms in target regions for thebenefit of local communities. The project hasinherently applied and put in measures todevelop the Sustainable Integrated Forest andFarming Systems (SIFFS) approach whichaddresses the dimensions of biodiversity

conservation, food security, nutrition, energyand livelihood security as well as climatechange adaptation in a holistic andinterdisciplinary manner.

Despite having rich biodiversity resources,people in the project area are besieged by poorsocio-economic conditions and infrastructures.Political instability, natural disasters, andpopulation growth have impacted sources oflivelihood and increased food insecurity intargeted areas. In addition, farming andpastoral communities have been threatened bythe negative impact of climate change which,in turn, has posed great risks to the locallivelihood of the population. Important cashcrops like cardamom have also been highlyaffected by pests and diseases. Targetedpopulation is in need of improved agriculturalpractices to ensure food security, sustainablelivelihoods, and to promote biodiversityconservation in the project areas. A lack ofinstitutional infrastructure has also beenresponsible for the loss of biodiversity.

Objective

The overall objective of the project is tocontribute to the objectives of the Conventionon Biodiversity (CBD) through conservationand sustainable use of ecosystem services. Thespecific objective of the project is to reducethreats to biodiversity and strengthensustainable financing mechanisms in thepriority sites of the Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale (TMJ)area for the benefit of the local communities.

Expected results

- The biodiversity is conserved in the prioritysites of the Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale areathrough community based management ofintegrated forest and farming systems.

- Sustainable financing mechanisms forcommunity-based biodiversityconservation are established and madefunctional in TMJ areas (6 VDCs).

- Good practices and models on innovativesustainable financing are developed and


3.8 Strengthening Community-Based BiodiversityManagement through Sustainable Financing Mechanismsin the Sacred Himalayan Landscape of Nepal (SCBDM)

Geographic coverage: Eastern development region:Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale (TMJ) Rhododendron area inSankhuwasabha, Terhathum and Taplejung districts.

Project duration: January 2014 to December 2017


Funding Partner/s: BMZ and WHH, Germany

Target group: 2,500 households (11,450 beneficiaries)

(Sherpas, Limbus, Rais, Tamangs, and Dalits)

Participants of theEntrepreneurshipDevelopmentTraining


successfully promoted at national andinternational level.

Key achievements

- In consultation with VDC level stakeholders,30 farmer groups, 18 community forest usergroups (CFUGs), 12 mother groups and 6cooperatives have been selected toparticipate in project activities in six VDCs.

- A total of 60 farmers were trained onSustainable Integrated Forest and FarmingSystems (SIFFS). After the training, farmershave started to establish SIFFS model farms.

- Promoted SIFFS model throughconsultation/orientation workshops withline agencies and local stakeholders toreach a wider farming community.

- A total of 30 leader farmers were trained onhome gardening. With the training andtechnical support from leader farmers, 602farmers from 30 groups have started homegardening.

- Developed a field training manual of SIFFSand home garden through discussion withSIFFS facilitators, coordinators and experts.

- Awareness has been raised on biodiversityconservation through seven green clubs incollaboration with schools in project VDCs.

- Six cooperatives have improved theirmanagement systems after capacitybuilding trainings on cooperativemanagement and account keeping, andexposure visit to successful cooperatives.

- Survey work was carried out for 17.75 km ofeco-trail of which, renovation of 5.91 kmeco-trail has been accomplished.


- The project has given priority to womenand disadvantaged groups to participate inproject activities as beneficiaries. GESI hasbeen considered in awareness raising andtraining/workshop activities to improve thecapacity of women and disadvantagedgroups. Mother groups have been involvedin project activities to improve family healthand nutrition.

- The project is focused on promotingecosystem services through conservationof biodiversity in a community basedapproach. Activities are emphasizedtowards forest management, sustainableintegrated forest and farming systems andgreen enterprises to mitigate natural and


Sensitisationworkshop on bio-diversityconservation(Taplejung)


man-made environmental issues. Inaddition, the project supports communitiesfor disaster risk reduction activities.

Lessons learnt

- Close coordination with local stakeholderssuch as VDCs, government line agencies,schools and federation of community forestuser groups helped to select projectbeneficiaries and make social preparationfor the start of project activities,

- A field based practical training on homegardening to leader farmers (local resourcepersons) and then mobilising leaderfarmers to train farmer groups was foundeffective than giving training to farmergroups by agricultural technicians,

- Exposure visit of cooperative leaders toother successful cooperatives outside thedistrict helped build confidence andstrengthen their commitment to improvecooperative management system.


Model Home Garden as a Learning Centre Gokul Gurung is a leading farmer ofDhandagaon farmer group of Nundhaki VDC inSankhuwasabha district. He has four ropanis ofland on sloppy terrain where he used to growmaize and millet crops. In the absence ofsuitable employment opportunities, he hadalso worked in Gulf countries and returned tohome after four years. He is now managing asmall shop as a source for income. He is nowkeenly engaged in commercial vegetableproduction for income generation.

He joined Dandagaon farmer group in October2014 and was selected for home gardentraining organised by RRN/SCBDM project. Inthe training, he learned about improvedpractices of fresh vegetable productionthroughout the year. With an inspiration andskills gained from home garden training, he

prepared a plan for growing winter vegetables in his home garden. He kept vegetable nursery in a plastictunnel, and now growing different vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, garlic, onion, coriander,radish, carrot, broad leaf mustard, garden cress, spinach, tomato etc.

Gokul is growing off-season tomato under three small plastic houses. He prepares organic pesticides fromlocally available materials and uses in vegetable crops. He says there is a high market demand of organicvegetables throughout the year in Siddapokhari and Chainpur. The crops are good and he is expecting a goodharvest of vegetables. Selling of cabbage and broccoli will start soon. Gokul says I am requesting all my groupmembers to visit my vegetable garden to share experience from my little work. I also give suggestions to themhow it can be improved further. He has the plan to increase the off-season vegetable production by utilizingall four ropanis of land.

Relief has its place. But what the people need is not relief,

but release - release of their own potential for

development.- Y. C. James Yen


Introduction

RRN is implementing the project entitled'Women’s Empowerment through CommunityBased Sustainable Livelihood Enhancement'for the empowerment of rural women inDolakha District with the financial supportfrom Hilfswerk der Katholischen Jungshar(DKA), Austria. This project is a continuation ofthe WEP first phase (July 2010 to June 2013)jointly supported by Austrian CatholicWomen's Movement (KFB) and Hilfswerk derKatholischen Jungshar (DKA). DKA hasextended its support to RRN by increasing thecoverage and resources as well. The project isfocused on socio-economic development,particularly, building an enabling environmentfor self-reliance of the rural women throughpromoting improved farming practices,developing agro-entrepreneurships(agriculture and livestock based enterprises)and with the establishment of farmer ledresource centre (FRC). Similarly, the project hasbeen able to institutionalise developmentinterventions by organising rural women inself-help groups (SHGs), cooperatives andinvolving them in various economic and socialdevelopment activities. The project has alsocontributed in enhancing women’s role in thedecision making process, their control onincome and over resources and managingagro-based enterprises.

Objective

The overall objective of the project is to createan enabling environment for the localcommunities (especially women) to renderthem self-reliant through provision of varioussustainable rural livelihood based vocationalskills as well as institutional developmenttraining activities and to enable them toventure into the economic mainstream.

The specific objectives are:

- To enhance awareness on right baseddevelopment approaches and strengthenlocal farmers’ institutions,

- To contribute in enhancement of thelivelihoods of resource poor andmarginalised women peasant farmers and,

- To establish VDC level Resource Centre(VRC).

Expected Results

- Institutionalisation of women’s/smallholders groups and cooperatives,enhanced awareness on right baseddevelopment issues for active participationin decision making and running agro-enterprises and agro-business,

- Increased incomes of rural women/smallholders by diversifying crops andincreasing agricultural production andlivestock raising (goat and pig),

- Established VDC level Resource Centre- VRCfor community level planning, locallyaccessible inputs, approaches andtechnologies in the promotion of smallscale agri-business and agro-enterprisesincluding improved livestock rising.

Key Achievements

- Rural women are empowered socially andeconomically as they have been organisedinto 35 women self-help groups. Ruralwomen have increased their leadershipcapacity and increased their incomethrough commercial farming. Women SHGhave actively engaged in ODF campaignsand finally declared Jhule, Hawa & MirgeVDCs as ODF villages.

- ReFLECT classes helped women to identifytheir personal and social problems such asdomestic violence, excessive alcoholconsumption by men etc. They are alsoaware on the issues like women rights,reproductive rights, child rights, etc.


3. 9 Women’s Empowerment through Community BasedSustainable Livelihood Enhancement Project (WEP- II)

Geographic Coverage: Jhule, Hawa & Mirge VDCs ofDolakha District

Project Duration: July 2010 to June 2016

Budget: NPR 17,946,367 (for three years)

Funding Partner: Hilfswerk der Katholischen Jungshar(DKA), Austria

Target Group: Direct HHs: 600, Direct Population: 3200/Indirect HHs: 1145, Indirect Population: 5950


- Access to different local governmentservice providers (District AgricultureDevelopment Office, Livestock serviceOffice, District Development Office Womenand Children Office etc.) has increased.

- 543 community members have receiveddifferent trainings such as skilldevelopment, integrated pestmanagement, preparation of organicfertilizer, livestock development, off seasonvegetable and high value crops farming,etc.

- Women farmers are gradually shifting fromsubsistence to commercial farming as theyare growing different high value crops.

- Employment opportunities are generatedlocally through market-led agriculturefarming and livestock rearing. Especially,youths have started commercial farmingwith improved technologies.

- Food availability has been secured in theVDCs to increase their agricultureproductivity through different means ofsupport such as FFS, use of qualitycomposite seeds, off season vegetablefarming, etc.

- Appropriate agriculture technologies, toolsand inputs in the villages, such as irrigationfacilities, off season vegetables underplastic house, mushroom farming,integrated pest management, farmingmethod, improved goat and pig shed, handtractors, etc. were introduced.

- Jhule VDC was established as a resourcecentre for cardamom farming andcardamom nursery and the VDC isrecognised as a cardamom VDC in thedistrict.

- The project activities has replicated byneighbouring VDCs, such as improved shedhouse, plastic house farming, cardamomnursery, hand tractor technology, breadimprovement, high value crops farming etc.


- The GESI concerns have been addressed inalmost all project activities. The targetgroup are only women; about 99%members are women in the self-helpgroups and 95% project beneficiariesrepresent women including 50% ofbeneficiaries who represent marginalisedethnic groups (Tamang and Sunuwar) andDalits.

- 1,111 women are organised in 35 womenself-help groups and all the projectactivities are conducted with consultationof their demands and recommendations.

- Each user committee has been formed with90% of women representative in keypositions.

- 509 women out of total 543 participantshave received different trainings such asskill development, integrated pestmanagement, preparation of organicfertilizer, livestock development, vegetableand high value crops farming, etc.

- The project is highly concerned aboutenvironmental issues, though it does nothave too many infrastructure developmentactivities. The project staffs regular monitorand are aware of any possible damages tothe environment even for smallconstructions like irrigation facilities andcommunity buildings.

- The project has been supporting IPM andpreparation of organic fertilizer in order tosupport organic farming which reduces therisk of environment degradation (water, soiland air) and health hazards from chemicalfertilizer and pesticides.

- The project has established fodder (Kimbu,epil epil, nebaro, raikhanyau, etc.) nurseryand has been distributing saplings to the


Commercial pigfarming for incomegeneration (Dolakha)


community people to control soil erosion.The project also focused on Amrisoplantation campaign to maintain goodenvironment in the village and to generateincome of rural women.

Lessons Learnt

- Women’s involvement in agriculture hashelped to change the trend in agriculturein project VDCs. They have been able toshift from subsistence to commercialfarming.

- For sustainable development andcommunity ownership, communitycontribution either in cash or kind is verynecessary.

- Effective social mobilisation is verynecessary for social change and sustainablerural development.

- Coordination with line agencies and otherorganisations help minimise duplication ofthe project’s activities and promote sharingof resources.

- Transparency of each project activitieshelps to receive community support.

- Joint monitoring and public auditing areevery effective to ensure transparencywhich increases accountability among lineagencies, stakeholders and communitymembers.

- Community involvement for procurementprocess to support any materials/inputs forcommunity members is very effective fororganisational reliance.

- Regular meeting of women self-helpgroups and their recommendations arevery useful in need identification andbeneficiary selection for input support.


A Landless Family Turns to a Commercial Nursery ProducerKeshari Pakhrin, 27, resident of Jhule village of Dolakhadistrict, is a member of Makhamali Self Help Group which wasformed in 2010. She had no land for agriculture except for asmall house. Therefore, her husband used to work as aconstruction labour for their livelihood.

As she was involved in women self-help group, she requestedthe project to her with an extra income generation activity,showing interest in nursery establishment. Then, both Keshariand her husband participated in the nursery managementtraining which added confidence in establishing the nursery.

She rented two ropani of land by paying Rs. 12,000 yearly andalso got NPR 30,000 credit from cooperative for making anursery house. She received all the basic support like plasticsheets, seeds, technical support and other necessaryequipment from the project. The first year was difficult for her as she was still learning. Next year, they perfectedtheir technical and marketing skills, which helped them, earn a profit. Now, they earn a good income of NPR100,000 per year from the nursery.

With an increment in annual income, they have been able to save in three different cooperatives. Keshari, herhusband and her elder daughter have an account in Jhule Milan cooperative and they each save NPR 100 permonth. Similarly, her husband saves NPR 100 per month in three different cooperatives. The total family savingper month is Rs 1000. "The nursery has helped us earn money at home. We needn't go away from home to earnmoney," she expresses her happiness.

The establishment of nursery also helped other villagers in commercial vegetable farming. It has beencontinuously producing onion seedlings, bell chilly seedlings and cauliflower seedlings. This has motivatedvillagers to adopt commercial farming of vegetables. The neighboring VDCs Bhirkot, Gairimudi and Chyama arealso benefitting from the nursery. In case of large number of saplings, her husband personally delivers them tocustomers in the village. Everyone knows about their nursery and they have earned a good reputation due totheir hard work and loyalty.


Introduction

Water quantity and quality are both significantissues in Nepal. Since Nepal is a mountainouscountry, the project implements gravity flowwater schemes as its primary source to providewater to communities. The gravity flowschemes are tested and protected fromcontamination. In addition, rainwaterharvesting and other technologies are alsoused in water scarce areas. Even though thereare other sources of water such as springsources, they are more likely to becontaminated by human intrusion and cattlegrazing, surface drainage runoff and floods,and landslide and erosion. On the other hand,Nepal faces an enormous challenge ofspreading awareness regarding personalhygiene and sanitation. Many children in Nepaldie due to diarrhea every year. Therefore, thisproject also aims to create and spreadawareness about sanitation practices like hand-washing, construction and proper use of toiletsto reduce casualties arising from lack ofawareness. The project, at large, contributes tothe national WASH plan of attaining totalsanitation in the country by 2017.

ObjectivesThe overall goal of the project is to contributeto improved water security and communityhealth (MDGs 1 and 7) in Nepal and tocomplement government policies andprogrammes.

Expected results- Formation and strengthening of

community based water groups,

- Capacity building of project staffs on WASHand advocacy issues,

- Improvement of Hygiene and SanitationPractices of the target groups throughfacilitation and trainings,

- Access to safe and potable drinking water.

Key achievements - Conducted situation analysis study and

produced a report,

- Construction/rehabilitation of six smalldrinking water supply system sub-projects,

- Point source (spring) protection work –establishment of four sub-projects,

- Exposure visit for communityrepresentatives and political leaders,

- CLTS campaigns,

- 1255 ultra-poor households supportedwith external materials for construction oftoilets

- 438 households participated in training forimproved cooking stoves (ICS) andconstruction ICS at their homes

Impact on GESI and environment

The project is conscious about theparticipation of women, dalit, janajatis andother marginalised communities in itsactivities. Till the reporting period of theproject, 57 % of all women in the communityhave been affiliated in various groups andcommittees. The project has formed parallelcommunities of women wash committees atthe community level to encourage women’sinvolvement in planning and implementationof project activities. At the same time, DAGcommunities are always targeted in all theactivities implemented in project sites. Duringthe formation of Users’ Committees for variousconstruction sub-projects, women are alwaysgiven priority.

WASH project is also conscious aboutmitigating environmental impacts whilecarrying out its activities. EnvironmentalImpact Analysis (EIA) is done during thedesigning phase of infrastructure related sub-


3.10 Improving Water Security and Sanitation AmongstMarginalised Communities (WASH)

Geographic Coverage: Three Districts (Korak VDC ofChitwan, Gelu VDC of Ramechhap, Siddhakali VDC ofSankhuwasabha)

Project duration: July 2012 to June 2015


Funding Partner/s: Viva con Agua/Welthungerhilfe,Germany

Target group: Direct beneficiaries will be 1100 householdsbelonging to Dalits, Janajatis, poor and excluded sections ofsociety


projects. People are always encouraged to uselocal materials for construction of theseinfrastructure related sub-projects.

Lessons learnt

- Community contribution and collaborationwith Local Government support to build

ownership for construction of drinkingwater schemes and toilets,

- Awareness and sensitisation can createenabling environment for better sanitationat the household level as well as thecommunity level.


Handwashingpractice at NERP

camp

Drinking Water Facility Changed Daily LifeThe people of Bhadaure and Bungdal tole of Gelu VDC, Ramechhapdistrict have experienced a change in their daily lives after therehabilitation of the drinking water supply system. Thirty householdsof two clusters had to fetch drinking water from a distant source whichtook about an hour to get to. Prahlad Khatri, a community member ofBhadaure tole said “one member of each family had to spend a wholeday fetching drinking water from wells.” He further explained that thissituation had affected their income and work efficiency because theywere not able to involve in other productive activities. It had alsoaffected the school children in their performances in the school.

Aaitabare Drinking Water Supply System was constructed in 1996 after the VDC supported HDPE pipes to bringdrinking water from a source that was 2 Kilometres away. But due to the lack of proper technical execution andpoor quality materials, Aaitabare Drinking Water Supply System only operated for a short and the problem ofdrinking water remained the same. “We requested the VDC and other organisations for some support but wecouldn’t get any” said Shankar Kumar Khatri, the chairperson of the User’s committee.

After introduction of WASH project in Gelu VDC, users group requested the project for some assistance to re-establish the Aaitabare Drinking Water Supply System in a V-WASH-CC meeting. As a result, the project helpedthem with technical support, non-local materials and some skilled labour cost for the construction. Usercommunity contributed to the collection of local materials, construction of the pipeline trench and manual labourfor the completion of the project. The WASH project contributed NPR 448,937 and users contributed NPR 156,115for the project.

The situation at Gelu VDC has changed after the renovation of the Aaitbare Drinking Water Supply System. Everyhousehold can get fresh and pure drinking water from nearby taps. Women are very happy as they contributedby providing labour for completion of the project and they are also highly benefited by the facility. The users havecommitted to run and maintain the system going forward.


Introduction

The project contributes toward spreadingawareness among the male population aboutchild and women rights in three impoverishedVDCs of Nepal. By promoting community-based weight and growth monitoring, andintroducing aid and rehabilitation programmesfor undernourished children, the project assistsin improving health and nourishment ofchildren as well as mothers. Furthermore, childprotection and children’s rights are beingstrengthened through sensitisation campaignsand establishment of Child EmpowermentCentres. The project facilitates better access ofgirls and children from marginalised socialgroups to high-quality primary educationthrough the developing of plans to improveelementary schools, supporting dropouts andchildren with learning difficulties, andstrengthening of early childhood developmentcentres. The project follows a rights-basedapproach and supports the development ofcivil society structures to put citizens in aposition where they are able to enforce andshape the implementation of their legal rightsand warranted public services.

Objective

Realizing children’s and women’s rights in threeimpoverished rural VDCs of Nepal.

Specific Objectives- To strengthen the involvement of civil

society in child rights and protection issues,

- To increase participation of communitypeople to bring improvements in the areasof basic education, nutrition and health ofchildren and mothers, and child protection,

- To enhance capacities of village educationcommittees, village child protectioncommittees and child empowermentcentres in the VDC level.

Expected results- Strengthened community based

institutions,

- Established demonstrable pilots oneducation, health, nutrition and childprotection,

- Advocacy and Networking at district andnational level.

Key Achievements - Provided support to primary schools and

early childhood development centres'renovation and provision of education andsitting materials,

- Established library at lower secondary andsecondary schools,

- Mobilised village education committees forplanning and monitoring of qualityeducation,

- Provided training to health personnel andproject staffs on public health nutrition,

- Reviewed existing SIPs and updated/improved the school improvement plans,

- Conducted a screening of all under-5 yearsold children and organised nutritioneducation and rehabilitation programmesfor server acute malnourished andmoderate acute malnourished children,

- Provided growth monitoring training tofemale community health volunteers andhealth personnel,

- Organised community scorecards forresponsive government services.


The project is focused on the poor andmarginalised communities, especially women,Dalit, Janajati, and people affected by the


3.11 Fight Hunger First Initiative in Nepal, Primary Education, Health and Nutrition (FHFIPEHN)

Geographic coverage: Korak VDC, Chitwan district; Gelu VDC,Ramechhap district; Jante VDC, Morang district

Project duration:March 2013 to December 2016


Funding Partner/s:Ministry of Economic Cooperation andDevelopment (BMZ) and Deutsche Welthungerhilfe (DWHH),Germany

Target group: 4408 households/families (22,745 people)from three selected VDCs. Direct beneficiaries areapproximately 4,000 children and 1,500 women,marginalised ethnic communities and socially excludedlower caste groups (Dalit)


conflict. Project activities covered at least 50per cent of women as its direct beneficiaries. Ithas facilitated in reforming SchoolManagement Committees, parent and teacherassociations, and Health Facility Operation andManagement Committees in an inclusive way.The project has targeted female teachers toadopt child-friendly teaching methods so thatgirls are encouraged to receive quality learningand education. Besides, the project alwaysemphasizes on using environment friendlytechnologies and conveys environmentalissues during different training and forums.

Lessons Learnt

- To avoid malnutrition, apart fromeducating community people on the socio-economic condition, education and foodavailability, timely feeding of the children isequally important. For example, somefamilies who have sound financialcondition and are educated have childrenwho are malnourished.

- Community score card is an important toolto establish community ownership andaccountability. Interface meeting reducesthe gaps between beneficiaries'expectations and the level of serviceprovided.

- In NERP session, mostly locally availablefoods were supplied to malnourishedchildren and these were found to beeffective to address malnutrition inchildren.

- It is necessary to mainstream adolescentgirls and pregnant women to counterchronic malnutrition like stunting.

- Providing support for income generationcontributes to increased food intakeamong marginalised and poor families.


Groth monitoring ofa child with a locallymade weighing scale

Nutrition Improved through NERP SessionSukram Praja is the youngest child of Jeet Bahadur Praja and Ram Maya Praja who live in ward No. 8 Ghaiyabariof Korak VDC. He is 15 months old and has not started crawling and is unable to move his hands and limbs.Sukram’s mother binds him on her back all the time to make him sleep in a narrow place called “kokro”.

With the help Primary Education Health and Nutrition Programme, every childin Korak VDC from the age group of 6 months to 59 months were screened bytaking their height, weight and mid-upper arm circumference to identifywhether they are normal, moderately or severely malnourished. Sukram wasfound to be severely acute malnourished. The project team advised his parentsto take him to nutrition rehabilitation home established in Bhratpur, Chitwan.But his father works as a labour on daily wages and his mother does thehousehold works and needs to take care of four other children. Hence, withtheir request the project team agreed to keep him in NERP. Sukram’s motherused to bring him regularly and he actively participated in the programme. Onthe first day of NERP, his weight was 5.9 kg but it gradually increased to 6.2 kgon the last day of the Programme. A child who was unable to crawl and movehis hands and limbs started to crawl and move his body with the increment inhis body weight.

Buddhi Maya Tamang, a FCHV who participated to help mothers and children in the NERP programme saidSukram likes to have milk and soft food. Sukram’s mother Ram Maya said that the programme has helped themto adopt healthier and cleaner practices and learn the correct way of breastfeeding. She promised to applyeverything she learned in the NERP programme in her daily life.


Introduction

Education for Vulnerable and MarginalisedChildren in Nepal (EVMCN) project wasimplemented by RRN from March 2010 to Feb2014. The interim constitution of Nepal hasprovisioned that, the education is afundamental right of the children. However, inmany poor and rural communities, thefulfillment of other basic necessities such asfood and shelter takes precedence, thuspushing education to the bottom of thepriority lists. The Education for All (EFA) goaland the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) envisioned in the Dakar summit haveattempted to combat this with the goal ofproviding free and primary education for all by2015. Considering the problems being faced bythe communities in public education, RRN

expressed its commitment towards fulfillingthese goals in Nepal by implementingeducational programmes in coordination andcollaboration with the School Sector ReformProgramme (SSRP) of the government withfinancial support of European Union (EU). As aNon State Actor (NSA), RRN implemented theproject and helped those children andcommunities that were in the state of chronicpoverty, including the marginal and vulnerablepopulations and excluded groups.

Objective

The overall objective of the project is tocontribute towards achieving the goal ofinclusive education for closing the 'access gap'of the most vulnerable and marginalisedcommunities and population groups.

Specific Objectives

- To increase the access of children ofvulnerable and marginalised populations toeducation,

- To strengthen the capacities of publicschools and local communities,

- To manage the school environment byenhancing the level of commitments ofCSOs and local communities to improvequality education and promoting peace inthe schools/communities.

38

3.12 Education for Vulnerable and Marginalised Childrenin Nepal (EVMCN)

Geographic Coverage: Dolakha, Ramechhap andSindhupalchowk districts

Project Duration:March 2010 to February 2014


Funding Partner: European Union (EU)

Target Group: Tamang, Dalits, and ethnic minoritiescomprising of 26,000 vulnerable and marginalised childrenaged 3 to 18 years and local authorities and CSOs (schools,CLCs, ECDCs, VDCs, VECs, DDCs, DEOs, etc.)

Community LearningCentre supported byEVNCN project(Ramechhap)


Expected Results

- Increased and improved access ineducation of children from marginalisedand vulnerable populations of the projectVDCs,

- Public Schools and local communities areable to manage and improve qualityeducation in project areas,

- Contribution of civil society organisations,SMC, local authorities and school childrento improve quality of education in publicschools of the project VDCs.

Key Achievements- Scholarship packages were provided to

3622 vulnerable and poor children toencourage them to continue going toschools.

- 31 Early Childhood Development Centres(CDCs) were supported with child friendlyplaying and education materials withtrained facilitators.

- 1100 out of school children includingirregular and dropouts were brought tomainstream of out of school programme(OSP) through 47 bridge courses.

- 92 older children/youth who could notcontinue going to schools were trained inseveral vocational trainings for self-employment and livelihood opportunities.

- 25 public schools were supported byimproving education facilities such asreference books for libraries.

- Computers and child friendly educationalmaterials were supported to 10 highersecondary schools. Science laboratoryequipment was provided to six secondaryschools.

- 15 Community Learning Centres (CLCs)were established and became a commonplatform for community people to accessand become aware about learning andnon-formal activities. CLCs were supportedby providing 410 schools teachers whowere provided training on various childrencentre teaching and learning skilldevelopment.

- In 15 VDCs, school communities (30 SMC,PTA and 26 Child Clubs) were capacitatedand were engaged in child friendly schools.

- The project helped in school improvementplans (SIPs), community level monitoringmechanism and provided exposure andother relevant capacity developmenttraining for quality education and peace inthe schools.

- Several informational and educationalmaterials were produced and disseminatedfor promoting inclusive education andeducation policy advocacy.


School childrenposing for

photograph afterreceiving

educationalmaterials

(Sindhupalchowk)


A former teacher, Prem Kumar Pakhrin, 60, resident ofMirge VDC, Dolakha District has become a role modelfor social change in the village. “If we move forwardwith positive thoughts, we can do a lot to improve ourcommunity" said Mr. Pakhrin. The CommunityLearning Centre (CLC) in Mirge VDC of Dolakha wasestablished in 2010 with support of RRN educationproject. Mr. Pakhrin was a founding chairperson ofMirge CLC. CLC has achieved good results in formaland informal socio-economic development activitiesover a short period of time.

Based on the SWOT analysis of the community, a newbuilding for CLC was prioritised. Subsequently RRN, theVDC, and community people contributed to theconstruction of a two-stored building. RRN providedfurniture, carpets, three computers, a printer,photocopy machine to the centre and plenty ofreference books to the library in order generate alearning environment in the community. Internetservice has also been set up to provide opportunitiesto members of rural areas to engage in learningoutside of the community. The first General Assemblyof the CLC elected a 15-member managementcommittee and 14 different sectorial subcommittees.The sub-committees carried out various activities suchas chilli and cardamom planting, bee-keeping training,women empowerment and awareness programmes,construction and repair of damaged roads, etc.Currently, the CLC has 100 active members. The CLChas provided basic computer training to 53 women

and girls including diploma training to 15 women.Trained human resources are now working in schools,CLCs, and cooperatives in the VDC. In Charikot, the CLCin coordination with the DEO has carried out incomegeneration programmes for poor women (27 fromthree groups, 18 from two groups) through goatfarming and small businesses. Likewise, 40 adultsbelonging to two groups from last year of project and120 adults from six groups were educated throughinformal literacy campaign. In 2013, DEO assessed allCLCs of Dolakha. Mr. Pakhrin led Mirge CLC became amodel and as a result he was rewarded by the DEO ofDolakha.



The project was focused on poor andmarginalised girls, Janajati, Dalit, and ethnicminorities. Early childhood developmentcentres were established in an effort toconcentrate on girls and femaleteachers/facilitators. The project also facilitatedon women's active participation in SMC, PTA,and VEC at decision-making levels thoroughadvocacy and orientations. In addition, childfriendly local governance and environmentalissues were also included in variousorientations, trainings, manual andpublications of the project.

Lessons Learnt

- Despite a fragile political context and anunstable government, the project was able

to successfully achieve its results. However,it is important to enhance partner andstakeholders' capacity including riskassessment to promote quality education.

- Scholarship support is a great motivationaltool to increase access of vulnerable andmarginalised children to school, however,adequate support is required a to cover alltarget groups.

- Provision of midday meal for kids at earlychild development centres encouraged andmotivated children to stay longer at thecentre. It also promoted to increasednutritional intake among those children.

- In some ECDCs, meetings held by mothersand their engagement in midday tiffinpreparation became an example for others.

A Former Teacher's Model Works for the Community


Introduction

In partnership with SF, RRN implemented theSAMVAD programme in 11 VDCs ofMakawanpur and Bara Districts in 2014. Theproject focuses on areas based on number ofhouseholds that belongs to Dalit,disadvantaged and ethnic minorities. Similarly,it supports number of adolescents aged 13-19years who are school dropouts or have notbeen enrolled in a school. As the project coversa small geographic area and limited number ofDalit/disadvantaged ethnic groups, it isexpected that the project can achieve resultsby reducing poverty and mainstreamingDalit/disadvantaged ethnic communities toimprove socio-economic developmentprocess. A total of 55 Samvad Kendras areoperating in both project districts. The SKs arefacilitating to empower excluded adolescentsto get their rights to education, livelihood andparticipation in development process. SamvadKendra has become a platform whereadolescents meet, discuss, share and learndifferent life skills and work as a change agentfor their own communities to further influencethe whole VDC.

ObjectiveTo make Dalit adolescents participate togetherwith their families, to gain awareness on theirrights, receive an education, are consciousregarding their roles, and becomeeconomically productive and empowered tofight against social taboos thus becoming lessvulnerable for trafficking.

Expected Results- Adolescents (girls and boys) are

empowered to fight against trafficking,exploitation, discrimination, and otherforms of violence.

- Adolescents (girls and boys) have access toimproved livelihood opportunities throughacquired trade skills and engagement inincome generating activities.

- Dalits and marginalised communities areorganised and their capacities increased tofight against injustice, social taboos, andculturally deep rooted malpractices.

Key Achievements - 1,132 adolescents including 287 boys

graduated and were empowered to fightagainst social taboos such as trafficking,discrimination and ill practices in theircommunities.

- 55 Animators received ToA, facilitated 55SKs and capacitated 354 SST members.

- Increased awareness and knowledge ofadolescents on health issues includingpersonal hygiene and HIV Aids, civil rights,micro entrepreneurship, use of localresources, child marriage, dowry,trafficking, witchcraft and safe migration.

- Adolescents of SK including Dalits,excluded and marginalised people haveimproved their life skills and practiced goodinitiatives.

- 875 SK members demonstrated improvedlife skills and good practices. Theydeveloped confidence in protectingthemselves from trafficking. Knowledgewas increased, attitude was reformed, skillswere strengthened and positive habitshaped among SK members because of SKdiscussions. They were able to stop thecases of child marriage, domestic violenceand dowry related violence as well.

- Right to education of children ensuredthrough SK discussions and coordinationwith schools helped children re-enrol informal schooling. 157 SK members who


3.13 Right Based Education to Dalit Youths in Nepal(SAMVAD Programme)

Geographic Coverage: 11 VDCs of Makawanpur and BaraDistricts: 6 VDCs viz Rampurtokni, Khutwajabdi, Buniyad,Chhatwa, Telkuwa and Basatpur from Bara and 5 VDCs viz Ipa,Ambhanjyang, Hatiya, Harnamadi and Kalikatar fromMakawanpur.

Project Duration: January 2013 to December 2017


Funding Partner: Stromme Foundation (SF)

Target group: 5,940 HHs (29,700 Beneficiaries). Adolescentgirls and boys (3:1 ratio), school drop-outs and the communityuser groups (i.e. parents of adolescent boys and girls) withgiven priority to Dalit (2/3), Janajati and Minorities.


were previous drop outs re-enrolledschools and such kind of awareness helpedto curb potential dropouts as well.

- Educational and school materials providedto 172 marginalised SK members helped toincrease quality learning in schools.

Impact on GESI The SAMVAD programme is comprised of 75%adolescent girls and 25% boys. Moreover, theproject has covered more than 70% of Dalitand marginalised adolescents andmainstreamed Samvad Support Team (SST) inthe project activities to strengthen their skillsand capacities.

Lessons learnt - SK’s operational guideline, motivation,

knowledge and awareness raising parts

seem to be key tools to empoweradolescents.

- Involvement of government officials asfacilitators in coordination with concernedGovernment Offices has been very effectivein on-farm based IGA training and inmaintaining a good rapport with theGovernment which has helped receivemore service and facilities from theGovernment.

- Although small, the saving and credits ofSKs have proved to be one of themotivating factors in the community.People have learned book keeping,understood the value of money, reduceunnecessary expenditure from a collectiveeffort.

- Hill and Terai regions have different issuesand settlement barriers as well.

- Domestic violence against women isdirectly linked with children, especially girlsand is more or less associated with financialmatters in the name of dowry, Tilak andGauna.

- Social mobilisation process is acontinuous/dynamic process and we needto focus on effective mobilisation forbetter results. The project needsinnovative and creative approach toattract adolescents’ girls and boys fromDalit/Muslim communities.

- For the sustainability of socialempowerment project, economicempowerment activities also need to beaddressed simultaneously.


Participants of atraining oncommercialvegetable farmingunder SAMVADProgramme(Makwanpur)

Manisha BK Grabs a JobManisha BK, an adolescent girl aged 19 from Ambanjyang VDC, Makawanpur, hasbecome a role model for other SAMVAD adolescents. She learnt 10 different skills,received education on social and economic issues in SK. She idolised Sushila, ananimator who facilitated her SAMVAD Centre. It is notewothy that she has beenable to grab a job as a social mobiliser with a local NGO - Hoste Haise, that workswith adolescents and youths. Her familarity with subjects such as socialmobilisation, PRA tools, child marriage, social taboos and action against them, andgovernment services for the local communities helped her ace the exam she hadto take in order to get that job. Manisha recieves NPR 4,500 per month for workingwith children and youth.

She said “now, I do not have to spread my hands in front of family for college tution fees and I am also savingsome money for my future.” She further said “this is just a begining and I have a long way to go. I shouldn't forgetto thank RRN and SF for providing me with life changing skills and support".


Introduction

RRN has been implementing the SANKALPAProject since March 2011 in partnership withStromme Foundation in Kalikatar, Namtar andBhainse VDCs of Makawanpur district. For thefirst two years, it was carried out in Namtar andBhainse VDCs and then expanded to KalikatarVDC from 2013. The project has focused on fourinterventions: i) empowering adolescent girlsand their rights, ii) strengthening basiceducation (formal/non-formal), iii) communityempowerment for democratisation and iv)economic empowerment. This project hasadopted the right-based approach that hastargeted the duty bearers to fulfill theirobligations to towards adolescents (rightholders). The target group is marginalised andsocially excluded adolescent girls from age 11to 19 who are uneducated or school dropouts.These girls are at a crucial age therefore needto be guided and oriented about their aims,understanding of own bodily change andfinding responsibility in community for a betterfuture.

Objectives

The overall objective of the project is tocontribute towards creating an enablingenvironment for the empowerment of mostvulnerable communities and populationgroups.

Expected results

- SHGs (28 groups) are strengthened andcapacitated to operate as independentcommunity/civic institutions address theirdevelopment needs.

- Excluded families will have increased accessto improved livelihoods through financialand non-financial services (665 families).

- Adolescent girls (830) and parents (500) areempowered against trafficking and othersocial issues.

- Children (3000) have increased access toquality education and other services.

Key achievements

- 23 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) established andregistered with Village DevelopmentCommittees (VDCs) since 2011. These SHGsare actively involved in income generatingand social development activities at thecommunity and VDC level.

- At the end of the March 2014, a total of1,690 children (Girls=900, Boys= 790,representing Dalit/Janajatis/marginalised)have improved access to quality educationand directly benefitted from the projectactivities.

- All 23 SHGs are active in resourcegeneration and about 13 SHGs have beenable to mobilise local resources by linkingwith VDC/DDC and line agencies offices (i.e.District Agriculture Office/livestock).

- About 766 Adolescents Girls (AGs) whoparticipated in SKs have improved theirattitude, knowledge and skills and arebecoming good examples of social activistsin the community.

- 503 SK/families are involved in incomegenerating/livelihood developmentactivities in the project areas and they havea group saving among members forproductive income raising activities.

- Through SF/RRN project activities,SK/families/SHGs are becoming organisedas Community Based People Organisations(CBPOs) for ultimately leading to self-


3.14 Rural Community Empowerment throughStrengthening of Social and Economic landscape(SANKALPA Project)

Geographic Coverage:Makawanpur district (Bhainse, Namtarand Kalikatar VDCs)

Project Duration:March 2011 to March 2014

Budget: NPR. 10,123,911 (from Jan –March 2014)

Funding Partner: Stromme Foundation (SF), Norway

Target group: 665 HHs (3325 Beneficiaries). Adolescent girlsand their parents and marginalised people


sustained socio-economic developmentprocess at the community level linking withduty bearer local government agencies atVDC and DDC level.

- The total of 169 girl participants receivedskill training on farm and off farm trades.

- The total of 157 girls received IGA supportto engage in small income earning projects.

- 194 trainers/supervisors have been trained.


- SANKALPA project activities are focused onadolescent girls and this project is highlygender sensitive and gender focuseddevelopment project.

- Project activities are environment friendly,climate resilient and in line with sustainablesocial-economic development process.


Adolescent girls andwomen celebratingInternationalWorking Women'sDay (Makwanpur)

Beginning of Commercial Vegetable Farming in KalikatarSunaulo Bihani Girls' Sambad Kendra located in Kalikatar VDC-1 Rijalbari of Makawanpur was established in 2013.20 adolescent girls had been sharing, discussing and learning life skills and solution of their social ill practices inthe Sambad Kendra. Ms. Aurna Ghalan, a SK member showed interest in discussing income generating activities.

Aruna Ghalan and other SK members brainstormed about what suitablehuman resources they had to carry out income generating activities intheir locality. They discussed with SST members and demanded RRN forvegetable farming training. Afterwards, they managed a 3-day vegetablefarming training with materials supplied from RRN/Stromme Foundationand technical support provided from DADO. Mrs. Sabina Ghalan, motherof Ms. Aruna Ghalan also participated in the training. The trainingequipped her with technical knowledge on modern cultivation.

Before the training, Sabina Ghalan had been traditionally cultivatingvegetables for to sustain a livilehood. Now she understands thatsubsistence cultivation is not enough to feed her family. The knowledgeand skills learnt during the training helped her start commercial vegetablefarming. Since the training, she has been cultivating onions in her 2.5Katthas of land.

She is satisfied with her commercial vegetable farming. She says, “I've started this farming after the training andI have cultivated in 2 and half Katthas of land. The growth is normal and I'm satisfied. We have some issues toaccess the market but people come to buy from me and sometimes I take the harvest to the local market ofKalikatar which is in the VDC centre. When the harvest is big enough, I also go to Manahari Bazar to sell myproduce. Nowadays I earn NPR 500 to 1000 per month from selling my harvest. The earning has helped mesupport my children’s' education.”


Introduction

During the Moist insurgency in Nepal,thousands of Nepali youths were involved andused in the armed conflict. After thecomprehensive peace accord was signedbetween the government of Nepal and theUnified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) in2006, certain number of youths (ex-combatants) was integrated into the NepalArmy. Those who did not qualify for UNMIN aswell as the Verified Minors and Late Recruits(VMLRs) were sent back to their home with apackage of economic support for their socialreintegration. With the help from the projectin terms of providing school fees andeducation materials to students up to 12th

grade, VMLRs were able to go back to school.

Objectives

The overall objective of the programme is tosupport the peace process through promotionof the rights of children and youth affected bythe conflict.

Expected results

To ensure successful reintegration of VMLRsand CAAFAG through continued support andfacilitating linkages with existing long termservices and support structures.

Key Achievements- VMLRs enrolled in school are continuing to

receive education support as pergovernment approved guidelines.

- Reintegration risk of remaining CAAFAGcases is mitigated through continuedreintegration support and linkages withexisting long term services with supportstructures established.

Impact on GESI and environmentThe project has provided psycho-socialcounselling following the GESI guidelines toVMLR, CAAFAG and their respective familiesand community members which has helpedfacilitate the reintegration process successfully.

Lessons learntRegular follow up encouraged studentstowards rehabilitation.


3.15 Reintegration of Children/Youths Formerly Associatedwith Armed Forces & Armed Groups and Children Affectedby Armed Conflict

Geographic coverage: Sankhuwasava and Bhojpur Districts

Project duration: July 2013 to January 2015

Budget: NPR 931,533

Funding Partner/s: UNICEF/ Human Rights Network andPeace Action Group (PAG) Nepal

Target group: 11 HHs (55 Beneficiaries). Verified Minors andLate Recruits (VMLRs), including Children Associated withArmed Forced and Armed Groups (CAAFAG)

Street drama as afacilitating tool for

the socialreintegration of

VMLR and CAAFAG(Sankhuwasabha)


Introduction

This project targets women and unemployedyouth, who are staying back at home andsearching for opportunities to engage inincome generating activities locally. Thisinitiative looks to empower them with skills,required additional resources as well asfacilitating market facilitating market linkages.Thus, the project supports the overall aim ofMSFP to improve livelihoods and buildresilience of poor and disadvantaged people in

selected VDCs/settlements of Dhankuta andBhojpur districts. In some instances, theinterventions also complement the outcomesof the ongoing programme. This progressreport covers the period from July 2014 toDecember 2014.

Objectives

The objectives of this initiative are as follows:

- To improve and diversify householdlivelihoods activity with a focus on womenand poor;

- To promote forest based/forest relatedentrepreneurship and forest basedemployment for women and poormembers of LFUGs focused on one productin 'One Village One Product (OVOP)'approach;

- To increase access to resources and marketconnectivity of poor and women;

- To raise the income, employmentopportunities and overall status of womenand poor from targeted LFUGs andsettlement.

Expected Results

- Increased income and improved livelihoodsof resource poor households;


3.16 Raising Income and Improving Livelihoods of PoorHouseholds by Introducing New/innovative Actors and Practices

Geographic Coverage: Two districts of Koshi Hills: Bhojpurand Dhankuta (MSFP Lot No. 1) (Mahabharat, Budhimorangand Chhintang VDCs of Dhankuta, and Hasanpur andHomtang VDCs of Bhojpur)

Project Duration: July 2014 to February 2015


Funding Partner/s: Swiss Agency for Development andCooperation (SDC), Department for InternationalDevelopment (DFID) of United Kingdom and Government ofFinland (GoF)

Target Group: 359 HHs (14,36 Beneficiaries) Poor,disadvantaged people and vulnerable groups in Nepalfocusing on women, Dalits, Janajatis and climate vulnerablegroups.

Participants of the'Handicraft SkillRefresher Training'(Chhintang,Dhankuta)


- 225 HHs engaged in intensive livelihoods(income generation / entrepreneurship)activities;

- 125 households engaged in One VillageOne Product (OVOP) based enterprisesinitiatives.

Key Achievements

- Five pig keeping and three goat keepinggroups have been formed within five LocalForest User Groups;

- 226 HHs are trained on micro financeprocess and procedure, pig and goatkeeping technical and managementtraining;

- 226 HHs constructed and renovated theshed;

- 226 HHs of 8 groups of 5 Local Forest UserGroups are linked with micro financeinstitute for loan;

- Common tools such as burdizzo castratorprovided to the goat farming groups andmedicines distributed to 226 HHs of 8groups.

- 133 HHs are engaged in handicraft making6 groups of 5 LFUG;

- 133 HHs received the small tools support;

- 133 people are capacitated from skilldevelopment training;

- Three groups of wooden crafts received thecommon tools;

- 133 HHs have started group saving to linkwith micro finance activities;

- Skill and confidence of entrepreneurs havebeen enhanced and increased their accessto different agencies;

- Two entrepreneurs groups received theregistration certificate from Cottage andSmall Industries Development Office andothers 4 groups are proceeding forregistration;

- Personal equipments (e.g. Hammer, Bashila,Rambo, hand saws etc.) provided toenhance production efficiency for bambooand wooden craft;

- Bamboo and wooden craft production andmarketing (outside local market) underwayby the selected HHs.

Lesson Learnt

- Appropriateness of technology based onhousehold socio-economic status is crucialin selecting the enterprise. For example,availability of feeds, technical man powerand market accessibility in the case of pigand goat rearing.

- Based on remoteness and povertyprevalence, the activity should focus on thecluster area rather than wider geographicalcoverage with scattered activities, which isnot rational to bring tangible impacts.


Nanglo: Handmadebamboo product

(Homtang, Bhojpur)


Introduction

RRN is involved in policy advocacy onpromotion and protection of the rights of thechild in association with Children as Zone ofPeace and Child Protection (CZOPP), a nationalcoalition of organisations working in the fieldof child rights. CZOPP was formed in 2003 toundertake collective advocacy, and coordinateand integrate collective efforts for theprotection and promotion of rights of the

children affected from armed conflict and invulnerable situations. CZOPP was initiated topromote the "Children as Zones of Peace" and"Schools as Zones of Peace" campaigns startedin 2001 when armed conflict ragged in thecountry. RRN is one of the founding membersCZOPP and hosted as well as chaired itsSecretariat twice in 2006 and 2014.

Besides policy advocacy, RRN believes that theissues of child rights and child protection arerealised when household poverty is eliminated.Thus, it incorporates the issue of child rightswithin its community developmentprogrammes for sustainable prevention of theviolation of rights of vulnerable children.

Key Activities and Achievements

- In 2014, as the Chair of CZOPP, RRNengaged in various advocacy andcampaigns for promoting the rights of childand child protection including 'Schools asZones of Peace Campaigns' at the nationaland sub national levels.

- CZOPP undertook various advocacy andlobbying activities for incorporating therights of the children in new constitution.

- A comprehensive child rights study


4. ADVOCACY, CAMPAIGN AND NETWORKINGRRN is actively involved in policy advocacy, lobbying, networking and campaigning in various issues at national,regional and global level in collaboration with several like-minded civil society organisations and alliances. Atthe national level, RRN is mainly involved in advocacy and campaign activities on issues like human rights,women’s rights, children’s rights, human trafficking, and right to food/food sovereignty, climate justice, tax justiceand right to development. RRN works in association with respective national networks such as National Networkon Right to Food, Nepal (RtFN), Alliance Against Trafficking in Women and Children in Nepal (AATWIN), NationalCoalition for Children as Zones of Peace and Child Protection (CZOPP) and Campaign for Climate Justice, Nepal(CCJN).

Similarly, it is actively engaged in advocacy, lobbying and campaign activities on the issues such as rights of theLeast Development Countries (LDCs), development effectiveness, illegitimate debt cancelation, fair trade, socialprotection, women's right, demilitarisation, democratisation and social justice in partnership with respectiveregional and international networks like South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE), Jubilee South - AsiaPacific Movement on Debt and Development (JS/APMDD), LDC Watch, Social Watch, CSO Partnership forDevelopment Effectiveness (CPDE), Our World Is Not For Sale (OWINFS) and Third World Network at regional andglobal levels. RRN also hosts the national secretariat of RtFN and CCJN, sub-regional secretariat of CPDE, regionalsecretariat of SAAPE, and international secretariat of LDC Watch.

4.1 Promotion and Protection of Rights of the Child

Participants of theCZOPP StrategicPlanning Workshop

National Initiatives


regarding social security and domesticatedinternational laws and obligations is beingled by MoWCSW.

- Conducted various interactions andstrategy workshops with policy makers andimplementers including CSOrepresentatives on child rights.

- Associated to make joint efforts with SouthAsia Initiative to End Violence againstChildren (SAIEVAC) through NationalAction and Coordinating Group (NACG).

NACG has a total of 10 national coalitions ofvarious backgrounds working for rights ofthe children, protection, participation,disabilities, psychosocial, and nutritionissues.

- CZOPP is accelerating its thematic groups,such as i) Policy Advocacy, ii), ChildProtection, iii) School as Zone of Peace(SZOP) campaign and iv) InstitutionalDevelopment including CRC monitoringand reporting.

Introduction

RRN has been actively involved in variouscampaigns and advocacy related activitiesagainst human trafficking in association withAlliance against Trafficking in Women andChildren in Nepal (AATWIN) in 2014. AATWINwas established as a national network on 6th

June, 1997 to raise a strong and collective voiceagainst human trafficking. RRN is one of thethirty founding members of the network inNepal. In addition, RRN also integrates theissues of human trafficking in its communitydevelopment programmes in order to preventvulnerable communities from humantrafficking through livelihood enhancement,education and awareness activities.

Major Activities

- AATWIN has conducted a research entitled“How protected are they? An analysis ofprotection mechanism set for traffickingvictims/survivors in Nepal.”

- The campaign for the ratification of UNprotocol on human trafficking (protocol toprevent, suppress and punish trafficking inperson, especially women and children) hasbeen continued.

- Advocacy and lobbying carried out toimplement the 'National Plan of Actionagainst Trafficking in Persons 2011-2016'.

- Undertaken lobby and advocacy foramendment of the Human Trafficking andTransportation (Control) Act 2007.

- AATWIN, in association with MOWCSW andShakti Samuha, co-organised the 3rdNational Conference on TraffickingSurvivors (female).

- AATWIN submitted a Memorandum to theChair of the National Women Commission(NWC) regarding the ratification of UNProtocol to Prevent, Supress and PunishTrafficking in Person, Especially Women andChildren.

- A Western Regional Level TOT onTrafficking/Slavery to the stakeholderorganisations from 20-23 June in Pokhara,Kaski.

- AATWIN and Shakti Samuha jointlyorganised a workshop entitled “SAARCConvention on Preventing and CombatingTrafficking in Women and Children forProstitution and CSOs Voices/Concerns”during the People’s SAARC Convergence on24 November, 2014.

- AATWIN in association with Nepal Policeorganised the Western Regional levelprogramme in Pokhara to end Gender


4.2 Campaign Against Human Trafficking

Rally organised byAATWIN on the

occasion ofInternational

Working Women'sDay (8th March)


Based Violence during the “16 DaysViolence against Women Campaign.” Morethan 250 police personnel and over 100 civilsociety activists participated in the rally.

Key Achievements

- National Committee for Controlling HumanTrafficking / Ministry of Women, Childrenand Social Welfare (NCCHT/MoWCSW)wrote a letter to the Ministry of HomeAffairs requesting for the ratification of theUN Protocol against trafficking.

- Although the Government of Nepal hasformulated the 'National Plan of Action

against Trafficking', but has notimplemented it yet. Stakeholders andimplementing agencies are not even muchaware about the plan. Therefore, AATWINhas been involved in advocating to theNCCHT/MoWCSW and other stakeholdersfor its effective implementation.

- Under the recommendation of AATWIN,the issue of human trafficking of womenand children has been incorporated in thePeople’s SAARC Declaration. Additionally,the issue has also been incorporated inthe official SAARC Summit Declaration


IntroductionRRN has been involved in advocacy, lobbyingand campaign for right to food and foodsecurity in association with the NationalNetwork on Right to Food Nepal (RtFN). RtFNis a national network that undertakes collectiveefforts and brings together individuals andorganisation that are engaged in promotinghuman Right to Food in Nepal. RtFN's activitiesare mainly focused on raising awareness on theissues and its violations, and capacity buildingof CSOs on issues of food sovereignty as wellas mainstreaming human Right to Food ingovernment policies.

RRN has been hosting RtFN's nationalsecretariat and coordinating its activities sinceits inception in 2007.

Objectives- Poor and excluded communities whose

right to food are denied begin to exercisepower to gain access to and control overproductive resources and means ofsubsistence,

- NGOs, CSOs and Peasants organisationswill fight together for the realisation of rightto food,

- The right to food agenda gets prominencein socio-political discourses,

- Government institutions becomedemocratic and accountable in promoting,protecting and fulfilling the right to food,

- Government allocates more resources foragriculture, promotes just and sustainableagricultural development models based onsmall scale farming and agro-ecology,

- Public policies and international food tradeno longer undermine human right to foodprinciples.

Major Activities

- Right to Food Network (RtFN) along withFIAN Nepal and Jury Nepal submitted ajoint memorandum to the Office of PrimeMinister and Council Minister (OPMCM) toincorporate RtF issues with top mostpriority along with other rights in NationalHuman Right Action Plan (NHRAP) on 18

4.3 Advocacy, Lobbying and Campaigning for Right toFood, Food Sovereignty and Food Security

An interactionprogramme withpolitical parties andCA members on“Ensuring Right toFood and FoodSovereignty in theUpcomingConstitution”


February 2014. As a result of this collectiveeffort, RtF issues are included in 4th NHRAP.RtFN considers this as one of theachievements in the year 2014 since it wasthe first time RtF issues were incorporatedin NHRAP.

- A sharing programme on”Right to Foodand Progress Updates on ADS: Experiencesand Way Forward” was organised on 26th

February, 2014 in Kathmandu. Theprogramme helped RtFN members andother stakeholders to better understandthe issues and concerns on right to foodand provided forum to interact withlawyers who had filed these cases inSupreme Court.

- An interaction programme with politicalparties and CA members on “Ensuring Rightto Food and Food Sovereignty in theUpcoming Constitution” was organised on26th August, 2014 in Kathmandu. More than65 participants representing agro-experts,government officials, civil society activists,students and farmers along with 13 CAmembers participated in the interactionprogramme. Series of similar interactionprogrammes were also organised by RtFNin 2014. There programmes have provideda common platform to bring 84 CAmembers/influential political leaders fordirect interaction with policy-makers, thepublic in forging a consensus to ensureRight to Food as a fundamental right in theupcoming constitution.

- RtFN organised an interaction programmeon “Agriculture Development Strategy(ADS) for Social Justice and its CurrentStatus” on 20th October, 2014 inKathmandu. 57 participants representingthe government, farmers groups, agroexperts, CSO and journalist attended theprogramme. The objective of theprogramme was to bring together variousstakeholders to discuss current status ofADS, and its pros and cons. Similarly, theprogramme also provided an interactiveforum for direct interaction with theChairperson and Members of theAgriculture and Water Resources Committeeof the Legislature-Parliament in order tohave firsthand information.

- A delegation of RtFN met with Dr. BaburamBhattarai, the Chairperson of PoliticalDialogue and Consensus Committee of theConstitution Assembly, on 17 August 2014

with an aim to ensure right to food as afundamental right in the upcomingconstitution. During the meeting, Dr.Bhattarai shared that PDCC has agreed tokeep right to food and food sovereignty asfundamental rights in the upcomingconstitution and it has been sent to theconstitution drafting committee.

- On the occasion of the 24th World Food Dayon 16th October, RtFN organised a symbolicsit in demonstration in front of the CABuilding at New Baneswor, Kathmandu.More than 200 participants representingcivil societies, peasants association, forestusers groups, students, journalists as well asCA members took part in the picketingholding placards with slogans demandingto ensure farmers rights, land rights, rightto food and food sovereignty in theupcoming constitution.

- RtFN broadcasted radio programmes toraise awareness and sensitise people onright to food issues in November 2014. Theprogrammes were broadcasted througheight different FM stations covering 9districts - Kathmandu, Okhaldhunga,Udaypur, Siraha, Bhojpur, Dhankuta,Ramechap, Accham and Doti.

- RtFN organised a panel discussion on“Right to Food Movement for Zero Hunger:Civil Society Campaign: Sharing South AsiaExperience” during the People’s SAARCRegional Convergence on 22nd November,2014 in Kathmandu.

- RtFN and FIAN Nepal jointly telecasted aPublic Service Announcement (PSA) onright to food issues from 9 to 23 Decemberthrough Nepal Television and from 16th to30th December through Kantipur Television.


Rally orgainsed onthe occasion of

World Food Day on16 October, 2014


CA member Mr. Gagan Thapa, through thePSA stressed that, right to food is afundamental right of everyone and it is theresponsibility of the state to respect,protect and fulfill its obligation as a stateparty of ICESCR.

- Orientation on right to adequate food tomedia fellow/researcher was organised inJune 2014 in Kathmandu and Nepalgunj tosensitise media on RtF issues and cover RtFviolated cases.

- An interaction programme on “PesticidesResidue in Food: Challenges and PreventiveMeasures” was organised on 25th July atVegetable/Fruits Development CommitteeHall, Kathmandu. Since the programme, thegovernment has been active in conductingorientation programmes to framers andhas also started to raise awareness throughradio programme.

Key Achievements- On 8th January, 2014, the Supreme Court of

Nepal issued a stay order which prohibited

the import of GMO seeds. Further on 26th

January, 2014 it continued its previous stayorder banning the import of geneticallymodified (GM) seeds, including thosesupplied by Monsanto, a US-basedchemical and agricultural biotechnologycompany which is the outcome of a protestrally against GM seeds organised by RtFNon 27th December, 2013.

- RtF issues are included in 4th NHRAP whichis the result of the joint lobby of RtFN, FianNepal and Jury Nepal.

- CA members have publicly commitment toensure right to food in the upcomingconstitution.

- The immediate outcome of the interactionon “Pesticides Residue in Food: Challengesand Preventive Measures” is, thegovernment has been responsive forconducting orientation programs toframers and started to raise awarenessthrough radio programme.

Introduction

RRN as a member of “Campaign for ClimateJustice Nepal (CCJN)” has been engaged inadvocacy and campaigns for climate justice inNepal. CCJN, a national alliance of NGOs,peasants, women and labour organisation, isassociated with Jubilee South/APMDD tocampaign for climate justice in Nepal.

Major Activities

- The CCJN organised the “People's ClimateMarch” with the key demand: “Fight for

Climate Justice! System Change Not ClimateChange!!'” on 19th September, 2014 inKathmandu. CCJN handed over the“Statement of Demands”, addressed to UNSecretary General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon throughMr. Jamie McGoldrick, UN ResidentCoordinator and UNDP ResidentRepresentative to Nepal. Similarly, a copy ofthe “Statement of Demands” was alsohanded over to Mr. Sushil Koirala, the PrimeMinister of Nepal. More than 200participants representing 41 organisationsconsisting of peasant's movement,women's movement, trade unions, youthsand other civil society organisations (CSOs)took part in the People's Climate March.

- The People's Climate March was organisedin the context that, UN Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon was hosting the ClimateSummit on 23rd September, 2014 in NewYork. The Climate Summit aimed to engageleaders at the highest level – UN MemberStates, civil society, private sector - toadvance climate action especially towardsthe new climate agreement which will beadopted in 2015 in Paris and implementedfrom 2020.


4.4. Advocacy and Campaign for Climate Justice

CCJN handed overthe “Statement ofDemands”,addressed to UNSecretary GeneralMr. Ban Ki-Moonthrough Mr. JamieMcGoldrick, UNResident Coordinatorand UNDP ResidentRepresentative toNepal


Introduction

RRN has been participating in advocacy,lobbying and networking for the promotionand protection of the Economic Social andCultural Rights (ESCR) in Nepal in associationwith the Human Rights Treaty MonitoringCoordination Committee (HRTMCC). RRN is theChair of the ESCR Committee while othermembers are Lumanti, CoCAP, PHECT, PSRN,Forest Action, CSRC and CPLE.

Major Activities and Achievements

Following are the major activities carried outby ESCR Committee led by RRN in 2014:

- Four meetings of ESCR Committee wereheld in 2014. The meetings were mainlyconcentrated on ESCR national reportpreparation, preparation of ESCR hearing atGeneva, expansion of committee members,revision of work progress and coordinationwith allied agencies for joint reports to bepresented in Geneva.

- A parallel civil society report on ESCRsituation of Nepal was prepared by thesecretariat and submitted to the UNCommittee on ESCR at Geneva. Specific

process was adopted to collect the reportlike case collections, verification at districtand regional level, and final review atcentral level (HRTMCC). The concerns andfeedbacks were collected from theexperienced lawyers, senior technicalexperts and civil society leaders.

- Mr. Birendra Adhikari of RRN and ESCR Teamfrom Nepal participated in the 53rd sessionof UN ESCR meeting which was held from16th to 22nd November, 2014 in Geneva. Theinteraction was fruitful as ESCR Committeeof Nepal had opportunity to put the ESCRissues in the UN ESCR Committee whichfacilitates the UN ESCR Committee to raisethe questions over the ESCR reportsubmitted by the government of Nepal.

- HRTMCC Annual General Meeting was heldin December 2014, where ESCR CoordinatorMr. Birendra Adhikari presented the reporton ESCR activities and achievements of theyear. There was a critical discussion ondecentralised planning in Nepal withrespect to ESCR, which needs to beoverseen by the committee membersthrough field visit and interaction withmarginalised communities.


4.5 Campaign for the protection and promotion of Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR)

Mr. BirendraAdhikari of RRNand ESCR Team

from Nepalparticipated in

the 53rdsession of UNESCR meetingheld on 16-22November,

2014 in Geneva


Introduction

RRN has been involved in campaigning foreradication of poverty and injustices in SouthAsia in association with South Asia Alliance forPoverty Eradication (SAAPE). RRN is one of thefounding members of SAAPE and hosts itsRegional Secretariat since SAAPE’s inception in2001.

South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication(SAAPE) is an alliance of like-minded mass-basedorganisations, academics, trade unions, peasantassociations, women organisations, communitybased organisations, NGOs and other people’sorganisations from Afghanistan, Bangladesh,Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and SriLanka, working together towards eradication ofpoverty and promotion of human rights andsocial justice in the region.

Major Activities- SAAPE has been publishing the South Asia

Poverty & Vulnerability Report since 2003. Thecurrent report is the fourth of the series ofSAAPE's publication on poverty analysis andalternative development paradigms. SAAPElaunched its 2013 report with broaderanalysis of the dominant developmentparadigm in the South Asian region in Lahoreand Karachi of Pakistan and Gujarat of Indiaon 21 Feb, 5 March and 2 March 2014respectively.

- The two day judicial colloquium entitled,"South Asian Consultation on the Rule of Law,Democracy and Independence of theJudiciary” was held from 1st to 2nd April, 2014

in Kathmandu. The programme wasorganised jointly by Rural Construction Nepal(RRN), South Asia Alliance for PovertyEradication (SAAPE), LDC Watch and HumanRights Law Network (HRLN). The programmewas organised with a goal to look at the basicand common issues of South Asia, mainly therule of law, the state of democracy andimportance of judiciary and ultimately tohave a kind of alliance in South Asia in orderto strengthen the rule of law, democracy,independent of Judiciary and Human Rights.

- SAAPE’s Demilitarisation, Democratisationand Social Justice Campaign Grouporganised a regional convergence from 26th

to 27th March, 2014 in Kathmandu. Theregional convergence was organised todiscuss national issues and concerns of SouthAsian countries and demand fordemilitarisation, democratisation and socialjustice in the region. The convergenceadopted the Kathmandu Declarationdemanding a portable social security for allthe citizens of South Asia, the non-residentBhutanese rights are protected according tointernational laws, trade union rights beextended to all sectors including foragriculture workers, to resolve disputes onintra-region water sharing among others.

- SAAPE and People’s SAARC jointly organisedthe Second Sunila Abeysekera MemorialLecture in Kathmandu with SANGAT SouthAsia on 28 September, 2014. The lecture wasdelivered by Professor Charlotte Bunch whois the founding Director and Senior Scholar atthe Centre for Women’s Global Leadership,Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA. Besidesthe lecture, Meeto Memorial Award 2013 wasawarded to Ani Choying from Nepal for heroutstanding contribution to peace, harmony,gender equality and women’s empowermentby five members of the SANGAT core groupfrom five South Asian countries.

- South Asian people's movements (women,youth, peasants, labour, socially marginalisedgroups) and civil society organisationsorganised a regional convergence from 22nd

to 24th November, 2014 in the form of'People's SAARC', parallel to the 18th SAARCSummit in Kathmandu, Nepal. Theoverarching theme of the convergence was"People’s Movements Uniting South Asia forDeepening Democracy, Social Justice & Peace.”


Regional and International Initiatives

4.6 Campaign for Eradication of Poverty and Injustices

South Asia RegionalConvergence onDemiliterisation andPeace on 26-27March 2014 inKathmandu


The objective of the convergence was tostrengthen people’s solidarity in South Asiato be in tune with the vision and perspectivesof an alternative model for political, social,economic, and cultural order that mustensure democracy, justice and peace for all inthe region.

Altogether 72 parallel events were organisedduring the programme, which witnessedparticipation of 2,500 activists representingmore than 150 South Asian organisations.The events were organised by the concernedfederation and networks at their owninitiative, interests and costs. Participants atthe Convergence reaffirmed solemncommitments towards justice, peace,security, human rights, and democracy in theregion for equality and to eliminate all formsof discrimination.

The three-day long Convergence concludedwith a 32-point declaration. Convener ofPeople’s SAARC Regional Convergence 2014,Sharmila Karki, who is also president of NGOFederation of Nepal, handed over thedeclaration to Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr.Mahendra Bahadur Pandey at the closingceremony held on 24th November in Lalitpur.

There were 133 member organisations(national, regional and global) in the hostcountry organising committee includingRRN, SAAPE and LDC Watch.

Following the Regional Convergence, adelegation of People's SAARC handed overthe Declaration of People's SAARC RegionalConvergence 2014 to Mr. Arjun BahadurThapa, Secretary-General of SAARC at SAARCSecretariat on 8 January, 2015.

- People’s SAARC Regional Secretariatpublished a comprehensive documentregarding the history and evolution ofPeople’s SAARC in November, 2014. Thepublication documents the vision of an

alternative political, social, economic andcultural system in the region that will doaway with all the distinctions anddiscriminations of gender, caste, religion,language and ethnicity and lead to asituation free from exploitation andoppression.

- The booklet documented the initiatives andprocesses organised by South Asianmovements/civil society organisations toform People’s SAARC.

Key Achievements- SAAPE is one of the founding members of the

People’s SAARC and has been playing a vitalrole in bringing CSOs and social movementstogether from across South Asia in parallel toSAARC summit and put people's perspectivesto the development of South Asia and role ofSAARC.

- SAAPE has been facilitating regional andrespective country processes in parallel to theofficial SAARC summit. In November 2014,the 18th SAARC Summit was held in Nepaland SAAPE facilitated the regionalconvergence of civil society members whichhanded over a People’s SAARC 2014Kathmandu Declaration comprising SouthAsian people’s issues and calls to the summit.SAAPE also facilitates the dialogues betweenthe representative of Peoples’ SAARC and theSAARC secretariat.

- The Synthesis Report prepared by the UNSecretariat General on the Post- 2015Development was published on 4th

December, 2014. Following the publicationof the Synthesis Report, SAAPE provided aresponse to the report. The Synthesisdocument is part of a process SAAPE hasbeen involved in and the Report reflects thecontributions of many concerned andcommitted civil society actors.


Panel discussion onPeople's Struggles

for PovertyEradication: Towardsa New DevelopmentAgenda in SouthAsia organised by

SAAPE during Peple'sSAARC


Major Activities

- Asia Tax and Fiscal Justice Assembly wasorganised in Bangkok, Thailand from 1st to2nd September in order to build a networkon tax and fiscal justice which advocates foradvance tax and fiscal justice in the region.The assembly was convened by national,regional and global civil societynetworks. Rural Reconstruction Nepal

(RRN), LDC Watch and South Asia Alliancefor Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) weremembers of the convening team. Theassembly was organised to consolidatesynergies and work on tax and fiscal justiceissues globally. The assembly formallyelected Coordinating Committee members,Coordinators team for the network. Theassembly also decided to join the GlobalAlliance on Tax Justice (GATJ). SAAPE waselected as a member of the coordinatingcommittee on 2nd September, 2014.

- After the Asia Tax and Fiscal JusticeAssembly (1-2 September, 2014), JointPreparatory Committee for Tax & FiscalJustice was formed in Nepal. DuringPeople’s SAARC 2014, this committeeorganised a workshop entitled ‘Tax andFiscal Justice in South Asia: AddressingInequality and Rights over PublicResources” on 24th November, 2014 inLalitpur, Nepal. Participants representingpeople’s movements and grassrootsorganisations actively participated in theworkshop.

Introduction

LDC Watch is a global civil society alliancebased in 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs)as defined by the United Nations. LDC Watchactivities are geared towards the effectiveimplementation of the Istanbul Programme ofAction for the LDCs for the Decade 2011-2020(IPoA), adopted by the Fourth UN Conferenceon the LDCs (UN LDC-IV) in May 2011 in

Istanbul, Turkey. In parallel, LDC Watch isengaged in the acceleration of the MDGs andother internationally agreed developmentgoals (IADGs). It is also significantlycontributing in the ongoing Post 2015 and theSustainable Development Goals (SDGs)process, which is the forthcomingdevelopment agenda after the MDGs end in2015. Further, it is active in the internationaltrade negotiations of the World TradeOrganisation (WTO) as well as in the climatechange negotiations of the UN FrameworkConvention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). LDCWatch acts as both, partner and pressuregroup, in all these development processes todefend the interests and rights of people inLDCs. Out of the 48 LDCs, the 34 are in Sub-Saharan Africa, one in the Caribbean, nine inAsia, and four in the Pacific.

RRN as a national focal organisation of LDCWatch has been playing a vital role forprotection and promotion of rights of peopleof LDCs. RRN hosts International Secretariat ofLDC Watch at its office premises.


4.7 Campaign for Tax and Fiscal Justice

4.8 Advocacy for Rights of the People of LDCs

Pannel Discussion on'Tax and FiscalJustice in South Asia'organised by JointPreparatoryCommittee for Taxand Fiscal Justice(JPCTFJ) duringPeople SAARC

Dr. Arjun Karki, Intl.Coordinator of LDCWatch participatingthe MinisterialMeeting of Asia-Pacific LDCs onGraduation andPost-2015DevelopmentAgenda


Major Activities

- LDC Watch in partnership with its mediaarm, the LDC News Service; produced aregular edition of its bilingual (English &French) Newsletter in January, focusing on(i) the 19th session of the Conference of theParties (COP19) to the UN FrameworkConvention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)held on 11-22 November, 2013 inWarsaw, Poland and (ii) the 9th MinisterialConference (MC9) of the World TradeOrganisation (WTO) held on 3-6 December,2013 in Bali, Indonesia.

- LDC Watch participated and engaged at theAsia Pacific Regional CoordinatingCommittee Meeting of the CSO Partnershipfor Development Effectiveness (CPDE) on10th April in Mexico City in the run-up to thefirst HLM of the GPEDC on 15-16 April. LDCWatch participated and engaged at theInternational Investment CampaigningStrategy Meeting on 13-15 May in Istanbul,organised by network partners, the ThirdWorld Network, Friends of the Earth, PublicServices International, Focus on the GlobalSouth, Southern and Eastern African TradeInformation and Negotiations Institute(SEATINI), The Egyptian Centre forEconomic and Social Rights, Arab NGONetwork for Development, BOTH Ends andPublic Citizen’s Global Trade Watch.SEATINI is the national focal point of LDCWatch in Uganda.

- LDC Watch in its role as an internationalsteering committee member of the GlobalCampaign to Demand Climate Justice(DCJ) participated and engaged as anObserver at the 7th Board Meeting of theGCF held on 18-21 May in Songdo. The DCJplatform engaged in policy advocacy andcampaign building strategy planning,releasing two Letters to the GCF BoardMembers & Alternates, focusing on countryownership and against financing of fossilfuels and other dirty energy.

- In light of the WTO Trade FacilitationPreparatory Committee meeting on 26-28May in Geneva at the WTO headquarters,LDC Watch members in Nepal, Uganda andLesotho respectively met with theirrelevant government officials and ministersin their capitals urging them to defend LDCdevelopment interests by linking the entryinto force of the Trade Facilitation

Agreement (TFA) to the conclusion of theDoha Round "single undertaking” mandate.The TFA which was adopted at the 9th

Ministerial Conference in Bali in December2013, is of more advantage to thedeveloped countries and is an “earlyharvest” of the ongoing Doha Roundnegotiations while issues andcommitments related to the developingcountries including LDCs are still side-linedand non-binding. The entry into force of theTFA has been stalled with developingcountries including the LDCs demandingimplementation of commitments to theirissues especially on Public FoodStockholding with relates to Food Securityand the non-binding nature of the LDC BaliPackage.

- LDC Watch with other DCJ membersproduced two Policy Briefs at the 40th

sessions of the SBI 40 and the SBSTA 40, aswell as the June session of the Ad HocWorking Group on the Durban Platform forEnhanced Action (ADP), held on 4-15 Junein Bonn.

- LDC Watch participated and engaged at theAsia Pacific Outreach Meeting onSustainable Development Financing(APMSDF) held on 10-11 June in Jakarta.The meeting was organised by the UNEconomic and Social Commission for Asiaand the Pacific (ESCAP) and the IndonesianMinistry of Finance.

- LDC Watch participated and engaged at the2014 UNCTAD Public Symposium: A BetterWorld Economic Order for Equality andSustainable Development Post-2015, heldon 18-19 June in Geneva. LDC Watch


South AsianConsultation on the

Rule of Law,Democracy and

Independence of theJudiciary


International Coordinator addressedRoundtable 1: Macroeconomic dimensionsof inequality, on 18 June. LDC WatchInternational Coordinator was also one ofthe discussants in the Breakout Session:Threats to the Post-2015 Agenda fromTrade organised on 19 June by networkpartner and member, the Our World Is Notfor Sale network.

- LDC Watch organised a Policy Dialogue on24 June in London, in collaboration with theOverseas Development Institute (ODI), LDCNews Service and the UN Office of the HighRepresentative for the LDCs, LLDCs andSIDS (UN-OHRLLS). The policy dialoguefocused on the LDC IPoA and the Post-2015Agenda.

- A preparatory meeting for the Social Pre-COP was held by the Venezuelangovernment on 15-18 July in the Island ofMargarita, inviting environmental activistsfrom the global South and North. LDCWatch members participated and engagedin the preparatory meeting; highlightingLDC issues, perspectives and positions inthe outcome document named theMargarita Declaration. The Social Pre-COPwas scheduled to be held on 4-7 Novemberahead of the official COP20 scheduled on 1-12 December in Lima, Peru.

- LDC Watch participated and engaged atthe “Ministerial Meeting on NewPartnerships for Productive CapacityBuilding in the LDCs” held on 28-31 July inCotonou. Benin hosted the meeting as theglobal Chair of the LDC Group incollaboration with the UN-OHRLLS and theUN system. LDC Watch participated andengaged at the “Regional Consultationon Accountability for the Post-2015Development Agenda” held on 5-6 Augustin Bangkok. The consultation was organisedas part of the 70th annual session of the UNESCAP.

- LDC Watch participated and engagedat the “Regional Consultation onAccountability for the Post-2015Development Agenda” held on 5-6 Augustin Bangkok. The consultation was organisedas part of the 70thannual session of the UNESCAP.

- LDC Watch International Coordinatoraddressed the Asia-Pacific Youth Forum

“Adaptation in the Mountains: Issues andGaps beyond Boundaries” organised by theInternational Centre for IntegratedMountain Development ICIMOD)Kathmandu on 22 September inKathmandu. The statement focused on thespecific concerns of mountain LDCs as wellas highlighted political positions withregard to emission cuts, finance andtechnology transfer by developed countriesbased on “historical responsibility” and“common but differentiated responsibilitiesand respective capabilities”.

- LDC Watch was also invited to the 2014Global Perspectives International CSOLeaders’ Society Forum “Driving theTransition: Collective Action for GlobalChange” held on 29-31 October in Paris inpartnership with the OECD. GlobalPerspectives is the annual meeting of thetop leaders of civil society organisationsfrom around the globe. It provides aplatform to discuss the most pressingchallenges, opportunities and trendsaffecting civil society globally together withhigh-level representatives from socialmovements, politics, the corporate sectorand academia.

- The government of the Bolivarian Republicof Venezuela hosted the first ever SocialPre-COP consultation with global societyon 4-7 November in Margarita Island, aheadof the official COP20 scheduled on 1-12December in Lima, Peru. Venezuela wishedto invite CSOs to take advantage of thepolitical momentum created by the SocialPre-COP to build new narratives of climatechange, highlighting its social dimensionbeyond the purely economic and financialdialogue. The 20th session of theConference of the Parties (COP20) and the10th session of the Conference of theParties serving as the Meeting of the Partiesto the Kyoto Protocol (CMP10) took placefrom 1 to 14 December in Lima, Peru. LDCWatch International Coordinator andAdvocacy Coordinator engaged in thenegotiations as members of thegovernment delegation in their role asObservers.

- LDC Watch, in partnership with its networkmembers and partners, co-organised thefollowing events at the People’s SAARC: (1)Tax and Fiscal Justice in South Asia:Addressing Inequality and Rights Over



Public Services (2) Bilateral InvestmentTreaties (BITs)/ Bilateral InvestmentProtection and Promotion Agreement(BIPA) in South Asia: Investor ProtectionClauses and it’s Impacts for Policy Space(3) WTO and Free Trade Agreements (FTAs):Implications for Agriculture and foodSecurity in south Asia and (4) SAARCClimate Declaration Review with People'sRight Perspective: Fate of Climate ForcedMigrants in the Region. The People’s SAARCis a regional mobilisation of socialmovements, people’s organisations andCSOs with regional convergence in parallelto the official SAARC summit. Since Nepalwas hosting the official 18th SAARCSummit, the People’s SAARC was alsoconvened in Kathmandu. Out of the 8SAARC countries, four are LDCs:Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan andNepal.

- UNOHRLLS in partnership with UNDP andNepal Government hosted a MinisterialMeeting of Asia- Pacific Least DevelopedCountries on Graduation and the Post 2015Development Agenda on 16-18 December,2014 in Kathmandu, Nepal wherein LDCWatch actively took part in it and produceda statement stating the priorities of LDCgraduation and post 2015. LDC Watchlobbied and was successful in ensuring fullcancellation of multilateral and bilateraldebts owed by all least developedcountries to creditors, both public andprivate and to put in place appropriate debtrelief and debt workout mechanisms forLDCs going forward in their outcomedeclaration.

Key Achievements

- LDC Watch has been advocating for Totaland Unconditional Debt Cancellation forLDCs which is one of its long standingcampaigns. Therefore, it is notable that LDCGovernments are now demanding “fullcancellation of multilateral and bilateraldebts owed by all LDCs to creditors, bothpublic and private” as was evidently statedin the Outcome Document of theMinisterial Conference on New Partnershipsfor Productive Capacity Building in LDCs,

namely the “Cotonou Agenda forProductive Capacity Building in LDCs” heldduring July, 2014 in Benin. This was furtherreiterated in the Kathmandu Declaration forSustainable Graduation of Asia-Pacific LDCsthat came out of the “Ministerial Meeting ofAsia-Pacific LDCs on Graduation and Post-2015 Development Agenda” held from 16-18 December, 2014, in Kathmandu, Nepal.

- On 1-14 December 2014, the 20th session ofthe Conference of the Parties (COP 20) andthe 10th session of the Conference of theParties serving as the Meeting of the Parties(CMP 10) to the Kyoto protocol took placein Lima, Peru. LDC Watch successfullylobbied to be part of the governmentdelegation of Nepal which provided keyopportunity to be an Observer to thenegotiations. Nepal was the outgoing Chairof the LDC Group. LDC Watch drafted theclosing remarks of the Nepalese Head ofDelegation (Vice-Chair of National PlanningCommission) at the LDC Ministerial briefing,spelling out the need to fight for a balanceof all essential elements – mitigation,adaptation, loss and damage, finance,technology transfer - in the final LimaDecision text. Besides a balanced outcomein this regard, the other major fight of thedeveloping countries was to retain andpreserve the key guiding principle ofcommon but differentiated responsibilities(CBDR) and thus, resist the re-writing of theClimate Convention (UNFCCC) by thedeveloped countries. Toward this end, LDCWatch lobbied the LDC Group (LDCgovernments) including other differentnegotiating groups within the Group of 77and China like the African Group, the LikeMinded Developing Countries (LMDCs) andthe Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS);to maintain their unity and solidarity as asingle voice so as to bring about a balancedoutcome in Lima which in turn would pavethe way towards the new climateagreement to be signed in Paris at theCOP21 in 2015. The final decision text “LimaCall for Climate Action” contains allelements including the CBDR principlewhich was a considerable achievement bythe developing countries including LDCs.




5. FINANCIAL OUTLOOK5.1 Independent Auditors' Report



5.2 Ballence Sheet



5.3 Income and Expenditure Statement



5.4 Cash Flow Statement


Executive Committee1. Dr. Arjun Karki President 2. Ms. Mana Dahal Vice President 3. Ms. Kalyani Mishra Tripathi Secretary3. Mr. Hari Tamang Treasurer 4. Ms. Nirmika Rai Member 5. Dr. Netra Timsina Member 6. Ms. Radha Tamang Member

RRN Staff Members

Central Office, Kathmandu1. Mr. Arun Dhoj Adhikary Executive Director2. Dr. Sarba Raj Khadka Senior Advisor3. Mr. Ratna Karki Thematic Leader (Agriculture and Food Security) and Project Manager4. Mr. Moti P. Thapa Magar Team Leader5. Mr. Kulchandra Dahal Project Manager6. Mr. Charles Pradhan Thematic Expert (Biodiversity)7. Ms. Prerna Bomzan Thematic Leader (Policy Advocacy and Campaign) and Project Manager8. Mr. Bhanu Parajuli Thematic Leader (Education) and Project Manager9. Mr. Balkrishna Chaudhary Thematic Leader (Health and Nutrition) and Project Manager10. Ms. Laxmi Karki Thematic Leader (National Advocacy)11. Mr. Shyam Upadhyay Administration Manager12. Mr. Bharat Raj Pande Finance Manager13. Mr. Som K. Rai Communication Manager14. Ms. Kamala Oli Monitoring & Evaluation Manager15. Mr. Nirajan Pokharel Project Engineer/ Manager16. Mr. Ritu Barna Silwal Project Manager17. Mr. Gam Bahadur Gurung Project Manager18. Mr. Padam Budhathoki Finance Officer19 Mr. Pralhad Karki Sr. Finance Officer20. Ms. Selina Kharel Finance Officer21. Ms. Swikriti Khadka Human Resource Officer22. Ms. Nirjala Pandey Sr. Knowledge Management and Research Officer23. Mr. Pradip Sharma Finance Manager24. Mr. Praman Adhikari Programme Officer25. Mr. Sugat Bhattarai Advocacy & Campaign Officer26. Mr. Manish Gyawali Advocacy & Campaign Officer27. Mr. Madan Karki IT Officer28. Ms. Munu Shrestha Account Officer29. Mr. Kamal Tamang Admin/Logistic Support Officer30. Mr. Ravi Kiran Shakya Trainee Account Officer31. Ms. Sushila Thapa Communication and Documentation Assistant32. Mr. Kishor Sharma Store Keeper/Accountant


6. RRN PEOPLE (As of April 2015)


33. Ms. Prabha Rana Receptionist34. Ms. Janaka Gyawali Admin Assistant35. Ms. Junu Shrestha Trainee Accountant36. Mr. Bhoj Raj Ghimire Office Assistant37. Mr. Laxmi Dahal Office Assistant38. Mr. Uddhav Karki Transportation Mgmt. Assistant39. Mr. Asha Kaji Maharjan Transportation Mgmt. Assistant40. Mr. Namaraj Devkota Transportation Mgmt. Assistant41. Ms. Mira Thapa Cafeteria Assistant42. Ms. Ganga Shrestha Cleaner

RRN Regional Staff Members 1. Mr. Ram P. Dhungana Regional Coordinator, Western Regional Office, Nepalgunj2. Mr. Bhumi Kafle Sr. Livelihoods Officer, , Eastern Regional Office3. Mr. Drona Uprety DRR & CC Officer, Eastern Regional Office4. Mr. Gokul Bikram Adhikari Area Programme Manager (MSFP), Dhankuta

District/Project Staff Members 1. Mr. ChhabiLal Tamang District Coordinator (CDP) Mugu2. Mr. Binod Kumar Sharma District Coordinator (CDP) Bajura3. Mr. Dinesh Aryal District Coordinator (CDP) Sarlahi4. Mr. Duryodhan Adhikari District Coordinator (CDP) Dhanusha5. Mr. Lil Bahadur Karki District Coordinator (CDP) Rautahat6. Ms. Saraswati Koirala District Coordinator (CDP) Sunsari7. Ms. Kalpana Shrestha District Coordinator (CDP) Siraha8. Mr. Bishal Timalsena District Coordinator (CDP) Mahottari9. Mr. Thaneshwor Sodemba District Coordinator (CDP) Dolpa10. Mr. Bam Bahadur Khadka District Coordinator (CDP) Achham11. Ms. Shobha K. Mahato District Coordinator (CDP) Parsa12. Ms. Shubha Devi B.K District Coordinator (CDP) Jumla13. Mr. Raj Bahadur Rokaya District Coordinator (CDP) Humla14. Mr. Bhim Bahadur Mahar District Coordinator (CDP) Bajhang15. Mr. Bipin Das District Coordinator (CDP) Bara16. Mr. Lila Ram Neupane District Coordinator (CDP) Kalikot17. Ms. Ambika Yadav District Coordinator (CDP) Saptari18. Mr. Kashiram Karki District Coordinator (CDP) Jajarkot19. Mr. Navaraj Thapa Programme Coordinator (SAMVAD) Makawanpur20. Mr. Sharad K. Chaudhary District Coorddinator (MSFP) Dhankuta21. Mr. Sumit Gautam District Coordinator (MSFP) Tehrathum22. Mr. Tek Bahadur Baruwal District Coordinator (MSFP) Sankhuwasava23. Mr. Binay Kumar Sah District Coordinator (MSFP) Bhojpur24. Mr. Bijay K. Vishwakarma Project Manager (CIRFP) Nepalgunj25. Mr. Navin Raj Dahal Thematic Expert-Cooperative/Marketing(SCBDMP) Taplejung




RRN Publications in 2014


2014 - rural reconstruction nepal (rrn) · annual report 2014 r r n (rrn) a 2014 i ... 3.12...

Documents