Livelihoods Support for Vulnerable and Excluded Communities in Nepal, NET 2 Phase I&II (Sep.2010 to Mar.2013) suported by Save the Children.

The net-2 project has been in two VDCs’ of Sunsari district situated in Eastern terai region of Nepal. Sunsari district is 152 to 914 meter high from average mean sea level which includes the high sloppy hills at North to flat terai region at south. This district lies in the Eastern Region of Nepal with three municipalities and 49 VDCs within it. Its total area is 1257 km² in which the areas of target VDCs ie. Chimdi and Chitaha are 1912 and 1177 hectares respectively. Both the target VDCs lies in the south of the district and is less developed as compared to other ones.This program covers very less percentage of the population which is considered as vulnerable and excluded (only 300 households).

The project fully focuses on the livelihood support with helping the poor communities with income generation activities. Nirdhan NGO as an implementing partner of Save the Children has been directly involved to meet the objectives of the project. The project focus on income generation activities based on off-farm/non-farm and on-farm activities to increase income of the rural poor family through skill development, suitable product development, market linkage, technical backstopping and microfinance services by forming self reliant groups at community level for their sustainable livelihood development. Initially, the targeted communities are facilitated with the on-farm activities according to their potentiality. The target members are encouraged and interested in livestock activities rather than cultivation due to the lack of irrigation facilities. Also the people are highly migrated in the areas due to the border and youths are out of the VDCs seeking the job. Thus, there may be labour deficient in case of vegetable production.

Objectives

• Upgrade the business skill and knowledge of up to 300 women and youth to run micro-enterprises based on comparative advantage such as goat keeping and pig rearing.
• Link the product of the women with market for optimum price.
• Create self-employment opportunities to women and youth at community level.
• Increase the income of women and youth through micro-enterprises.
• Provide advisory and training services in different aspects of the micro finance and social development for youth groups and women groups

Major Achievements

• Household survey 640 and selected 300 members for livelihood activities
• Group formation- 23 groups
• Group formation and conduction of improved goat and pig farming training to 150 members of women
• Group formation and conduction of poultry keeping and vegetable farming trainings to 150 members
• Medicine and vaccination were supported for poultry, goat and pigs.
• The trained members were supported with one goat and pig each as subsidy
• The poultry groups were provided 50 chicks each for 75 members as subsidy.
• The vegetables farmers were provided lease land and seed support
• To upgrade their vegetable farming, they were supported with treadle pumps and motors for irrigation.
• Women’s were highly satisfied with the training content and encouraged to run their own microenterprise
• Women’s were confident enough for livestock rearing
• All of the training participants were provided with goat and pig each and they were intended to grow the value of those subsidy.
• The benefited members are interested in saving, credit and join overall microfinance activities in order to develop their microenterprises.
• Group formation and conduction of improved poultry and vegetable farming training to 150 members of women
• 57 members have started vegetable cultivation after provided with lease land, seed and fertilizer support.
• 82 members are linked with microfinance institute in which 47 have taken loan and they have started their own enterprises.