Background/ Introduction
The programme builds on the knowledge and experience TSASWI and TSMN have gained from the SLD Programme. However, the functioning of the programme has been adjusted to the situation of the earthquake affected communities encountered during assessment visit. The project aims to empower the targeted communities through community-based organization, to improve livelihood of over 1500 families through small scaled community demanded projects and skills development. To improve quality of life the programme seeks to cause positive behavioral change in approaching the issues of first aid training and cross cutting themes such as social issues and human rights. Another component of the programme is for each community to develop a community specific disaster risk mitigation plan which enables the community to take measures and be prepared before, during and after disaster. The skills development and small projects component of the programme will work with a community demand approach, with the community based self-help groups and committees. This will ensure that the expressed need responds to community demand. The expected outcome of the project is more sustainable and less vulnerable livelihood for the targeted families. After three years, each community can choose to continue its partnership with TSMN in the framework of the SLD programme. The Salvation Mission has collaborated with Child Nepal (CN) to initiate the FREI project in Sindhukot and Talamarang, Sindhupalchok. And The Salvation Mission (TSM) Programme Office in Kathmandu provides the management structure, the monitoring and technical input in order to ensure best practice and proper accountability. Community facilitators are in charge of coordinating with the CDCs and supporting and monitoring the implementation of the programme in the communities. The Assistant Project Officer will be coordinating the initiatives and projects in their members and further development of TSM and staff. The project has a focus on networking in the same areas (geographically and thematically) on all levels of the programme (local and national). Participatory community needs assessments and discussions within the communities will be conducted prior to any project activities to ensure full community support. The main target group is families with children, but women and young people will also be in the focus. The project will furthermore advocate behavioral change through social support and communication within the community.
To enhance quality of life of 5 communities in Sindhukot and Talamarang by strengthening livelihood systems and improving disaster risk mitigation capacities.
To rehabilitate, support and strengthen the existing and locally adapted livelihood systems of at least 1500 families (men & women, boys and girls) sustainably, and to help them to improve their quality of life raise their dignity through self-support and prepare them for future disasters.
1.The capacity of 5 communities in Sindhukot and Talamarang to mobilize themselves and initiative community development by empowering them through a range of PRA activities is improved by 3 years.
2.The capacity of 5 communities in Sindhukot and Talamarang to prepare for and respond to disasters is improved by 3 years through Disaster management, first aid training and advocacy.
3. 5 communities in Sindhukot and Talamarang have participated in a range of skill trainings and livestock delivery and trainings and increased their livelihood by 30% within 3 years.
Component 1: Empowerment of communities and Community Development Committees (CDCs)
The programs will place emphasis on strengthening the capacity of the community, through a Community Development Committee (CDC) that is responsible to initiate the development of their own communities. Due to self-organisation and capacity building of the CDCs five earthquake affected communities should be enabled to develop their own capacities, in the form of information, knowledge, skills and resources to participate more effectively in planning and management of rehabilitation activities. Once CDC members have participated in initial leadership training course, the community can benefit from requested skills development training courses and initiative driven projects. With follow-up support and further training over the next few years, the beneficiaries are able to strengthen their socio-economic livelihood system what will lead to improved living conditions.<>>
The members of the CDC will be elected by the communities; they should be well respected members and have interest in and commitment to working in community development and community empowerment. In each community there will be one CDC, with 5 to 7 members each. The CDCs of a community will communicate with the community facilitators. At least two CDC members should be literate. During leadership and community trainings roles (President, Vice president and Secretary) will be distributed and people trained in their roles. However these roles could be on a rotation principle 6 months at the time in order to avoid creating an abuse of power. Terms of Agreements (TOR) will be signed between TSM and the CDCs. The CDCs will have continuous training and support from the community facilitator.
The establishment and well-functioning of the CDC is crucial. Their cooperation, the understanding of their roles their responsibilities and their functioning is fundamental for the success of the programme. The aim is that the CDCs will continue to act as an influential, initiative taking group after the end of the programme and – if the communities wish to – they can continue the partnership with The Salvation Mission in the framework of the SLD Programme which will build upon the resources and capacities in the communities.
Component 2: Community Requested Projects and Trainings
The Community Development Committees will assess needs of the most vulnerable in the communities and discuss with them possible projects and skill trainings. Due to the assessment they will write small projects and training workshops proposals with the help of community facilitators. The proposal will be reviewed by the TSM Nepal and forwarded to TSA IET for approval. The projects and training workshops are community owned and they take the responsibility for the well-functioning of the projects and training workshops. The projects and training workshops enhance the capacity of the communities in order to create indirect beneficiaries. The results have to be visible and quantifiable during the duration of the programme and the projects should be within the scope of TSA IET, CRP and Nepal law. Special attention has to be given to the most vulnerable in the communities, such as widows with children, families without skilled workers etc.
The training could be done as per the requested of the community members. Trainings could be sewing and embroidery, candle-making, soap-making, agricultural techniques, livestock training, handwork, mason or technical work such as electrician, mobile handset repairing etc. Trainers will be enrolled specifically for the courses depending to the area of expertise. Each trainee will have to pay a fee (exceptions possible). The amount of the fee will be determined in a community process. At least two training workshops have to target specifically the women and at least one specifically the youth (younger than 30 years of age).
The community initiated projects budgets will be max. USD 3000, however the communities will have to come up with 20% of the costs in cash or kind. At least one project has to be designed by and target the women or at least one the youth (below 30 years of age). Projects in the area of construction and finance (savings and loans) won’t be part of this programme. The checklists of minimum standards of SWS will be used whenever possible. The income generating projects will re-establish income sources already existing that were destroyed by the Earth quake. If this is not possible, alternative training and economic support to generate new sources of income for the community members will be provided. For this second alternative the feasibility study as well as the business plan as will be written and evaluated.
During the assessment visit the following possibilities of projects have been identified. This list is not exhaustive.
Livestock:Animal rearing especially like Cattle farming is one of the best known farming in Nepal; many farmers expressed the wish to replace the livestock lost because of the Earthquake. The Livestock project will be coupled with a course in animal husbandry and basic veterinary. An expert will be hired for this purpose. The livestock project targets two groups of beneficiaries: The ones who lost livestock during the earth quake and the most vulnerable. The SWS checklist will be used before every project concerning livestock. The livestock projects are income generating which will enhance the living standard and the economic income of the Families. Similarly goat and sheep breeding will be income generating. Selling goats and sheep during the EID is profitable since prices double and triple during this period. The Salvation Mission will cooperate in livestock projects with the Government Department of agriculture.
Off Season vegetable Production/Alternative farming:Off season vegetable production can improve productivity. The agricultural department and other experts will be approached in order to discuss and train farmers in better farming methods on off season vegetable production or alternative crops to improve the livelihood income of the village farmers.
First Aid/Basic Health Education Programme: The purpose of the First Aid/Basic Health Education Programme is to organize communities against the basic problems they face regarding First Aid service. This is for their capacity building which empowers them to identify and solve their basic first aid related issues and to take preventive measures against injury. Mothers Clubs will be organised by the CDCs’ with the help of the local facilitator, this will give them the platform to learn together about the importance of first aid and preventive measures against injury. TSA will conduct first aid training by hiring a qualified Health Practitioner during the span of project period. Priority in training will be given to the First Aid issues applicable for the community’s daily life. This program will also strengthen links to government health facilities for more serious interventions.
Tailoring Training:The occupation of many women in Nepal is sewing and stitching. However without proper training it is not easy to become self-employed or get themselves employed in the city or nearby town. The program plans to train at least 5 women each from 5 communities. They will be trained in the city which will also give them an opportunity to explore the possibility to find a suitable employer or future business in the city under the guidance and help of the trainer and the local facilitators.
Skills training (men): Skills training for men are possible in different areas. Mason training, electrician training, mobile handset repair training will be given to small number of people selected by the TSM through the CDC. One of the most feasible training is mason training. Skills labour work like masonry has become one of the most demanded skill labour in Nepal as thousands of Houses were destroyed because of Earthquake and the reconstruction of houses increases the demand for skill mason labour. In this connection, the daily rate of the skilled mason is also hiking. This will generate and enhance the economic income of the community.
All projects involving the selling of goods or services will have to conduct a brief feasibility study. If at the end of this process the business is evaluated as feasible by the Project officer and the expatriate Officer, a business plan with more details will be provided. The business plan will be evaluated by an expert and he/she will advise THQ on the matter.
Component 3: Awareness and Advocacy
Advocacy and awareness campaign visits will be conducted among the community groups frequently. The campaigns will be carried out by local experts and TSM staff. The targeted families will be trained in their own communities and will be able to apply what they have learned directly to their livelihoods. There are several facets of the awareness campaigns (basic health care, sanitation, social issues, human rights and human trafficking) directly addressing livelihood sustainability.
Component 4: Community based disaster risk management (CBDRM)
The main strategy of the disaster risk reduction component is to enhance the capacities and the resources of the most vulnerable groups and to reduce their vulnerability in order to reduce the scope and impact of disasters in future. CBDRM leads to general improvement in people’s quality of life. The community is the key actor as well as the primary beneficiary of the disaster risk management process. The community is involved in the process of assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation. TSA IET understands disaster risk reduction as a dynamic framework, which is why lessons learned and participatory evaluation after a disaster is an integral part of this process.
The community members have different perceptions of risk and of how to reduce these risks, since the various community members have different vulnerabilities and capacities. In the beginning of the CBDRM Process a participatory assessment of the community’s hazard exposure and analysis of their vulnerabilities as well as capacities will be made and function as a basis for the vulnerability reducing activities. After the assessment, planning will follow, where community members identify risk reduction measures that will reduce vulnerabilities and enhance capacities. The CDCs will be trained by TSM staff who will coordinate and lead this process. The risk reduction measures will be translated into a community disaster risk management plan by the CDC members who will also foster the implementation of the plan and support the community in the activities. If unfortunately a disaster happens during programme time, there will be a participatory evaluation in order to readjust and enhance the disaster risk management plan and its implementation.
An external expert will be hired in the first three month of the programme to conduct a workshop and train at least, the programme officers and the community facilitators in CBDRM, in order for the trainees to be able to train the CDCs on their own. A yearly meeting will be held especially for Disaster Risk management on community level with all involved TSM staff to share the experiences and use the synergies.
IES Nepal Field Team and TSM Nepal has attended many national level meetings and District level meeting like Logistic Cluster, Shelter cluster, Education Cluster and HRRP etc. which gives a platform to share information and coordinate all the relief work with other relief organisations on national level and on local level during the relief work. The project will deepen these relationships with international, governmental and nongovernmental organisations on all levels and enhance the network of TSM in order to enhance the capacity of TSM on a continuous basis as well as to avoid duplicity. On the national and on local level such meetings will be continue to attended by the TSM Officer and staff. Information, data and other material will continued to be exchanged between TSM and other organisations during these meetings and additionally when required. Plans will be shared so duplicity can be avoided. On a national level the programme manager will meet at least two other organisations specialized in areas where TSM is not, such as reconstruction (e.g. IOM or UNHABITAT) or agricultural machineries etc (e.g. FAO) in order to organise, if possible, a partnership and to facilitate the relation between the selected communities and organisations working in non-focused areas of TSM. The cooperation with partners specialised in alternative energy will be deepened and further developed.
- Final Narrative Report – FREI Project (March 2020 – August 2021)
- First Aid management Training to Teachers
- Mobile Phone Maintenance Training
- CCA training
- CDC formation
- Human Trafficking Control
- Inception Meeting at sindhukot
- Inception meeting at Talamarang
- Off seasonal vegetable training
- Veterinary Training
- Two day training to CDC Members
