Nepal - Sustainable Community Development

Project Overview:

Heifer Nepal is working to improve the livelihoods of 1,385 families in the Chitwan, Nawalparasi and Palpa districts of Nepal. These areas are characterized by poverty, caste discrimination and illiteracy. The 475 original project families will receive 900 goats, 40 water buffaloes, and fodder seed and saplings; the local groups will receive funds to purchase fruit and vegetable seed and saplings. An additional 910 families will benefit though Passing on the Gift.

All project participants receive trainings on Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones, self-help group management, improved animal management, kitchen gardening and organic farming, forage feed production, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS awareness. The project will also conduct values-based literacy program classes and organize youth into groups for Cornerstones training. Heifer will also train Community Animal Health Workers (CAHW) and provide basic veterinary equipment and vet supplies. Visits will be organized for project participants to learn from other Heifer project sites.

In this period, participants continued learning about improved animal management skills and have been able to make livestock and farming their major sources of income. Families are realizing the importance of a balanced diet and have started consuming their milk, milk products and vegetables, which has in turn improved their health. Personal hygiene and health has been a major focus as well, with an increased number of toilets, improved cooking stoves, biogas units and household waste management.

The self-help group members are coordinating with agencies on community development activities. For example, one self-help group received funds and two tractors from the area agriculture support office to promote organic-based agriculture. Self-help groups are raising their voices with the village development committee, and their requests are being taken into consideration for further budget allocations.

Key Updates:

• Families are maintaining a clean environment, and area cleaning and garbage collection is done on a regular basis. The increased number of toilets, biogas units and fodder/forage has made the surroundings neat and clean.
• Self-help groups are managing the weekly local markets and preserving their nearby community forest.
• Families are making money from their goats, and both original and pass-on participants are continually increasing their incomes by vegetable farming, ginger farming and raising goats. Some families have started swine farming, poultry farming, ginger farming and selling improved fodder, forage seeds and saplings for more income.
• Organic farming is a major focus and is in high demand due to the nutritional value. Data shows that there have been fewer cases of sickness in the area because of the project intervention on nutrition and personal hygiene, as well as environmental cleanliness.
• Internalization of the Heifer 12 Cornerstones into their daily lives has had an impact on the changing economic and social status of the project families. There has been a change in attitudes and behavior of people in the community towards project families that has encouraged the self-help groups to continue their activities. Sharing and caring is more common now, and domestic violence, polygamy, girl trafficking and open gambling is more controlled, adding to a more harmonious society.
• The group fund is considered by participants to be their bank. Self-help groups are conducting various activities to increase this fund, so it can be used for multiple income generating activities.
• Self-help groups are monitoring and supervising everyone’s activities and regularly share their learning and best practices. They are conducting monthly meeting and discussing their progress and plans, participatory self-review and planning and other regular activities. Some of the self-help groups are in the process of registering their own cooperatives to ensure sustainability. Networking and coordination with agencies has been established and they are receiving support to conduct their activities.