Appendix 2: Preliminary Proposal Assessment

Organisational Profile of ACORAB

Name of the Organisation: Association of Community Radio Broadcasters Nepal (ACORAB)
Registration and Affiliation
CDO Office:
Lalitpur / CDO reg. no/date:
12/059/60, 2059-04-28 BS (13 Aug 2002)
SWC reg. no/date:
21143, 2063-09-07 BS (22 December 2006) / PAN no/date:
302274747/ 2063-03-14 BS (28 June 2006)
Tax exemption no/date:
2064-02-25 BS (8 June 2007)
Address details
Office and postal address: Chakupat-10, Lalitpur – 10, P. O. Box 19324, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel: 01 –5551161, 5551171 / Fax: 01-5548406
Toll free: 16600175757
Email: / Website:
Objective of the Organization:
ACORAB's main objective is to promote, protect and capacitate community radios so as to assist them in getting established as a fundamental means of promoting and protecting right to information, freedom of expression, development and social transformation. It is guided by four guiding principles: Non-partisan politics; Pluralistic democratic norms and values – within the organization and members; Inclusive; Right to information, freedom of expression; and Respect all religions and groups but not biased towards any one.
It has eight years of experience in lobby and advocacy for safeguarding the rights of community radios in particular and other media in general, and of promoting democracy and good governance.
Description of Organisational Set Up
Frequency of General Assembly: Every year
Procedures of formation of Executive Committee (EC): Election in every three year
Establishment date and place: 2059/4/28 BS (13 August 2002), Lalitpur
Recruitment policy: As per personnel policy
Diversity in the organisation
H = Hill
M = Madhesi / Dalits / Janajatis / Brahman& Chetris / Newars / Other Madhesi groups[1] / Muslims / Others / Total
H / M / H / M / H / M
General Members
Total: 167 / Men: / N/A
Women: / N/A
Staff
Total:23 / Men: / 1 / 2 / 10 / 3 / 16
Women: / 1 / 1 / 5 / 1 / 8
EC members
Total:20 / Men: / 1 / 3 / 2 / 12 / 1 / 19
Women: / 1 / 1
Volunteers
Total: 6 / Men:
Women:
Date of formation of present EC and its tenure: 23 October 2009, Three years
Members of present EC
Designation / Name
President / Min Bahadur Shahi
Vice-President / Lok Prasad Banjara
Vice-President (Eastern Region) / Ngima Pakhrin
Vice-President (Central Region) / Phulman bal Tamang
Vice-President (Western Region) / Mohan Chapagain
Vice- President (Mid-Western) / Hariharsingh Rathour
Vice- President (Far-Western) / Dhruba Bahadur Shah
General Secretary / Khem Bhandari
Secretary / Govinda Devkota
Treasurer / Subash Khatiwada
Member / Dwarika Kafle
Member / Ganesh Chaudhary
Member / Jibachh Chaudhary
Member / Nimesh Karna
Member / Pitamber Sigdel
Member / Rajendra Kirati
Member / Ramji Bhattrai
Member / Shashikala Dahal
Member / Shivaji Gayak
Member / Tula Adhikari
Staff Description (add more lines if necessary)
S.N. / Name / Designation / Core staff/ project staff (if so, write name of the project and funding agency) / Full or part time / Paid or volunteer
1. / Pramod Tandukar / Executive Director / Core staff / Full time / Paid
2. / Surya Poudel / Programme Coordinator / Core staff / Full time / Paid
3. / Soham Subedi / CIN Coordinator / Project staff / Full time / Paid
4. / Rabi KC / Technical Coordinator / Core staff / Full time / Paid
5. / Radeep Maharjan / Technical Officer / Project staff (BBCWST) / Full time / Paid
6. / Nrijana Pakhrin / Admin/Finance Officer / Core staff / Full time / Paid
7. / Baburam Khadka / Admin/Finance Officer / Project staff (BBCWST) / Full time / Paid
8. / Ruchi Thapa / Programme Officer / Project staff (UNIFEM) / Full time / Paid
9. / Deepak Acharya / Programme Producer / Project staff (BBCWST) / Full time / Paid
10. / Laxmi Basnet / Programme Producer / Project staff (BBCWST) / Full time / Paid
11. / Govinda Khadka / Programme Producer / Project staff (BBCWST) / Full time / Paid
12. / Laxmi Lamsal / Programme Producer / Core staff / Full time / Paid
13. / Pratik Tamang / Programme Producer / Core staff / Full time / Paid
14. / Binu Subedi / Reporter / Project staff (BBCWST) / Full time / Paid
15. / Lil P Chanda / Reporter / Project staff (UNIFEM) / Full time / Paid
16. / Bhojraj Bishwokarma / Technician / Project staff (BBCWST) / Part time / Paid
17. / Usha KC / Technician / Project staff (BBCWST) / Part time / Paid
18. / Ganga Timilsina / Assistant Programme Officer / Project staff (BBCWST) / Full time / Paid
19. / Dawa Chering / Asst Technician / Project staff (BBCWST) / Full time / Paid
20. / Pabitra Shrestha / Office Assistant / Core staff / Full time / Paid
21. / Pawan Shahi / Office Assistant / Project staff (UNIFEM) / Full time / Paid
22. / Shyam Tandukar / Driver / Project staff (BBCWST) / Full time / Paid
23. / Sunil Pant / Reporter / Project staff / Part-time / Paid
24. / Sabina Bishwokarma / Reporter / Project staff / Part-time / Paid

Governance:

ACORAB has a General Assembly and meets every year. It provides policy directions to ACORAB, oversees the programme of financial management and elects a 21-member Executive Committee every three years. The Committee has the mandate to make decision on policy level issues, Financial accountability and controls, Providing public support for the organization, provide guidance to ACORAB Management. Since most of the Board members live out of Kathmandu valley and difficult to meet regularly, ACORAB had formed a seven-member ACORAB Secretariat to function as of the Board. The decision of the Secretariat is approved later by the Board. The Good Governance Policy has helped to avoid grey of management and the board.

Financial Management:

The Executive Committee has the ultimate authority and responsibility as to the handling of the finances of ACORAB for the period it has been elected. ACORAB's finances are audited on an annual basis and reports are submitted to relevant government agencies. The President, General Secretary and Treasurer are authorised to operate the bank account, with the Treasurer's signature as mandatory. ACORAB is guided by its own Financial/ Administration policy and Personal policy.

Affiliations or cooperation with national or international associations/organizations

ACORAB has established strategic partnership with DanidaHUGOU, MS Nepal, PANOS South Asia and Eco-Himal. In addition, ACORAB has an experience of working with a number of donor agencies such as UNDP, UNIFEM, IPDC and UNESCO. In addition, it has developed institutional working relationships with the government agencies, Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), Press Council, Broadcasting Association of Nepal (BAN), BBC World Service Trust (BBCWST), BBC Nepali Service, Equal Access, Antenna Foundation, Deutche Welle Academy and other civil society organisations. ACORAB has also acquired membership of World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC), Asia Pacific Institute for Broadcasters Development (AIBD) and Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).

Major Activities:

ACORAB carries out programme activities as per its five year strategic plan 2009-2013. The main activities are:

Advocacy and lobby
Capacity building of community radios (technical, radio journalism, management, thematic)
Technical and equipment support to community radios
Institutional strengthening of community radios
Operation of Community Information Network (CIN)- a social satellite network- for sharing of news and information sharing among community radios
Production and sharing of daily news and weekly local language programme
Production of core radio programme contents
Facilitation to community radios for organizing social auditing and public hearing
Facilitation to community radios for carrying out need assessment of listeners
Replicate innovative, popular and effective radio formats/ programmes (especially of Community radios) among member community radios stations
Development of multiple-use community radio resource centre

Submitted by:

Name of organisation: Association of Community Radio Broadcasters Nepal (ACORAB)

Date: December 31, 2010

[1] Yadav, Teli, Kalwar, Sudi, Sonar, Lohar, Koiri, Kurmi, Kanu, Haluwai, Hajam/Thakur, Badhe, Rajbhar, Kewat, Mallah, Numhar, Kahar, Lodha, Bing/Bauha, Bhediyar, Mali, Kamar, Dhuniya