Participation for Social Harmony Program

UJYALO PROGRAM

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT

Oct 2005 - Sep 2006

SUBMITTED TO:

SAVE THE CHILDREN US

SUBMITTED BY:

PARTICIPATION FOR SOCIAL HARMONY PROGRAM

UJYALO/CARE NEPAL

Oct 2006

UJYALO – Annual Performance Report Oct 2005 to Sep 2006

GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS

CDPCommunity Development Program

CFUGCommunity Forestry User Groups

DFODistrict Forest Office

EPMTExtended Program Management Team

FAYAForum for Awareness and Youth Activities

FECOFUNFederation of Community Forestry User Groups Nepal

FOLDForum for Local Development

HMCHealth post Management Committee

HHHousehold

HWEPCHuman Welfare and Environment Protection Center

IDEInternational Development Enterprises

IGIncome Generation

IGAIncome Generation Activity

IPImplementing Partner

IRIntermediate Results

JTAJunior Technical Assistant

LRPLocal Resource Person

NGONon- Government Organization

PVSEPoor, Vulnerable and Socially Excluded

PPCPeace Promotion Centers

QPRQuarterly Progress Report

RBARights-Based Approach

SACSocial Awareness Centre

SC USSave the Children U S

SMCSchool Management Committee

SPStrategic Partner

TAFThe Asia Foundation

TOTTraining of Trainers

UCUser Committees

UGUser Group

USDUS Dolor

VAHWVillage Animal Health Worker

VDCVillage Development Committee

VOCVictim of Conflict

WIWinrock International

Table of Content

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. MAJOR ACTIVITIES

1.1 Planning and Administrative Activities

1.1.1 EPMT Meeting

1.1.2 Stakeholders meeting:

1.1.3 Joint planning:

2.2 Intermediate Result Wise Progress

2.2.1 IR 8.1 Enhanced Opportunity for Sustainable Income in Conflict Affected Areas

2.2.1.1 Vocational Skill Enhancement for Dalit and Marginalized Groups

I) Selection of Vocational Trainings

II) Selection of Vocational Trainees

III) Status of on Going Training:

IV) Monitoring and Follow up of Two Years Vocational Training (both of Last and this Years)

IV) Periodic Performance Evaluation of Vocational Trainees

2.2.1.2 Income Generation Activities (IGA) with CFUGs

I) Selection of CFUGs and Target Households:

II) Selection of Income Generation Activities

III) Process of IGA Implementation and Present Progress:

IV) Training and Workshops

V) Monitoring and Follow up of last Years IGA Activities:

2.2.2 IR 8.4 Strengthening the Community Capacity for Peace

2.2.2.1 Increased Community Participation in Planning and Management of Key Decentralized Services and Infrastructures

I) Selection of CDPs

II) Formation of CDP User Groups

III) Implementation of CDP

a) School Support Program

b) Health Institution Support Program

c) Community Drinking Water Support (DWS) Program

c) Access Improvement Program

2.2.2.2 Enhance Peace Building and Dispute Resolution Skill in Community

I) Community Peace Building Training

II) Local Resource Person (LRP) Training

III) Peace Initiatives

IV) Public and Social Auditing:

a) Public Auditing and Publicizing the Activity and Budget

b) Joint Social Auditing:

2. TRAINING FOR STRATEGIC PARTNERS:

I) Sub sector analysis training:

II) Trainers’ training (TOT):

III) Case writing training:

3. THEMATIC

4. COORDINATION AND SYNERGY:

4.1 District Level:

4.2 Regional level:

5. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS & LEARNING:

6. ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

7. NEXT STEP

CARE NEPAL

UJYALO PROGRAM

QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE REPORT

PROJECT TITLE:UJYALO PROGRAM

PROJECT NUMBER:47

FISCAL YEAR:2006

DONOR:USAID

COMMENCEMENT DATE:OCTOBER 2004

COMPLETION DATE:SEPTEMBER 2007

REPORTING PERIOD:October 2005 to September 2006

PREPARED BY:THE PROJECT TEAM

SUBMITTED ON:30 Oct 2006

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This is the second year annual (October 2005 to September 2006) performance report of UJYALO program. This report presents executive summary followed by the detail of each activity with the major learning and next step based on the learning through out the year.

This year too, Nepal faced many political ups and downs, which demanded focus on few specific areas from the program. As a result, the SPs started the awareness campaign on constituent assembly as peace initiatives. Although the current political situation is fluid and uncertain, many people feel that the new political environment is favorable and offers lot of potential opportunities for them to influence the new constitution, national policies

This progress report highlights the major progress achieved during the reporting period including progress against performance indicators, major issues and challenges and next steps to be taken in the coming days. The work progress against the work plan, progress against outcome and outputs indicators and management and security situation has been given in Annex-1, Annex-2 and Annex-3 respectively. To assure the progress and monitor the field progress, different visits made by project staffs are given in Annex- 4. The summaries of the progresses highlighted are as follows:

Vocational Trainings: Vocational training has been provided mainly for youth from VOCs and PVSE community. Youths from such communities are very vulnerable and are easily subjected as being involve in parties of conflict due to the terrible poverty and hopelessness of getting any employment opportunities to sustain themselves and their families. 51 vocational trainees in this FY are selected in close coordination with other UJYALO SPs using the criteria developed last year by the project. These trainees received TV/Radio maintenance, mason, house wiring and sewing. Others also receive courses for Village Animal Health Worker (VAHW); sub overseer in refrigerator and veterinary Junior Technical Assistance (JTA).

Income tracking has been done on 80 youths who have completed short-term vocational training since the beginning of the project; of which 49 (61%) youths have received the employment opportunities on their related skills. The average annual income of those trained youths is NRs 9781 ($136) per person.

Income Generation Activities: The income generation activities have mainly focused on improving economic condition of poor and marginalized households and enhancing good governance practices in community in forest user groups.

This year SPs have selected the total of 52 CFUGs for IGA support program in five districts (Kailali, Bardia, Banke, Surkhet and Pyuthan) through a comprehensive process. Well being ranking was used to select the poorest of the poor households for IGA support. CFUGs executed the ranking process themselves where SPs staff supported the related CFUGs to facilitate the process. This year the total of 529 HHs (Dalits-191 HHs, Janjati-178 and others-160 HHs) were selected for IGA. Income generation activities have been selected using the sub sector analysis tool in each district. Ultimately those activities were selected which meet the criteria of potentiality of good market, higher income, interest of selected entrepreneurs and technically feasible. Goat rearing is the major IGA in all the districts. Many households have indigenous experiences on goat rearing and preferred this activity as they provide good income.

Performance monitoring and income tracking of 520 HHs of last year has been made in this quarter. It is found that with the support of IGA, each household has been reported to earn Rupees 5879 (US$ 82.00) as of Sept 2006. The program has supported the PVSE people to improve their livelihood as they have spent significant amount in food, health and education from the income of IGA program.

Community Development Program (CDPs): The program is providing opportunities to increase community participation in planning and management of key decentralized services and infrastructures and hence, has been encouraging people to work together for better ownership. Working with civil societies, efforts are focused to build their capacity for peace through involving them in small infrastructure projects. Poor, vulnerable and socially excluded (PVSE) community people are particularly encouraged for their meaningful participation and ownership on the development process.

This year, SPs supported to construct 105 different small infrastructure activities. Out of them, 64 were school support, 4 were health post support, 21 were community DWS, 13 were access improvement and 3 were market center establishment activities.

This year, project worked with 94 CDP groups, of those 48 are newly formed and 46 are already exist UCs like School management committee (SMC) and Health post management committee. Newly formed UCs has 56% female representation, where as in existing groups, there is only 28% female representation in executive committees. By ethnicity, there are 24% (74) Dalit, 39% (123) Janajati and 37% (117) other caste people’s representation in executive committee in new CDP groups where as in already exist groups, there are 14% (59) Dalit, 34% (151) Janajati and 52% (226) other caste people in the committees. The social inclusion perspective in new groups is encouraging and the project is successful to reaching its target communities.

Peace Building and RBA Training: The program has been concentrating its efforts to enhance peace building in communities through training and regular interactions among community members.

This year, SPs organized 95 events of community peace building training to CDP users in Kanchanpur, Kailali, Bardiya, Banke, Surkhet and Dang districts. Altogether 2075 CDP group and community members participated the training where 1062 (51%) were male and 1013 (49%) were female. By ethnicity, 20% Dalit, 36% Janjati and 44% from other caste participated the training.

In addition to this, SPs also conducted 53 events of RBA and community peace building trainings to CFUGs in five districts. Total 1231 participants out of which 423 (34%) male and 808 (66%) female participated the training. The training has been found very effective to aware community members about their rights over group fund, natural resources and decision-making process.

Public Auditing: Public auditing is mandatory for every activity in this program. This year, 144 events of public auditing have been conducted. During the auditing, face-to-face discussion and interactions about plans, progresses, decisions and financial transactions of the activities have been done. Public auditing is the most important tool to foster good governance practices at community level. Due to the public auditing process, it is observed that the mutual trust among community people has been increasing. As a consequence, people’s participation and sense of ownership to the community activities among the people has been growing.

Peace Initiatives: This program is supporting to conduct two types of peace initiatives. One is normalization activities that are aimed to normalize the tense situation in the communities created by the conflict where as another type of initiatives are issue based peace initiatives. The issue-based initiatives have focused to establish the denial rights of PVSE people and empower community people against gender, caste and class discriminations. However the basic objective of conducting any kind of peace initiatives is to promote peaceful and better relationship among community people.

This year, a total of 237 events of peace initiatives are organized in the program districts. Out of which the SPs of UJYALO program has organized 33 joint peace initiatives in different districts. The major peace initiatives conducted this year are; sports for peace, cultural program (folk song competition) delivering peace messages, rally against gender and caste discrimination and street drama against bonded labor, early and multi marriage traditions, joint party (Sahabhoj) among all caste, single women honor program, promotion of typical cultural traditions such as RANA THARU Cultural Dance in Kanchanpur, campaign against alcoholism, interaction and awareness program on constituent assembly etc. Total 122386 community people involved in these peace initiatives.

Through these peace initiatives, people had the opportunities to get together and initiate healthy dialogue among them, which helped to normalize their lives. These initiatives enhanced the social harmony and mutual trust among the participants and audiences. In the same time, issue based peace initiatives are building awareness against the social discriminations prevails in the societies and establishing the rights and social dignity of socially excluded community people. In conclusion, it can be said that the greater social harmony has been created in the conflict affected communities.

1. MAJOR ACTIVITIES

1.1 Planning and Administrative Activities

1.1.1 EPMT Meeting

Four events of EPMT meeting were organized this year to develop different policies and strategies for program implementation, review and reflect of the ongoing program activities and promote cross learning among each other.

1.1.2 Stakeholders meeting:

All SPs organized stakeholders meetings in each district jointly with other SPs of the program to share the UJYALO second year program. All related stakeholders and district line agencies were invited to develop common understanding on the project activities, process of implementation, target groups, working modality and coordination and synergy aspects of the program.

1.1.3 Joint planning:

Peace promotion itself is a multi-dimensional process and a combine and holistic efforts can only contribute the peace process in the communities in real sense. Paying due attention to this, UJYALO program has been designed to materialize collaborative efforts to promote peace and harmony in the conflict affected communities.

Realizing this fact, UJYALO program has been practicing joint planning process to ensure greater synergy through its interventions. This year also, all IPs and SPs of the program carried out joint planning process in each district to identify common working areas, activities and process so that the target communities can get holistic support.

2.2 Intermediate Result Wise Progress

2.2.1 IR 8.1 Enhanced Opportunity for Sustainable Income in Conflict Affected Areas

Due to the decade long armed conflict, the income and employment opportunities are seriously affected through out the country. It is more terrible for the poor people of rural and conflict affected areas as they have very limited access to social, political and economic elements of the society. The livelihood of the rural people has been further worsened due to the conflict in Nepal. In this context, the program is trying to address the issues of PVS8E people in its working areas by providing vocational training to marginalized youths and small-scale economic support for income generation activities to the poor households of community forest user groups under this intermediate result. Moreover the program has been planned in such a way that it promotes economic and social tie between different groups within the community.

2.2.1.1 Vocational Skill Enhancement for Dalit and Marginalized Groups

This activity has mainly focused the youth from VOCs and PVSE communities. Youths from these communities are very likely to be involved in either party of the conflict due to the terrible poverty and hopelessness of getting any employment opportunities to sustain their own and family life. The major objective of this activity is to enhance the capacity of those youths so that they can earn good money to secure their living contributing to prevent being the part of any conflicting party. Different vocational trainings are being provided to those youths in five districts to enhance their vocational skills.

2.2.1.1 Vocational Skill Enhancement for Dalit and Marginalized Groups

I) Selection of Vocational Trainings

All vocational trainings of FY 2006 have been identified and selected by SPs. These are TV/Radio maintenance, mason, Village Animal Health Worker (VAHW); house wiring, sewing, sub overseer in refrigerator and veterinary Junior Technical Assistance (JTA). Currently, TV/Radio maintenance, sewing, refrigerator and veterinary JTA trainings are on going. Vocational trainees are participating these trainings in the appropriate institutes.

At the beginning, SPs of Pyuthan had identified plumbing training for two-interested trainees. Since the number of participants was very low and requirement of the institute to organize plumbing training was at least fifteen, the plumbing training could not be conducted. Therefore, SP of Pyuthan expressed this difficulty to the selected trainees and jointly decided to provide sewing training.

II) Selection of Vocational Trainees

51 vocational trainees for this FY were selected in close coordination with other UJYALO SPs using the criteria developed last year by the project. Vocational trainings are focused to marginalized and conflict affected communities, who are more vulnerable to the conflict. The major criteria for selecting the trainees are; high priority to women, Dalit, Janjati, and victims of conflict youths, who are poor, local permanent inhabitants, recommendations from SPs of UJYALO program and who meet the basic requirements of technical schools or training institutes. Out of them 11 are Dalit, 31 are Janajati and 9 are other youths.

III) Status of on Going Training:

Out of 51 vocational trainees, 46 have already completed different trainings and 5 are taking the long course for overseer in refrigerator and Veterinary JTA. One trainee of refrigerator has left the training due to his personal problem, which was already reported, in second quarter.

Since the beginning of UJYALO program, total 112 (Excluding the 7 VAHW selected and developed by IDE/WI in the financial support of CARE) youths have participated long and short-term vocational training mostly in Veri Tecnical School at Nepalgunj and Rapti Technical School at Dang.

IV) Monitoring and Follow up of Two Years Vocational Training (both of Last and this Years)

Project has developed a monitoring format and has oriented SPs’ staff to track the income of those youths who received the vocational training and monitor the program on a quarterly basis.