LWF Nepal facilitates the empowerment of marginalized people to assert their rights and to hold government and other stakeholders accountable to fulfilling these rights. The humanitarian organisation works with and strengthens both community organisations of the marginalized and disadvantaged groups, enabling them to acquire access to livelihood resources. Despite the richness of diversity, poverty in all its dimensions—social, economic, nutritional and utilization of natural resources—is widespread in Nepal. Overpopulation and regular exposure to catastrophic floods and landslides have resulted in deterioration of food security situation in different parts of the country.

Beneficiaries of agro-support in Rajhena village in Banke district, mid-west Nepal

The Sustainable Livelihood Improvement Project (SLIP), one of the themes of LWF Nepal, makes an attempt to arrest the widespread problem of food insecurity and hunger by improving farming systems, livestock management and creating off-farm employment opportunities. The basic community infrastructures need to be restored so as to revive the functioning of essential services. Local organizations are being empowered to undertake development initiatives.

The main priority theme of SLIP is to organize and empower focus groups for their rights to economic resources and to increase their access to and control over the means of sustainable livelihood.

The project is designed to empower communities, socially and economically, their local institutions as well as government local bodies (at municipal/district/VDC levels) with technical and material knowledge and skills to claim their rights as rights holders and deliver basic services as duty bearers. In this way, SLIP will contribute to communities’ ability to enjoy rights in dignity, holding duty bearers accountable.

The priority theme will be addressed by pursuing two specific project objectives.

Overall development goal: Displaced, oppressed and vulnerable people empowered to enjoy their rights and live peaceful and dignified life

Priority theme 1: Organizing and empowering disadvantaged groups to claim their rights to resources

Priority theme 2: Increasing access and control over means of sustainable livelihood

Priority theme 3: Increasing knowledge and practices of water and sanitation, health, HIV & AIDS and access to services

The projects under SLIP works through facilitation, empowerment, capacity building and support as incentives. SLIP is more directed towards facilitating people to organize themselves into groups, promoting empowerment and capacity-building and providing limited materials and equipment support as inducements to involve themselves in the development process.

Marginalized indigenous communities

Jhapa and Morang, districts in southeast Nepal, are home to marginalized indigenous communities such as Santhal, Meche, Jhagad and Kisan.

LWF Nepal began the Indigenous Community Empowerment Project (previously known as Santhal Meche Empowerment Project) in six VDCs and one municipality of Jhapa district. It was implemented through an NGO.

The empowerment project encourage self-help and local capacity building to complement development and advocacy initiatives taken by the national and local development agencies, and the government. Reducing tensions and encouraging peaceful coexistence among various ethnic groups, ideologues and communities are an indispensable cross-cutting element in all the phases of the project.