Project Goals:

To contribute towards poverty reduction of Dalits, women and land-poor families of Doti District ensuring social equity and justice.

Project Objectives:

• Improved social status of Dalits, women and land-poor through greater inclusion and acceptance in society.
• Increased and diversified economic base of Dalits, women and land-poor through sustainable management of natural resources and improve skills

Background

Social Discrimination
It is estimated that around 42% of Nepal's population still live in absolute poverty on less than USD 80 per household per annum, particularly in the Far Western Development Region (FWDR), which includes Doti District. Further, gross disparities within the country and the traditional social discrimination against Dalits (so-called lower castes) and women, and social exclusion are some of the main underlying causes for the persisting problems of poverty in Nepal.

Nepal is the world's only Hindu Kingdom - over 80% of the 23 million people in the country are Hindu. Although the caste system was officially abolished in 1963 the social discrimination and oppressive practices supported by the hierarchical caste system persist today. Dalits are at the bottom of the social structure and Dalit women are doubly discriminated against. Women in general have a low socio-economical status, which is reflected in the literacy rate for women at 24% and the fact that Nepal is the only country in the world where the life expectance rate for women is lower than men. Despite the governments efforts to reduce poverty, the enduring social discrimination against women and Dalits, and the resulting inequitable access to resources by more than half the countries population have not been adequately addressed. The current Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-2007) of Nepal continues to give poverty reduction top priority.

Doti District
Doti District, situated in the far west of Nepal, was selected as the project's working district based on its Human Development Index- ranking it at 6th from the bottom of 75 districts - and the Gender Index of 12th position from the bottom. Approximately 26% of the population are Dalits; greater than the national average of 20%. With the greater concentration of Dalits there is a correspondingly higher level of social discrimination for the project to address. The district is considered to have good scope for agriculture development, and it is one of 26 districts selected for implementation of the new government initiative in leasehold forestry which specifically targets poor households, proving access and control over forest lands for an 80 year period.

Doti Poverty Reduction Project

A More Equitable Society
The vision of the project is to simultaneously improve the economic security and the social status of the most vulnerable people in Doti District, Far-Western Nepal. The project strategy to achieve this is to strengthen the orientation and capacity of local civil society organisations and social leaders, including the selected local NGO - Samaj Sewa Doti - as implementing partner to address the deeper socio-cultural beliefs and practices that perpetuate the impoverished condition of the Dalilts, women and land-poor. The project is facilitating linkages between local civil society organisations and social leaders with key actors to advocate at district, regional and national levels for support of the target groups' economic and social development priorities.

With the overall objective towards poverty reduction of Dalits, women and land-poor families of Doti District ensuring social equity and justice, the specific objectives are as follows.

Social acceptance through improving social status of Dailts, women and land-poor through greater inclusion and acceptance in society:
The improvement in social status will be in terms of increased acceptance and inclusion in society through functional literacy classes with the objective of empowerment through literacy, legal awareness and orientation to rights issues. Dailt and female facilitators will be trained to facilitate non-formal education classes; Dalit and female leaders are learning the skills of capacity strengthening for deeper social analyses, social mobilisation, stronger leadership for advocacy initiatives at local and district levels and representation at district level planning and decision making processes.

Improved resources through increasing and diversify the economic base of Dalits, women and land-poor through sustainable management of natural resources and improved skills in the selected project VDCs: Tangible changes are taking place in the social and economic conditions of the primary target groups. Economic development will address four livelihood coping strategies. Firstly, improving agricultural management with improved low input technologies and crop diversification that are appropriate to the target group's resources. Secondly, improving community forest management for non-timber forest products and ensuring more equitable access and distribution of benefits to Dalits, women and land-poor. Third, is increasing access to common property resources, specifically community forests and abandoned uplands through leasehold forestry programme. And finally, diversifying income sources by improving skills according to market demand, and increasing access to credit through group savings and credit activities to optimise application of skills training.

By the end of the project it is anticipated that the initial advocacy activities of the civil society organisations should influence local development plans and priorities. Local development programme priorities and resources allocations should tangibly reflect the needs and priorities of the Dalits, women and land-poor.

Ongoing/Planned Activities
At community level: Dalits, women and girls will be provided with training and literacy skills which will include 800 high school level Dalits and girls being trained as facilitators to conduct literacy classes aimed at increasing their social empowerment; 800 Dalits, women and land poor will receive functional literacy skills on issues related to their interests and rights, and 40 Dalits and female social leaders will be trained on leadership, communications and, negotiation skills and on tools and methods for community based advocacy. Within farm households 1,300 will be trained in participatory technology concepts and practises while 32 farm households will also be trained in developing home gardens and a further 500 on increasing vegetable and fruit production through training and implementation of kitchen garden techniques.

Ten small-scale farmer managed irrigation systems will benefit 600 target households while 30-community forest users groups will be trained in sustainable management. A further 400 households will be trained in financial management to operate savings and credit organisations and 200 individuals will receive training in skills development.

Activities will also take place at civil society organisation level: which will include 10 civil society organisations having their capacity assessed and action plans for their institutional development supported and 60 members of their organisations trained in rights based approaches, advocacy methods and tools.

Four hundred target households will participate directly in social analysis and identification of advocacy issues that affect their livelihood and social status. Local project partners' staff will be trained on technical topics such as NTFP management, leasehold forestry concepts, etc and case studies will be documented on the process of civil society involvement in advocacy for Dalit and women's rights and will be shared widely.

Additionally, eight user groups will benefit from pilot leasehold forestry programmes and management of abandoned uplands.