Coherent Programming

As part of its current strategic plan, CARE Nepal has been seeking to develop and implement a comprehensive transformation strategy that aligns the organization with its programs while ensuring quality. This has logically concluded in the coherent programming approach which has seen CARE Nepal undergo an organizational transformation along with the development of a more pertinent implementation mechanism. The coherent programming approach is currently an ongoing process that incorporates the following work streams:

Deepening the Underlying Causes of Poverty (UCP) Analysis
CARE Nepal has been carrying out UCP analysis in most sites within the program areas of its projects JIWAN, SAKCHAM, SAMANATA, SHAKTI and Village Loan and Saving Projects. Recently, it has also carried out UCP analysis follow ups to observe changes, identify obstacles/challenges and develop appropriate strategies to address these gaps. It has organized four UCP analysis trainings to develop its human resources.
CARE Nepal has initiated preliminary visits and UCP analysis in remote far-western areas in Doti and Achham as part of its remote area program strategy. Program strategies will be developed based on the findings of the UCP analysis. At present, the analysis shows some common themes among the poor including a lack of control over resources, inequity in gender and caste, lack of political affiliation leading to powerlessness and consequently, the tightly held power structures of the elite. CARE Nepal intends to carry out the UCP analysis at the cluster, region and national levels. The findings from these studies will be systematically applied to all of CARE Nepal’s future work and will be shared with the wider development community.
Emerging Program Focus for CARE in Nepal
Some of the issues that have emerged from the UCP analysis are now being addressed by CARE Nepal’s programs. These include empowerment of the poor, vulnerable and socially excluded (PVSE) groups with a focus on women; pro-poor governance; aid effectiveness; fragile state engagement; cross border prevention of HIV/AIDS; and sector wide approach to natural resource management (NRM) to establish pro-poor forest policies. CARE Nepal is actively working on these issues at both national and project levels. Through a series of workshops and consultations three core program areas have been identified - Women’s empowerment, Natural Resource Environment and livelihoods, and Justice and Equity. These core areas are linked to CARE Nepal’s overall strategic framework and its current vision and mission.
Impact Measurement System
To gauge the link between project and national level priorities, CARE has worked the entire year to systematically link projects to mission level indicators as determined by the current strategic plan. A new Project Information Management System (PIMS) is currently being implemented to facilitate the analysis and measurement of data based on project and mission level indicators. An Indicator guideline with well defined mechanisms to develop and use them has also been developed. Baseline and household surveys are also being standardized in projects to ensure quality data analysis is linked to higher-level indicators.
Organizational Realignment Cluster level Harmonisation
Organizational realignment is the process of aligning CARE Nepal’s system, structure, policies and process towards its strategic focus. The objective of this process was to carry out a thorough review of policies, work practices and structure to establish a decentralized decision making process through the devolution of authority at different level. 
Following a structural review, CARE Nepal  reorganised and redefined  several units in Kathmandu and established. These cluster offices: Janakpur for the Central Tarai, Bharatpur for the Central Hills, and Doti for the Mid and Far-West have been able to work together, develop linkages and create synergy. This approach has allowed for better understanding from ground level action to regional and national advocacy focusing on critical issues influencing poverty like discriminatory laws, practices, and systems.
Cost Implications
The first few years will require considerable resources to help fill funding gaps that result from moving toward coherent programming. The gap is primarily a result of investing in the retention of talented staff as well as to continue ongoing analysis, research and development. A five year budget analysis has been prepared from 2008-FY12 based on the current program portfolio and the projected pipeline funding. The level of increase observed, compared to the past 3 years (2006-2008) in the core functioning areas including the Shared Program Cost and required technical staff is estimated at around 40%. If the CO succeeds in maintaining restricted funding of around US$ 9 million, there will be a continued decline in the gap level following the third year. We are hopeful that over the long term, programmatic work will be less costly than project-based work.