Women's Empowerment through Community-Based Sustainable Livelihood Enhancement Project (WEP-III)

Women's Empowerment through Community-Based Sustainable Livelihood Enhancement Project (WEP-III)

Introduction

Women Empowerment Project (WEP III) is a complementary project of WEP II. After the completion of WEP II, WEP III was designed as the next phase in response to the post-earthquake needs of marginalised, Janajati and earthquake affected women. WEP III is focusing on the empowerment of rural women by strengthening women's self-help groups (SHGs) as well as by providing training in improved cultivation practices, high-value crops, cattle rearing and management skills.

Objectives

• To empower the women farmers socially and economically especially addressing the situation after the earthquake,
• To enhance the livelihood of the poor, marginalised women farmers and help them in their moral rejuvenation, and
• To strengthen village resource centre (VRC) as the source of material and services for the livelihood promotion of rural women.

Expected results

• Institutionalisation of women’s/smallholders groups and cooperatives, enhanced awareness on right based development issues for active participation in decision making and running agro-enterprises and agro-business.
• Increased incomes of rural women/smallholders by diversifying crops and increasing agricultural production and livestock raising (goat and pig).
• Strengthen VDC level Resource Centre (VRC) for community-level planning, locally accessible inputs, approaches and technologies in the promotion of small-scale agri-business and agro-enterprises including improved livestock raising.

Key achievements (As of December 2016)

• More than 80% of women residing in project VDCs are now organised in SHGs and members of local cooperatives and actively participating in various economic and social activities.
• 35 SHGs are registered in District Agriculture Development Office.
• Women in project area are actively participating in decision-making process in the planning and development at local level,
• Hundreds of project beneficiaries are practicing farming for the businesses by setting up different agro-enterprises which has resulted in diversified crop and food productions and increased incomes.
• More than 50 nurseries of cardamom in Jhule VDC produce worth Rs. 5 million of cardamom each year. Commercial and organic vegetable farming, improved goat raising and goat shed have been good examples for others to learn.