Local Governance and Community Development Programme (LGCDP-I)

Objectives:

The goal of LGCDP is transformational approach through 'the promotion of inclusive local democracy, through local community-led development that enables the active engagement of citizens from all sections of society'. To do this LGCDP will support a series of actions and changes in the areas of:

(a) Assets and services. To increase access of all citizens especially for DAGs for basic livelihood assets (resources and services) that will improve their well-being.

(b) Voice influence and agency: To enhance the capacity of all citizens especially DAGs to build their voice and develop ability to influence decision affecting their lives and influence development in their VDCs/Municipalities/DDCs. This will pressurise the local government to respond to their voice and needs.

(c) Policies and Institutions: To influence and support to bring about changes in policy and rules in organizations /institutions such as existing practices, attitudes and behaviour that would be more supportive towards DAGs.

(d) Gender, equity and social inclusion: To raise awareness on gender, equity and social inclusion to access existing resources, services and opportunities for their development by bringing about changes to planning practices and equitable budget allocation.

Key Activities:

• Undertake social mobilization activities using a transformational approach.
• Implement and manage LGCDP social mobilization at grass roots level.
• Orient social mobilizers, concerned stakeholders and community members on the objectives of LGCDP and the transformational social mobilization approach.
• Provide training for social mobilizers based on capacity needs assessment.
• Provide backstopping to social mobilizers working in the field including feedback, coaching and moral support.
• Act as resource persons for training carried out by the NSP including, awareness raising and advocacy, using PRA tools and techniques, DAG household mapping, power analysis, gender analysis, poverty analysis, needs assessment, REFLECT process, public audit and hearing etc.
• Coordinate with other agencies providing social mobilization and other services in the district.
• Liaise with local bodies (DDC, VDC and Municipality) during planning and implementation processes, to ensure that social mobilizers are being effective at grass roots level.
• Guide, support, monitor and evaluate social mobilizers (including performance monitoring).
• Regularly report on the progress of social mobilisation to the DSMC (including the budget).
• Support the community in actively engaging with the planning, implementing and resource allocation and monitoring processes of local government bodies.
• Create awareness and assist communities and citizens in understanding local government planning, implementing and decision-making processes.
• Carry out local situation analysis to gather information (through various participatory processes and PRA tools) especially with regard to poverty, social exclusion, access to resources and the activities of development organizations, within the local government areas.
• Establish Citizen Awareness Centers (CACs) at ward level and facilitate REFLECT classes through these.
• Mobilize and build capacity of citizens to engage with local body processes. Ensure that the interests of poor and excluded citizens are fully integrated into local level planning activities and ensure that benefits are equitably shared.
• Facilitate/assist in identification of the poor, women and other socially excluded groups through the DAG mapping exercise.
• Build capacity and facilitate poor and excluded people to raise their voice and articulate their specific needs at local development forums (with both government and non-government).
• Build the capacity of the local communities to assess their current situation and needs and in prioritization of their needs, as well as enhance their monitoring and evaluation capacity for the sustainable use of the local government resources.
• Ensure active participation of children, the youth, poor, women and DAG members for their development through collective initiatives by employing PRA tools.
• Identify any citizens who are not associated with any community groups and ensure their full engagement as participants and as beneficiaries of resources/programmes.
• Facilitate community representatives (e.g. in Ward Citizens Forums, IPCs and other networks) to negotiate on behalf of poor, women and other DAGs.
• Assist in the formation of socially inclusive Citizens Ward Forums and IPCs and facilitate members to actively take part in the VDC planning processes so that the needs of DAGs are reflected.
• Facilitate public auditing, public hearings etc to review progress, identify lessons learnt and feed into subsequent local level planning and resource allocation.

Project Period: 39 months (May 05, 2010-July, 15, 2013)

Project Location: 07 VDCs (Ghartichhap, Banakhuchaur, Budhakhani, Phoksingtar, Shipalichilaune, Sisakhani and Mahadevtar) of Kavrepalanchok district.

Funding Partner (s): Government of Nepal (GoN), Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD), Office of District Development Committee (DDC): LGCDP-I

Major Achievements:

• Recruit 07 VDCs 5 female and 2 male social mobilizers.
• Conducted 03 days basic social mobilization training two event, 03 days CAC in REFLECT class conduction training one event and 03 days local level planning training one event of the LGCDP social mobilizers.
• VDC level LGCDP orientation conducted for local stakeholders and community people.
• Assess existing local organizations and groups through 102 women group, 82 male group, 01 higher secondary school, 06 secondary school, 05 lower secondary school, 33 primary school, 24 child club, 30 youth club, 58 community forestry, 07 sub-health post, 11 drinking water user committee, 17 CBOs/NGOs and 12 cooperative.
• Established of the 07 VDCs 63 ward citizen forum (WCF). The total number of WCF members is 1005 in total where 389 female and 616 male are involved. Conducting WCF acting committee meeting monthly and all representatives meeting quarterly.
• Perpetrated of 07 VDCs situation analysis profile, Social resource mapping, Power and poverty mapping, Gender analysis/access, benefit and control analysis and Disadvantage household mapping.
• Established on 07 Citizen Awareness Centre (CAC), the total number of CAC members is 180 in total where 95 female and 85 male are involved. It also includes 5431 dalit, 425148 janajati and 01 Brahmin/Chhetri. The CAC conducting REFLECT class per week 2 hrs.
• Completed 07 VDCs external district Capacity Develop (CD) and observation tour to CAC members. Participated 12 female and 19 male.
• Fiscal Year 2067/68 to 2069/70  7 VDCs WCF forward integrate planning committee through VDC council total 673 no. of the projects the VDC council accepted total 314 no. of projects and total budget approved NRs. 33,063,881.00. The project construction complete support and facilitation of UCs for local people mobilization.
• Ilaka level planning through DDC council submit 36 project DDC council accepted then total budget approved NRs.71 lakh. The project completed support facilitation UCs formation and local people mobilization.