Poverty is very much prevalent in rural areas like Makwanpur where there is inadequate access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. Subsistence farming and low productivity characterize the agriculture sector, contributing to rural poverty. The proposed target district has widespread discrimination against women, affecting their access to education, healthcare, and employment. Issues include gender-based violence, early marriage, and prioritization of boys’ education over girls. Many women are confined to the informal sector with low-paying, insecure jobs. The women of the target district are facing economic vulnerability due to limited women’s educational technical and vocational opportunities and limited access to formal financial services.

Lessons learned/best practices from previous projects supported by Global Affairs Canada and World Accord have been included in this project.

Economic Empowerment is crucial for addressing gender inequality and improving women’s rights and status within families and society. It leads to greater self-reliance and self-confidence among women, essential for their overall empowerment. Involving women and socially excluded groups as active participants, rather than beneficiaries, results in more sustainable and impactful development outcomes. Strengthening VWGs is strategic for supporting the economic development of women and socially excluded groups. A holistic approach that includes capacity development, economic empowerment, and awareness and advocacy programs is essential for creating peaceful and harmonious societies.

POWER builds on the successes of RENEW, which was funded by GAC through the Development Impact initiative. This project integrates lessons learnt as well as best practices and aims at strengthening the women’s cooperative “Sammanit Mahila Uddyamshil Sahakari” in Makwanpur so that it can be sustainable when POWER is completed. POWER aims to create a more inclusive and equitable society where all members can thrive.

Goal: Creation of conditions for enhancing sustainable social harmony and peace through a socio-economic empowerment process.

Objectives

1. To empower women and traditionally excluded groups socially, economically, and politically to live dignified lives in society.
2. To institutionalize Village Women Groups (VWGs) to sustain socially just, financially viable, and environmentally rational development processes with spiral growth and multiplication of effects.

Ultimate Outcome:

• Enhanced social and economic empowerment of Women and girls particularly from Dalits and most vulnerable groups

Intermediate Outcome:

• Improved Economic Status of Women and Girls particularly from Dalits and most vulnerable groups
• Increased participation and leadership in community decision making by women and Girls particularly from Dalits and most vulnerable groups
• Expanded and sustainable services provided by the cooperative to its membership

Immediate Outcomes

• Enhanced capacity for micro and small-scale enterprise management by targeted women and girls
• Improved knowledge and skills for sustainable agriculture and environmental management among targeted women smallholder farmers
• Strengthened skills of Village Women Groups (VWGs) to support the social and economic empowerment of targeted women and girls
• Enhanced capacity among women groups and local stakeholders to advance the socioeconomic empowerment of targeted women and girls
• Enhanced capacity of women’s cooperative members to advance the socioeconomic empowerment of targeted women and girls

Outputs

• Women and girls trained in micro and small-scale opportunities
• Women and girls trained in organic farming and sustainable agricultural practices
• Village women’s groups reinforced by organizing themselves with the diverse castes and most vulnerable
• Capacity of village women groups and local stakeholders developed to offer socioeconomic empowerment programing to women and girls and their communities
• Capacity of women’s cooperative members developed to offer socioeconomic empowerment programing to women and girls and their communities

Target Area

The target areas of the project are the 6 villages of Makwanpur districts in the Central Development Region (CDR).  The direct beneficiaries of the project are the 180 members of VWGs and 8 women and 12 men from local partners/ local government. Likewise, indirect beneficiaries; 900 of the 6 target communities (local community members will enhance their knowledge through the direct beneficiaries.