Creating Employment for Rural Women Through ADB Loan 2143-NEPAL: Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women Project MDB Conference, Istanbul 24-25 April, 2012 Divakar Devkota Project Director and Director General Department of Women and Children Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare
Project Introduction Project Goal: To reduce poverty in the project area through the process of economic, social and legal empowerment of poor rural women and members of the disadvantaged groups such as ethnic, low-caste (Dalit) and other members of the society by enhancing their capacity and capabilities. Project Period: 9th June 2006-30th June 2013 (Actual implementation from May 2007) Executing Agency : Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare Implementing Agency: Department of Women and Children District Women and Children Office -15 Fund structure: US $ 14.2 Million (Revised ) (9.2 million ADB, 3.4 million GON and 2.1 million beneficiaries) Project Area: 15 Districts, 82 Village Development Committees
Project Area Number of Project Districts: 15 Western Cluster:- Bajhang, Bajura, Baitadi, Asham, Doti, Mugu, Kalikot & Jumla (8)--40 Central Cluster:- Bara, Sarlahi, Mahottari, Rautahat, Dhanusha, Ramechhap & Sindhuli (7)-42
Project Outputs Economic Empowerment Social Empowerment Legal Empowerment Institutional Strengthening Increased income, assets and employment opportunities Savings & credit services Employment in infrastructure Skills training for entrepreneurship Enhanced social awareness, capacity development Women s Multi purpose centers Time-saving technologies: improved cooking stoves, grinding mills Community amenities: water supply, etc Increased legal awareness & improved access to legal services Legal Awareness training Training of judges, police, prosecutors Citizenship certificates, registration of births & marriage Improved institutional capacity for promoting gender equality
Compliances for Legal Reforms Gender Equality Act 2006 adopted with repealing 176 discriminatory provisions under various national laws and Acts that includes equal inheritance rights to citizenship rights from mothers name Domestic Violence Act 2009, and Regulation, 2010 enacted National Women Commission Act, 2008 adopted Human Trafficking and Transportation (control) Act, 2007 enacted 5
Creating Employment Opportunities through Skill Development Training 7,833 beneficiary women trained in different types of skills and entrepreneurship training (Candle Making, Juice Making, Bee -keeping, Poultry-keeping, Incense-stick Making, Lehati (Bangles) making, Goat Raising, Hojieyary, Making Bamboo Stool etc) and supported with start-up grants (NRS 2000-5,000) to create own small businesses in the rural setting 18 business enterprises (with 12 different types of enterprise) are established creating employment for 180 women
Creating Employment Opportunities in Rural Infrastructure Construction Construction work like aggregate making, material transportation, masonry works, etc; are all managed by women groups that enhanced their managerial skills and capacity to manage funds Equal pay for equal work has been implemented in the construction work 1600 women wage laborers are trained in various skills to improve their work and to make aware in wage rights, and also supported with tools which helped to create improved occupational safety and working environment at work place
Creating Employment Opportunities in Rural Infrastructure Construction Women s user group and committees (4500 women) formed for construction of small community infrastructure like rural foot trails, supply of drinking water, small irrigation canal, micro water turbine, earth work and gravelling, side drain, wooden bridge, women multi-purpose centers etc who were directly involved in the decision making of infrastructure construction 3000 such small infrastructure works have been completed which generated employment for poor and wage labor women in unskilled work representing from 781 user groups in the remote rural villages Small Infrastructure Operation and Maintenance training provided to women s user groups created employment opportunity for them as community masons in their villages
Creating Employment Opportunities By group formation, collection and management of savings, and micro-credit mobilization : 4-7 members in savings group; federated into village level women s cooperatives Average monthly savings collection, minimum NRs. 20 (US $ 0.30) per month Average amount of the loan, NRs. 7000 (US $100) per person ; 43,000 borrowers so far Loan mobilization in vegetable farming, cash crop and seed cultivation, livestock, retail shops, Allo (plant) fiber spinning, etc; which helped to create self -employment Average interest on savings is 12%; on loan is 18%; and repayment is above 95% The project has supported NRS. 7.5 Million (US $ 100,000). 66,000 group members collected NRS. 30 Million (US $ 400,000).