Nepal, despite making strides in gender equality and women’s empowerment, still faces challenges in providing sustainable livelihood opportunities for women. Women’s self-help groups (SHGs) have proven to be effective in fostering economic empowerment, improving social cohesion, and enhancing women’s decision-making abilities. This project proposal aims to promote and strengthen women’s SHGs in Nepal to facilitate livelihood development and enhance the socio-economic status of women.
The main objectives of this project are as follows:
- To establish and strengthen women’s self-help groups in targeted communities across Nepal.
- To enhance the capacity of women’s SHGs in entrepreneurship, financial management, and market access.
- To provide skill development training and mentorship to enable women to start and sustain income-generating activities.
- To facilitate access to credit and financial services for women’s SHGs.
- To foster networking and collaboration among women’s SHGs, local government, NGOs, and relevant stakeholders.
- To monitor and evaluate the impact of the project on the socio-economic status of women and the overall community.
Target Beneficiaries: The primary beneficiaries of this project are women residing in rural and marginalized communities in Nepal. We will prioritize women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, including ethnic minorities, Dalits, and single mothers. Additionally, the project will indirectly benefit the communities in which these women live, fostering overall socio-economic development.
Project Activities:
- Formation and capacity building of women’s SHGs:
- Conduct a baseline survey to identify target communities and assess the socio-economic conditions of women.
- Organize community meetings and awareness campaigns to promote the concept and benefits of women’s SHGs.
- Facilitate the formation of SHGs, ensuring representation from diverse backgrounds and geographical areas.
- Conduct capacity building workshops on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, leadership, and group dynamics.
- Skill development and mentorship:
- Identify income-generating activities suitable for the community and provide skill development training accordingly.
- Engage expert trainers and mentors to impart practical knowledge and guidance to women entrepreneurs.
- Conduct regular monitoring visits to assess progress, provide feedback, and address challenges faced by the SHGs.
- Access to credit and financial services:
- Collaborate with local financial institutions to facilitate access to credit for SHG members.
- Provide financial literacy training to SHG members to ensure effective utilization of credit and sound financial management practices.
- Establish revolving funds or savings and credit schemes within the SHGs to foster financial self-sufficiency.
- Networking and collaboration:
- Organize networking events, exposure visits, and exchange programs to promote knowledge sharing among SHGs.
- Facilitate linkages between SHGs, local government agencies, NGOs, and relevant stakeholders to leverage resources and support.
- Advocate for women’s economic rights and representation through engagement with policymakers and advocacy campaigns.
- Monitoring, evaluation, and impact assessment:
- Develop a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework to track the progress of SHGs and assess their socio-economic impact.
- Conduct regular monitoring visits, collect data, and analyze the findings to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
- Document success stories and lessons learned to share best practices and replicate successful models in other communities.
Project Timeline:
The project will be implemented over a period of 3 years, divided into the following phases:
- Phase 1: Project setup, community mobilization, and formation of SHGs (6 months)
- Phase 2: Capacity building, skill development, and mentorship (12 months)
- Phase 3: Access to credit and financial services, networking, and collaboration (12 months)
- Phase 4: Monitoring, evaluation, impact assessment, and documentation (6 months)
The estimated budget for this project is $500,000, allocated as follows:
- Training and capacity building: $150,000
- Skill development and mentorship: $100,000
- Access to credit and financial services: $100,000
- Networking and collaboration: $50,000
- Monitoring, evaluation, and documentation: $50,000
- Administrative and operational costs: $50,000
Sustainability and Project Outcomes:
- Sustainability:
- Strengthen the capacity of SHGs to sustain their activities through effective financial management, network building, and collaboration.
- Foster linkages with government programs, financial institutions, and market actors to ensure continued support and market access for SHGs.
- Promote knowledge transfer and replication of successful models across other communities in Nepal.
- Project Outcomes:
- Increased number of established and functioning women’s SHGs.
- Improved entrepreneurial skills and financial literacy among SHG members.
- Increased income generation and economic self-sufficiency of women.
- Enhanced social cohesion, decision-making abilities, and empowerment of women.
- Strengthened collaboration between SHGs, government agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders.
- Documented success stories and best practices to inform policy and replication efforts.
Conclusion: Promoting women’s self-help groups for livelihood development in Nepal holds significant potential for empowering women, reducing poverty, and fostering sustainable socio-economic development. Through this project, we aim to create an enabling environment for women to unleash their entrepreneurial potential, access resources, and overcome social barriers. By investing in women’s economic empowerment, we can build a more inclusive and prosperous society in Nepal.
