Program Area: Ward no. 4, 5 & 9 of Kunathari VDC/Total Wards of Kunathari VDC of Surkhet

Project Name: Community Empowerment Project/Small Livestockholder Strengthening Project

Date Duration:  2010- 2012/2013-15

Funding Agency: Hiefer International 

Project Duration:  3 years for each of 2 projects 

Organization has been implementing two projects supported by Hiefer International Nepal. The first project started in January 2010 for 3 years in ward no 4,5 and 9 of Kunathari VDC and after that with the support of same donor Small Livestockholder Value Chain Project is being implemented in whole Kunathari VDC. 

Community Empowerment Project: 

The main aim of the project is to empower the community through the value based education based on 12 cornerstone, support livestock and capacity enhancement of the community in livestock keeping, improved animal management, income generation through different activities including kitchen garden/vegetable farming and goat raising. Improve the health and sanitation status of the community through the promotion of improved cookstives, toiets and behavoral change of the people. 

The first project has supported total of 147 original families with 384 goats (2 goats to 111 families, 4 goats to 33 families and 10 goats to 3 families for developing goat resource center) along with 7 breeding bucks in the first year. The 3 families receiving 10 goats each will direct towards commercial goat farming to develop as goat resource center. Total of 294 families are benefited from two-generation pass on of goats. At the end of the project 441 families are bening supported. 74 families received support for land mortgage of 0.5 hectare (10 ropani) for income generation through collective vegetable farming. 49 project families have received POG support for one farmer managed irrigation canal and 1 plastic pond maintenance, and 3 new plastic pond constructions for irrigation purpose. 50 families have received POG support for toilet construction and 137 families for improved cooking stove installation.

Community is supported vegetable seeds and forage/fodder seeds/saplings to increase the income of the participated families. Community has received different trainings scuh as Heifer cornerstones, self-help group management (module I & II), improved animal management, gender justice, organic kitchen gardening, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS, pre-cooperative, improved cooking stove and fodder/ forage production. Exposure visits to other project areas of Heifer is completed for gearing of the activities through the sharing of process and progress of the activities in other districts of Nepal. Sister groups of Self Helf Group members has also received trainings on Heifer Cornerstones and gender justice. 117 youths are organized into six groups and provided trainings on Heifer cornerstones along with support on their capacity building. Local Community Animal Health Worker (CAHW) is serving the community after his trainings on Improved Animal Management facilitation and CAHW refresher training. 

The community has empoerwed after the support of the project. The income generation, values based education and use of the 12 corner stones of the project has changed their life style. The community women has build the good relation with their male counterparts and started caring the animal to get benifit throuhg the promotion of improved animal improvement practices. Child, youth and male groups support for the development of the society after the project. Women groups have made sufficient fodder and forage trees for the cattle they have. They suppport and care the other sister groups in the community, train and pass the gifts whatever they recieved to their sister groups. The leadership has enhanced among the groups and they participate the activities of VDC and ask support for the better development of the community with plan. 

Small Livestockholder Value Chain (SLVC) Project:

This project aims to reduce the large import rate of the goat from India for meat and also increase the production of the milk in the region through the implementation goat and milk value chain project. This project will support on on business plans of farmers/enterprenaurs, linkage with the service providers and capacity enhancement of the women groups.

The project Management committee (PMC) and Project Implementation and Monitoring Committee (PIMC) is formed among the local institutions, farmers groups, VDC, local livestock service office and community forest user's groups. The project is desinged in the concept of basket program approach so that the duplication in the program could be reduced and integrated planing of the concerned agencies could be managed. The project has technical componenet led by Vetenary Technician with Community Livestock and Agricultuarl Enterprenaurs. The Social Component is head by Coordinator with the Community Facilitators for different pockets.