Sample Concept Note 1

The project will have multiplier effects in the following manner:

(1) The proposed action will develop technical resources on livelihood sectors, including better production and marketing techniques. These resources can be used by I/NGOs in their livelihood projects. The market information will be extremely useful to farmers in and around the project and can be extended to them through other interventions taking place near the project area.

(2) The successful demonstration of the cooperative concept as a successful community-managed and owned institution will spill over to other areas. Technical knowledge in building and promoting cooperatives will be shared with other interested organizations.

(3) The NGO capacity-building component will not just be limited to the three partner NGOs. The action will share knowledge and skills in this context with other small and interested NGOs who wish to diversify and undertake innovative approaches in achieving organizational sustainability.

(4) At the policy-level, the proposed action will have an impact. Nepal is undergoing a political transformation with a newly elected government to be in place within one year of period from now, and several new policies and laws expected to be framed under the new permanent constitution. This will provide an opportunity for the organization and its local partner organisations to engage with the government through a number of project activities including: analytical studies, research and advocacy workshops and publications undertaken in the project will be highly useful resources for the policy development processes of the government.

Sample concept note (Nepal):

Brief Description of the Project-1, Brief Description of the Project-2, Relevance of the Concept Proposal, Target Group: Women and Girls, Objectives, Main Project Activities and Implementing, Project Sustainability, Multiplier Effects, Project Management Experience

The project has a focus on building the capacities of NGOs and local governmental development institutions. The skills developed during this process will enable them to improve their management skills and resources and to provide effective community-based services over a long period of time. The service-based relationship will continue between these actors and the communities in a sustainable manner, even after the end of the project period.

The purpose of building community-based structures such as cooperatives is to ensure that sustainability is in place after the end of the action. As the cooperatives are going to function as business-oriented community-based, managed and owned organizations with collective production and strong marketing linkages, they are expected to retain financial and operational sustainability even after the end of the action or any other external support.

The project will be designed and implemented in participation with the community. The community-based planning, review and monitoring system will be developed so that community inputs are included in the overall action strategy. This will enable the community to have a strong feeling of owning the action and its outcomes. Besides, community contributions towards the match funding requirements will be encouraged all through the project period. This will also help ensure that local ownership is established and activities are taken over comfortably by the community after the end of the action.

Sample concept note (Nepal):

Brief Description of the Project-1, Brief Description of the Project-2, Relevance of the Concept Proposal, Target Group: Women and Girls, Objectives, Main Project Activities and Implementing, Project Sustainability, Multiplier Effects, Project Management Experience

The main project activities are:

(1) Project Set-up, Recruitment and Orientation Training of Project Staff (2) Baseline Research and Documentation (3) Identification of Potential Livelihood Sectors (4) Training of Trainers (5) Community-based Trainings and Exposure Visits (a) on Livelihood Development & Enterprise Management (b) on CBO Formation and Management (c) on ICT Skill Development (6) Introduction of New Agricultural Techniques (7) Market Studies and Value Chain Analysis (8) Setting up Rehabilitation Centres (9) Human Rights Awareness, Training and Peace-building (10) NGO Training and Capacity-Development (11) Trainings to Local Government Institutions (12) Organizing Dissemination Workshops (13) Strategic Meetings with Government Officials

There will be three implementing partner NGOs each of them covering two districts. The organization is already into partnership with these NGOs since January 2007 and has placed a volunteer to build their institutional capacities including resource development. Earlier, these NGOs were closely involved in the participatory development of livelihood strategies in trafficking-prone areas in the Indo-Nepal border.

In the project, the partner NGOs will be actively implementing project activities, mobilizing the community and building its capacity. They will form a strong resource pool, providing knowledge and services to the client communities.

Sample concept note (Nepal):

Brief Description of the Project-1, Brief Description of the Project-2, Relevance of the Concept Proposal, Target Group: Women and Girls, Objectives, Main Project Activities and Implementing, Project Sustainability, Multiplier Effects, Project Management Experience

Target Group: Women and Girls, Youths and Partner NGOs. Women and girls most affected by the conflict are the main target group of the action. The proposed action will directly benefit 9000 women and 5000 girls in the six districts of Nepal. A further, 3,000 youths will be targeted to take advantage of economic skills under the action. Lastly, three partner NGOs will receive support and training to build their capacity.

Final Beneficiaries: Households, Men, Other NGOs, Local Development Institutions of the Government and Targeted Communities at large. Approximately, 10,000 households will benefit from improved incomes and livelihood opportunities. 2,700 men will be involved in CBOs and social empowerment processes. Another ten local NGOs and three local government development institutions will receive skills training in managing community-based development. Around 40,000 communities at large in the targeted districts will benefit from an improved social and economic environment.
Sample concept note (Nepal):

Brief Description of the Project-1, Brief Description of the Project-2, Relevance of the Concept Proposal, Target Group: Women and Girls, Objectives, Main Project Activities and Implementing, Project Sustainability, Multiplier Effects, Project Management Experience

This proposal has been developed to target conflict-affected communities, focusing on women and girls and the poorest of the poor who have suffered livelihood losses and violations of human rights. The end of conflict has encouraged some communities to return to their homeland; however, social reintegration and reinventing livelihoods are serious challenges to be addressed. The needs and constraints of conflict-affected communities have been considered in the development of this proposal.

Problems to be solved and Needs to be met:

(1) Conflict-affected communities have a lack of skills needed to re-build their livelihoods or to seek new economic opportunities. They have little knowledge to improve production methods, marketing, new livelihood opportunities and, have limited access to finances.
(2) Conflict-affected communities, especially women and girls have suffered gender discrimination leading to slavery and trafficking. Their repatriation has to be combined with social rehabilitation through rights education and economic revival through livelihood development.
(3) Women’s role in the targeted area has been limited to subsistence farming which is seasonal. So the need is to empower them as entrepreneurs with control in production and marketing chains of agriculture and non-agriculture produce and enhanced positions in the value chains..
(4) Partner NGOs’ professional skills need to be improved in provision of financially and operationally sustainable services to the community. There is a need to support NGOs and local government agencies in enhancing their organisational development and sustainability.

Sample concept note (Nepal):

Brief Description of the Project-1, Brief Description of the Project-2, Relevance of the Concept Proposal, Target Group: Women and Girls, Objectives, Main Project Activities and Implementing, Project Sustainability, Multiplier Effects, Project Management Experience

Promotion of community-based organizations, such as cooperatives, will be the core element of sustainability and community ownership. Cooperatives will be formed by the communities to collectively carry out production, marketing and micro-finance activities on a strong foundation of democratic governance, business-oriented approaches and member-based welfare services. It is expected that cooperatives will have efficient financial and technical resources by the end of the proposed action and will be able to manage activities on their own, with or without some kind of service-based support from local partner NGOs and local government development agencies.

Keeping in mind the consequences of the conflict, the proposed action will apply approaches best suited under the situation. Community participation will be critical in designing and implementing the action. Client communities will be enabled to take an active role in reviewing and monitoring the progress of the action through a community-based review and monitoring system. Social rehabilitation will include human rights awareness and legal assistance to victims, in addition to support for economic development. Partnership and synergy will be developed with other NGOs and local government agencies for an overall positive impact and convergence of services.

The action has been proposed by the organization in partnership with three local NGOs. There has been a previous history of partnership with these NGOs in building their capacities to achieve organizational sustainability. Besides, the organization has been involved with the Office in a study covering Nepal and India to develop potential livelihood strategies for women in the trafficking-prone areas along the Indo-Nepal border, most affected by conflict. The findings of the study have helped develop the proposal for the proposed action.

The proposed duration of the action is 30 months and will be implemented in the districts. The proposed action will be coordinated and managed from the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu.

Sample concept note (Nepal):

Brief Description of the Project-1, Brief Description of the Project-2, Relevance of the Concept Proposal, Target Group: Women and Girls, Objectives, Main Project Activities and Implementing, Project Sustainability, Multiplier Effects, Project Management Experience

Sample concept note (Nepal)

The proposed action aims to reduce the negative impact of conflict on the socio-economic conditions of the conflict-affected communities, especially women in six districts of Nepal. Specifically, it will enhance the skills and resources of client communities to improve their livelihood opportunities, increasing their household incomes at the local level and organizing themselves collectively through community-based organizations.

The action will also focus upon providing social rehabilitation as immediate relief to women and girls who have suffered violence and rights violations through trafficking, partly due to the conflict, in addition to community reintegration and skill enhancement. The capacity of local partner NGOs will be built to enable more effective service delivery to the conflict-affected communities, in a sustainable manner. Local governmental agencies,(development departments in particular), whose functionality has been affected by the conflict, will be involved in the project, with the aim of restoring their human resources capacity, management skills and improving programme reach to client communities.

The proposed action will combine the elements of social empowerment and economic development, so that conflict-affected communities have more confidence in managing the course of their development especially in the context of livelihoods. Social empowerment will include, besides rehabilitating affected groups, human rights awareness, knowledge about gender and promotion of community-based mechanisms, in order to prevent gender abuse, violence and trafficking. Economic development of the clientele will be organized by identifying potential livelihood sectors (in agriculture and enterprises), backed by latent market information and introduction of new production techniques. Through a series of capacity-building programmes, the knowledge to undertake profitable and sustainable livelihood activities will be transferred to communities. Savings and credit operations will be encouraged to enable community access to much-needed working capital and crisis credit.

Sample concept note (Nepal):

Brief Description of the Project-1, Brief Description of the Project-2, Relevance of the Concept Proposal, Target Group: Women and Girls, Objectives, Main Project Activities and Implementing, Project Sustainability, Multiplier Effects, Project Management Experience