(5) Community-based Trainings and Exposure Visits

(a) On Livelihood Development and Enterprise Management: A series of trainings and exposure visits on the identified livelihood sectors will be organized for the community members. These sectors could include kitchen gardening, intensive cash cropping, lake/pond fish farming; livestock raising, cattle and buffalo raising, herbal plants and non-timber forest produce, commercial vegetable productions etc in line to the priorities of VCP and other sectors such as fruits and vegetable processing, carpet making, soft furnishings and organic horticulture. The trainings will provide new techniques in maximizing production and establishing marketing linkages. Under the agriculture component, sub sector training will be provided helping women farmers in identifying potential crops and in examining their market feasibility.

Justification

Training on livelihood development will enhance the skills of the client communities in managing their resources, increasing their production and establishing viable markets for their products. Exposure visits to successful projects will strengthen understanding and facilitate replication of ideas.

Role of Partners

Proponent Organization: Proponent Organization will be involved in monitoring these trainings and provide inputs and support to partner NGOs in the training design.
Partner NGOs: Partner NGOs will be organizing the training to communities. They will plan and implement these trainings in consultation with the client communities.

(b) On CBO Formation and Management: Cooperatives will be promoted as community-based organizations within the community for sustainability purposes. Training in this context will be organized on formation, management and functioning of cooperatives. SHG (Self-Help Groups) formation, savings and credit, cooperative principles, formation of by-laws, cooperative governance, holding of elections, cooperative committees and financial managements will be covered in these trainings. Exposure visits will also be undertaken to model cooperative in South Asia.

Justification

Cooperatives can be seen as democratic, member-based, business-oriented institutions which can effectively organize communities in undertaking savings and credit operations, production and marketing collectively and sustainably. Also, the policy atmosphere in Nepal is favourable for the functioning of autonomous cooperatives because of its liberal cooperative law enacted in 1992.

Role of Partners

Proponent Organization: Proponent Organization will be involved in monitoring these trainings and provide inputs and support to partner NGOs in the training design.
Partner NGOs: Partner NGOs will be organizing the trainings to communities. They will plan and implement these trainings in consultation with the beneficiaries.

(c) On ICT Skill Development: ICT education classes will be organised for girls and youths to prepare them for the growing market needs of modernization. Computer skills will be promoted to enable the target group for seeking employment opportunities. Further, integrating use of ICT in production and marketing of agriculture and non-agriculture produce for the cooperatives will be highly gainful.

Justification

ICT is an economic boomer, rapidly covering all areas of rural development. Building ICT skills for girls and youths will empower them to seek employment and also help them engage in the promotion of rural technology. Cooperatives can benefit from ICT to a large extent in their production, marketing and management activities at a later stage.

Role of Partners

Proponent Organization: Proponent Organization will be involved in monitoring these trainings and provide inputs and support to partner NGOs in the training design.

Partner NGOs: Partner NGOs will be organizing the trainings to communities. They will plan and implement these trainings in consultation with the beneficiaries.

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