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"Awareness & Skills Together" for Self-Reliance through Sustainable Livelihood

Country: Nepal

Organization: AFORD-NEPAL

3) Strategy Summary:
As a matter of fact, income generation through micro finance or other financial programs alone are not enough nor they have been so far completely successful in achieving self-reliance and sustainable livelihood. Sustainability inevitably requires true interest and efficiency for a hundred percent self participation in any program towards achieving self-reliance through sustainable livelihood.

We all know very well that it is true interest and efficiency that make a program effective, successful and sustainable and it comes only through deep awareness and information and skills on related programs. Hence, awareness and skills as they are the key elements, should be applied as a vital tool in any programs meant to achieving self-reliance through sustainable livelihood. When awareness and skills are applied together, they work miracle playing a vital role greatly corresponding to the cause. Awareness and skills when put together accelerates actions for development. While awareness accelerates actions with deep inspiration, skills encreases the productivity assuring better qualities, durability and state of the art. Thus the program "Awareness and Skills together" can play a vital role in contributing to achieving self-reliance through sustainable livelihood.

4) How the Strategy Works:
Example 1
The program "Awareness & Skills together" for self- reliance through sustainable development has 5 phases of its development operation in close co-operation and partnership with the grass roots in rural community level.

Phase 1
Baseline survey of the community

  • Collection of date and information concerning demographic, cultural religious, political and socio- economic conditions of the target group.

Phase 2

  • Indepth review and analysis of the data and information collected by the Baseline survey of the target community.
  • Co-relating of study and the findings of the survey and data and other related information with the expected program.
  • Presentation of the findings and available data and information to the target group making them get to know and realize the situations and conditions of their community
  • Collection of views and opinion from the target group about what they really need, what their burning issues are.
  • Asking them for their views and ideas as to how they can best solve their problems, what they are planning to do, and also what they expect from the program.
  • Preparing a summary of their burning needs, potential obstacles, their views and future plans, their willingness and necessity for participatory approach.
  • Formulation of program "Awareness & Skills together" for self-reliance through sustainable development.
  • Organising a big gathering of the people from the target group ensuring that everyone is invited and involved.
  • Presentation of the blue print of the program explaining its key functioning mechanism and related technical know how.

Phase 3 Operation Level
Conducting Orientation workshop for the selected people and stake holders from the target group.

  • Making them know what the program "Awareness & skills together" is, how it was formulated how it is going to function, how the stake holders and the target group is going to participate in the program, what roles, responsibility and contributions they will be playing in making it effective and successful, how, after all, all this is going to bring positive changes in their life in the community in increasing self-reliance through sustainable livelihood.
  • Specific roles and responsibility will be determined for the people willing to involve themselves in this program.
  • Certain tasks and duties will be mutually discussed and assigned to them.
  • The framework of organization will be made with all the detailed informations and specific guidelines and regulations program's complete from of structure

Phase 4
Main functioning of the program

  • Launching the program in the grass roots level in support and co-operation with stake holders and target group voluntarily involved in this program.
  • The Program "Awareness & Skills together" for self- reliance through sustainable livelihood will be formally launced in the community co-operation with several other partner organizations.
  • Required trainings on building skills & efficiency will be provided to the stakeholders, members and the entire target group along with awareness.
  • Trainings on capacity building will be provided from time to time.
  • The trained and skilled human resources from the target group will be provided full guidance and counselling on how to set up their own enterprise and start working building their own jobs earning livelihood increasing their self-reliance through sustainable livelihood.
  • The program will, in the initial stage, provide financial support and will keep assisting them with required technical know how and need based trainings building skills in them and its proper development.
  • Every activity to be carried out by the people and personnels involved, will be regularly monitored, supervised and followed up and will be provided deep awareness and counselling to help them making the program effective and successful ensuring long lasting and sustainability.
  • Regular monitoring and evaluation will be carried out to ensure effectiveness and success of the program

Phase 5
Regular follow up will be provided with deep awareness to ensuring smooth operation and of the program enhancing self-reliance and sustainable livelihood.

5) Key Strategy Elements:

i. Mobilizing Citizen Support:
Citizen support will be greatly mobilized through this program. As this program is a need-based participatory approach program, it consists of all the key elements of the program ei. members, stakeholders and other involved and required in its process to run smoothly and effectively.

The involvement of the members, public events, professionals and stake-holders with help make our strategy innovative in the way and in the sense that in this program with its unique blend of "Awareness & skills" no body ins doing anything for others rather everyone is doing the something their way sharing the same vision inspired by the same spirit on the basis of mutual understanding and co-operation for the mutual collective goal of achieving self-reliance and sustainable livelihood. When they have a deep awareness to realize that they are doing their best together, inspired by the spirit of team work will be highly inspired to greatly contribute to the cause participating in the program for better mutual co- operation and development. One of the most important things is that they will try their best to keep their enterprises going on ensuring sustainability even after the program and outside funding is stopped.

v. Developing Information and Spreading the Message:
This program will best apply print, broadcast, and out reach campaign to spreading the message amongst the target group.

6) Increasing Self-sufficiency and Social Impact:
As a result of program, "Awareness & Skills together" for self- reliance through sustainable livelihood people in the target area in the rural community will have their self-reliance increased building sustainable livelihood and they will have a quality life. As awareness & skill empowered program provides trainings on skill buildup and development to the people involved in this community level program, it will greatly increase their efficiency and readiness towards greater productivity and quality and sustainability. This way the people will have greater self reliance building sustainable livelihood.

Once they are skilled, efficient and self-reliant in their day to day life enjoying a quality life through sustainable livelihood, they can, in turn, best participate in our awareness based sustainable community development process greatly contributing to the cause "Awareness for Development."

Thus, when the people in the rural communities who we are working with, are self-reliant building their own sustainable livelihood, they can best co-operate us in our endeavor to bring about equitable and sustainable community development sharing the vision "Awareness for Development." In this way, we can reach out to many other disadvantaged, underprivileged and deprived people in rural communites. More strong and self-reliant partner in development means more successful and effective network for equitable and sustainable development. This network will certainly make our organization self-reliant and self- sufficient.

8) Organization Mission and Vision:
Mission: Awakening people with Awareness & skills for peace & development. Helping establish and maintain an equitable, educated, advanced, well informed, just and balanced society for a quality life of the people who are downtrodden, underprivileged and marginalized through awareness empowered equitable and sustainable community development programs in co-operation with partners in development.

Vision: Building a world where all children and women and all those who are exploited, disadvantaged and deprived of every access and opportunity to their balanced development are better treated and cared for, have their own space to enjoying equal access and opportunity sharing the best of the world for peaceful quality living.

Looking Forward to the Next Three Years:
Our strategy "Awareness & Skills together" for self- reliance through sustainable development will be evolving over the next three years incorporating the members from the target group, stakeholders volunteers and professionals carrying out specific activities of the program in co-operation with its partner organizations.

Deep awareness, skills and informations required, will be provided to the target group through training and workshops in order to enable them grow self-reliant ensuring sustainability of their livelihood.

As Aford-Nepal has its own residential training centre that provides essential development trainings to the target groups on life skills and other required skills and informations in co-operation with Unicef, German Development service and several other partner organizations, will be supporting and contribution to this program effectively and successful for over the next three years.

Contact Information:
Ram Achal  Yadav
Executive Director
AFORD-NEPAL
Anandbag-2, Taulihawa, Kapilvastu Nepal
Nepal
Tel: 00977+76+560492
Fax: 00977+76+560251
Email: afordnepal_btw@wlink.com.np



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