World Vision International (May-October 2018)

Three wards declared child-friendly.. More information on page 2 EVENTS

Girls’ Summit 2018 Creating momentum in Province One against child marriage Girls’ Summit 2018 was held in in Province One during 17-19 August highlighting commitment to end child marriage in the province by 2025. The event was inaugurated by Hon. Minister for Social Development Jeeban Ghimire and child club network Mini member Anisha Giri. The summit brought together community members, children, District Coordination The Summit concluded with handing over of Maker Faire 2018 Committees, elected representatives of local “Biratnagar Declaration” which provides guidelines government, differently-abled people, activists, faith for the policy formulation, programme design and Showcasing the work of local and leaders, government officials, diplomats, media and the other related activities giving special focus on well- global innovators civil society to accelerate momentum in ending child, being of children. early and forced marriage. Wards declared as child friendly This year’s Kathmandu Mini Maker Faire that was organised by the An important milestone for Nepal Communitere from 22- WVIN’s commitment towards 23 September had World Vision International Nepal’s (WVIN) Child Friendly Local Governance Nepal Innovation Lab as one of its organising partners.

The Kathmandu Humanitarian Mini Maker Faire is a unique gathering of global innovators who are WVIN’s work has brought significant changes for children solving some of the greatest social in rural communities of Nepal in the past months. For the challenges facing our communities. Bringing together communities, entrepreneurs, makers, first time, three wards among WVIN’s working areas were This is a festival of invention, non-governmental organisations (I/NGOs), and declared as child friendly. The three wards were- Ramdhuni This achievement has come as a result of creativity and resourcefulness which government agencies, the event showcased cutting Municipality’s ward no. 2, Suddhodhan Rural Municipality’s continuous initiatives such as facilitating can lead to transformative change. edge innovation and technology through a series of ward no.2 and ’s ward no. 15. coordination meetings, building capacity of sessions with guest speakers representing 10 countries, relevant stakeholders and continuous follow- This year, the event brought expo pieces, a virtual reality booth, drone flying, The first ward was declared child friendly on 16 July, the up taken at the local level towards promoting together makers from Nepal and second ward had the official declaration on 30 September 3D printing workshops, solar power technologies, child rights. The commendable efforts and beyond, specifically highlighting traditional craft making techniques , to name a few. and the latest ward to be declared child friendly had its dedication displayed by children and relevant global innovations that inspire 1,300 individuals, 45 local makers, and 20 international event on 2 October. All three events were held in the stakeholders ultimately resulted in this technical and partial financial support from WVIN and its communities to “Design the makers attended the Maker Faire. outcome- meeting all the indicators set under Future”. partner organisations. the National Stretagy on Child Friendly Local Governance 2011.

3 /   / 2 SECTORAL UPDATES (past 6 months) Health Protection We work to support safer motherhood, improve child nutrition, strengthen capacity and go- We work to strengthen formal and informal community systems that work to protect vernance of community health institutions in maternal child health and support government women and children, increase children’s resilience and reduce harmful practices against campaigns promoting community-led total sanitation. children.

Rajjo (standing) interacts with other children from her community about menstrual hygiene, which is a part of the Rupantaran life skills programme. “After becoming a peer educator, I am more aware of myself and my abilities and am committed to relay the same message to my peers in my community,” says the 17-year-old student.

Bhagwati Shrestha (left, in blue) supervises the growth monitoring of children in her community. “After receiving training and equipment support from World Vision, the mother groups’ meetings I conduct are more effective and the health status of infants have improved,” says the Female Community Health Volunteer (FCHV) from Sindhuli.

adolescents oriented on Rupantaran life skills by 60 FCHVs, community health mobilisers and health 900 peer educators 174 workers trained on health-related capacities local child protection committees supported for new pregnant and lactating mothers attended 138 formation and capacity building 845 health mother group meetings

health facilities have essential equipment for 17 cases of child marriage responded to and stopped 9 maternal and child health Supported the Girls’ Summit 2018 in Province 1 where a declaration was made new children’s growth monitored through healthy by the Social Development Ministry to end child marriage in the province by 3250 baby competitions 2025

5 /   / 4 Education Resilience We work to help families strengthen their production and income and their ability to meet We work to improve the quality of learning environment for young children; enhance the need of their children through trainings in the use of technology and improved farming learning outcomes; strengthen school safety and systems; improve sanitation and hygiene practices, value chain development, skills development for vulnerable youth and support for and; promote child-friendly teaching and learning in schools in line with the Government of communities to help manage disaster risks. Nepal’s standards for schools. Bishnu is a the head of Bhagwati Savings Group initiated Agriculture and Economic with the support of WVIN in Jumla. She shares, “Most wo- Development (AED) men in my community are illiterate and had to rely on their husbands’ income for any financial support. After being a producer groups formed and part of this group, we learnt the value of saving even small 652 amounts and we are financially independent. Things are are functional gradually beginning to change.” youths supported with need- 100 based vocational trainings saving groups established invol- 223 ving 3,789 community members 12-year-old Mahima (holding mic) presents the scoring of her school’s facilities given by the girls’ group during an interaction meeting at her school in Udayapur, as a Youth Development part of the Citizen Voice and Action project model. “I hope that being able to speak out and provide feedback can help my school to improve in the coming days,” she SKYE clubs formed, engaging says. 131 3,029 youth

SKYE training of trainers 20 developed early grade teachers trained on core reading community service learning 148 skills 233 projects carried out by SKYE clubs schools supported with supplementary 63 reading materials Disaster Risk Reduction Local Disaster and Climate 56 Resilience Plans (LDCRPs) 215 reading camps established supported to develop local government agencies 46 supported to initiate disaster risk management funds and emergency 148 Citizen Voice and Action groups formed operation centres

7 /   / 6 inclusion?” session. It mainly focused on helping all understand the needs of BoP and build a roadmap to ensure everyone is part of the blockchain revolution.

Furthermore, the FieldSight, a digital platform supported by the Nepal Innovation Lab, is being implemented in more than 50,000 sites in over 40 different types of projects locally and globally. After its launch in January, a lot of impetus has been provided on scaling-up the use of the platform locally and internationally.

The Nepal Innovation Lab sourced Nepal Innovation Lab local innovators to put into place a cost-effective flood early warning system in few of its working districts n application funded by and built in-house at WVIN’s Nepal Innovation Lab, Sikka, A namely Kailali, Rupandehi, Morang and has matured as an idea as well as a platform for an initial minimum viable Sunsari. The local innovators had been product (MVP) and pilot phase product. Sikka, can now fully support the distribution of cash for the cash transfer programme (CTP) with supported by the lab in 2016 to build a a few additional features being developed to further improve the prototype which is being used as a part system and its user interface and user experience (UI/UX). A few of this system. The aim is to help local key achievements for Sikka this year are highlighted below: government and communities become resilient and prepared to respond - Pilot: The first pilot of the system was conducted in Phulpingkot VDC appropriately to save lives and reduce (in former administrative structure) of Sindhupalchowk the impact of disasters. The team has District in April. The pilot was conducted for the completed building the systems and is distribution of payments for a cash for work programme working closely with the Department under the Ghumsume Irrigation Scheme at the same of Hydrology and Meteorology to pilot these systems in the aforementioned place through a local financial cooperative. A total of Rs. districts. Upon implementation the system will be able to alert citizens 8-10 hours 583,000 (about $5,830) was successfully distributed to prior to an imminent flood, giving them time to get to a safe place and wait out 73 beneficiaries using Sikka the disaster. This locally sourced system and its piloting is being funded by Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH). - Tech4Dev Conference: Sikka’s paper was selected to be presented at the Tech4Dev Conference that was held in Lausanne, Switzerland on 27-29 June. The paper was presented in the “Blockchain and the Blockchain-oriented Programmg (BoP): a disruptive technology for economic

9 /   / 8 Story from the field

her daughter while feeding by singing songs For the love of a child or showing videos on her cell-phone. She was taught to pay close attention to hygiene practices: washing hands before every meal, and ensuring Roshni is cleaned up every now and then.

Within 12 days, Roshni’s condition began A glimpse of KITAB to improve. Her weight began to climb, project’s kickoff her mood began to lighten, and she fell sick workshop less often. After the PD Hearth sessions, Sushmita was supported with agro inputs like seeds, fertilisers, tools, etc to maintain a kitchen garden in her backyard. She has been growing vegetables in the vicinity of WHAT’s NEW? her house and uses them to make porridge and gruel high in nutrients. with specific focus on children Book Alliance, a multi-partner “It has been a year since and my daughter WVIN’s Programmes and with disability and children alliance. This project is the has gained 2.5 kilogrammes. Meal times Operations sectors merged in from marginalised castes and first project that will utilise a are much more relaxing now as she eats September. Here are some major without me having to exert any force. I can ethnic groups. The project will results-based financing (RBF) updates from the sector- finally take a breath of relief,” beams Sush- be implemented in Sarlahi intervention. The project mita. Sushmita looks on as her daughter Roshni’s growth is being monitored. District, Province 2. This is the aims to generate rigorous • New Area Programmes: first project for which WVIN has Healthcare in Nepal is still unevenly distri- evidence on the effectiveness WVIN has received partnership received funding support from In an empty school compound in rural Bhagwati is referring to the time when buted. According to Nepal Demographic of the RBF intervention. It approval to start new Area the Australian Government’s Sindhuli, women gather around a lady Sushmita had brought her daughter to Health Survey, 2006, only 78.83% of the will provide incentive to clad in a blue sari. The lady is monito- a mother’s group meeting for the first total population have access to essential Programmes (APs). The target Department of Foreign Affairs stakeholders to align and ring the growth status of all children time. “Roshni was underweight with thin healthcare services. This indicates sophisti- area for one AP is Sarlahi District and Trade (DFAT) through the present. arms. It was so difficult to feed her as cated healthcare services are more focused in Province Two. The assessment Australian NGO Cooperation support the achievement she would become irritated and comp- on major cities, making the role played by for this AP will commence in of existing government FCHVs crucial in order to sustain healthcare Programme (ANCP) mechanism. Everybody in Nepal knows that lained all the time while eating,” recalls January 2019. women who wear blue saris, as this Sushmita. “Bhagwati didi asked me to in more rural areas. This project has also enabled education standards to lady is, are ‘Volunteer Didis’, formally attend a mother’s group meeting several The new programming in Sarlahi WVIN to partner with Humanity improve literacy outcomes referred to as Female Community times. I was not sure how it would help However, most FCHVs do not receive ade- will be in alignment with WVIN’s & Inclusion (HI) and World for the National Early Grade quate technical support and hence are not Health Volunteers (FCHV). FCHVs but one day I finally decided to go and commitment to reaching the Education (WE) for the first Reading Programme that will are the bottom-rung, the community it was one of the best decisions I have motivated to work to their full potential. To most vulnerable children and grassroots element, of the healthcare made so far.” help bridge this gap, last year World Vision time. The project commenced in benefit children in Morang and system in Nepal. They act as the eyes reached out to 491 FCHVs with technical families by starting our footprints July 2018 with research/ scoping Sunsari Districts. The project and the ears of the government-led During the meeting Sushmita’s worst training on health and nutrition. They are in Province Two and increasing study, multi-year design, and commenced in October upon health programmes in the communi- fear was verified. Roshni was found to also supported with a minimal stipend to our development investment in baseline as the key outputs from finalisation of the contract with ties. In this village in Sindhuli, 51-year- be malnourished through a Mid-Upper run mother group meetings, door-to-door the least developed districts of visits, and other relevant programmes. This Year 1. the World Bank. old Bhagwati Shrestha has been pla- Arm Circumference (MUAC) measure- Nepal. ying this role for the past thirty years. ment along with height and weight eva- support has slowly resulted in community luation. At 14 months, she weighed only members having a positive attitude towards • KITAB Knowledge When it is two-year-old Roshni’s 8.5 kilogram’s and was on the yellow child nurture and care. The results are evi- • SIKAI Strengthening Improvement through dent from the improved nutrition status of turn to be monitored, Sushmita, her section of the MUAC scale. Inclusive Education in Access of Books: This is a mother, crouches beside her curiously. children like Roshni. Nepal: This is a five-year project “She weighs eleven kilogrammes now, Soon after this discovery, a Positive two-year project supported a massive improvement from when Deviance (PD) Hearth session was or- “My child is healthy now and I am thrilled to aimed to improve access to by the Results for All Children she first arrived,” states Bhagwati. Sus- ganised in Sushmita’s community. At the know that she is well nourished. Mothers like participation and achievement in (REACH) trust fund, housed at hmita nods in agreement and grins. session, Sushmita was taught to cajole me couldn’t ask for more,” beams Sushmita. education for excluded children, the World Bank, and the Global

11 /   / 10 Campaign to end child marriage and SDGs Our programmes contribute to the following SDGs:

WVIN organised a policy dialogue on “Laws The highlight of past months was a 100-day on Child Marriage and Strategies for Effective popular mobilisation to end child marriage called Implementation” in partnership with SAARC “Bees Pache Bihe” ( Marriage after 20) conducted Law on 14 September. The panelists of the event in partnership with Association of Community were Judges of the Supreme Court, the Attorney Radio Broadcasters Nepal (ACORAB). The General, and a defence lawyer. The objective of programme which commenced on 1 May with an the dialogue was to create a discourse on how objective to generate public awareness, initiate criminal justice system actors can be proactive in dialogue and gather commitment of children ending child marriage in Nepal. The event put a and stakeholders concluded on 8 August. It was huge focus on critically analysing the new Penal successful in mobilising more than 200 community Code and tried to bring clarity among all actors. radios with 4,200 hours of radio events to reach The need for awareness raising at the ground 100,000 listeners in the country. 10,000 people level on the implications of child marriage as well across the country committed to end child as on the enforcement of the Penal Code was a marriage as a result. conclusion of the dialogue. WVIN also attended the high-level Political Forum Furthermore, WVIN joined hands with SAIEVAC (HLPF) at the UN Headquarters, New York (apex body of SAARC), Ministry of Women, from 10-18 July to present its evidence on how Children and Senior Citizens, National Human it contributed in the implementation of SDGs in Phone +977-1 5548877 Rights Commissions, INGOs and UN agencies, Nepal. tell us to conduct a two-day event called the “All Nepal wvi.org/nepal what Conference on Ending Child Marriage” on 26 and 27 September. The event focused on various you think facebook.com/WVINPL issues including the root causes of child marriage and the ways forward to address the issue. The event was held in the chairmanship of Sapana @WVNepal For more information contact : [email protected] Pradhan Malla, Judge of Supreme Court and Contact no. : +977-1-5548877 For feedback, contact : [email protected] President of SAARC Law Nepal Chapter. World Vision International Nepal Content and design : WVIN Communications

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