Annual Report 2019 Message from the Country Director
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Nepal ANNUAL REPORT 2019 Message from the Country Director Namaste and warm greetings from IM Swedish targeted youth, adolescent girls and boys, and women for their Development Partner (IM), Nepal Country Office! inclusion and meaningful participation in decision making With a great pleasure, today I am presenting our Annual processes and accessing their rights through government Progress Report for the year 2019 to all concerned stakeholders services. During this year, IM through its partners was able to and ecosystem partners. This year was full of excitement reach approximately 188 rights holders groups, 22091 rights and challenge for launching the implementation of IM’s new holders including 12059 female, 1350 youth and 3814 students strategic plan (2019-2023) in Nepal and globally. We kicked (2044 girls) from marginalized communities for their social and off this year with the fresh learning of last strategic period of economic empowerment and promoting their participation and 2015-18, evaluation of our programs by Government of Nepal inclusion in development and governance process. Cover Photo A woman with her child in in (GoN), and with challenging strategies and priorities to achieve IM team played an active role as connecter, networker and Kapilvastu district. the goals of the new strategic plan. To be relevant, strategic and facilitator in networking, and policy advocacy work including Malin Kihlstrom / IM focused, IM in Nepal and globally focused in four thematic promoting civic space and SDGs in collaboration with above priority areas--they are-- social inclusion, economic inclusion, mentioned knowledge and dialogue partners. IM actively involved ensured civic space and strengthening CSOs--for this strategic in civic space issue mainly CSO law called social development period (2019-23). With the approval of our five year-long draft bill in collaboration with AIN, NGO Federation and strategic plan and budget from our main donor- Sida (Swedish our partners- JMC and JuRI. This has resulted that the latest Government) and approval of two great projects from back- version of bill of CSO law is now under the ownership and donors [i.e. European Union and The Charitable Foundation leadership with the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior (TCF- Australia)], this year became the year of establishing and Citizen (MoWCSC). We contributed greatly in promoting expanding our regular and strategic partnerships with Nepali SDG-5: gender equality, and human rights and civil rights in civil society organizations (CSOs) as well as collaboration with the implementation and localization of SDGs. These efforts broad based partner ecosystem actors. Most importantly, this has created a basis for further advocacy for policy making and year also became the year of signing of IM’s five-year project effective implementation on above-mentioned issues. agreement (2019-23) with Social Welfare Council (SWC)/ At times when we were in the smooth implementation Government of Nepal (GoN). Similarly, we expanded our work of our strategic plan and partners plans, whole Nepal and in three districts of Karnali province together with EU-funded development sector have been badly affected by covid-19 with CONTENTS consortium partners and new rural municipality in Kapilvastu enormous social and economic impact in 2020. We strongly with the existing partner-IRDC from TCF-Australia funding. believe that GoN and we all development actors together can ABOUT IM’s core beliefs 4 Moving forward, during this year, we expanded our regular cope and lessen the impacts of covid to the people, in particular, partnership from six to eight long term partners including the to the most marginalize people. Where We Work Page 6 two new partners on board i.e. Jagaran Media Centre (JMC) and Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude towards Fair Trade Group (FTG) Nepal. We expanded our collaboration our donors Sida, TCF, The European Union, and the generous Our Partners Page 8 with five like-minded strategic actors (knowledge and dialogue Swedish people for their financial support. Without their Social Inclusion Page 10 partners) [i.e. Beyond Beijing Committee, Federation of support, we wouldn’t have been able to bring positive impact in Women Entrepreneurship Association (FWEAN), NGO the lives of our target groups and expansion of our programs. Economic Inclusion Page 16 Federation of Nepal/CSOs Forum for SDGs, Human Rights I would also like to thank my Nepal, India and Sweden based Alliance, Association of INGOs in Nepal (AIN)] to contribute IM team and our partners for their hard work, dedication, and Strengthening Civil and join their advocacy and policy initiatives related to social and support towards achieving our program goals and organization’s Society and Civic Space Page 22 economic inclusion, entrepreneurship policy, gender equality, mission. A special thanks to SWC, MoWCSC and line ministries, SDGs, civic space and CSO law. IM played active role bringing provincial and local governments for their effective cooperation Livelihoods Improvement of all implementing partners and strategic actors in one forum via for approval of our project agreements and facilitating for Indigenous Tharu communities partners’ network/forum and conceiving the idea of partners’ smooth operation of our work. Finally, I sincerely thank our through Effective Pond Management Page 24 advisory forum. target groups and communities, who continue to pursue their Enhancing Citizen's Participation During 2019, IM’s partners focused in organizing, and dreams despite of the challenges they face. in Sub-National Good Governance empowering new target groups (marginalized women and (Local and Provincial Level) in youth). They provided inputs, services and capacity building Govinda Neupane the context of the New support to the existing targeted groups e.g. farmers for their Country Director economic empowerment and school children for their quality March, 2020 Federal System in Nepal Page 26 education. Similarly, they also mobilized and empowered Annual Report 2019 – 3 Financial Report Page 30 IM is a Swedish development cooperation organization working to achieve a world free from poverty and exclusion, where everyone ABOUT IM’s core beliefs can find out about their rights and take control of their lives. IM support poor marginalized and vulnerable women, girls and youth Commitments so that they can change their situation through their own efforts. IM empowers civil IM was founded in 1938 in Lund, Sweden and has no religious society, catalyzing or political affiliation. IM works in 13 countries across the world. profound societal change IM has been supporting Nepal’s development and humanitarian towards equality and Vision efforts since 1980 through Nepali partner organizations. Since democracy. IM’s vision is a fair 2010, it has been working in Nepal as a legally registered INGO. and humane world. Since 2019, IM's work is focused on 1) Social Inclusion 2) Economic Inclusion 3) Strengthening Civil Societies and Civic Space. Mission How we work To create visibility, fight In Order to achieve When people come together they have greater poverty and alienation. IM scope for influence and to bring about change than always defends the principle our vision as individuals. With this in mind, IM works with We need a society with full equality and strong partners throughout the world. of all humans’ equal value democracy. Therefore, we are working to promote Our partners range from individuals working to and rights. • Social Inclusion: All individuals bring about change in their own villages to civil should have the right to be an equal member of society organisations and companies. We set up society, with the same human rights regardless networks, share knowledge and provide financial of gender, age, caste and social status. support. • Economic inclusion: Everyone deserves to In order to bring about lasting change our work be in control of their own economic life and takes place on three levels: have the possibility to earn their own income, • Individual level (people) own land and afford an education • Organisational level (groups) • Institutional level (laws and norms) • Strengthening Civil Society and Civic IM and Sustainable Space: The civil society plays an important This approach to societal change is what we apply Development Goals part in a democratic society. A strong civil to all our activities. society with enabling operating environment (SDGs) can represent and defend marginalized groups IM has chosen to focus on the six while raising awareness and pushing for societal Global goals that we feel we are best change. placed to contribute to: Women, Girls and Young People are the Im works with focus of our work. partners and We are focusing our efforts on women, girls other ecosystem and young people. This is due to the fact that: actors in thirteen • empowering women women and girls helps countries on four to strengthen the community as a whole. continents. • empowering young people empowers those responsible for building the future. 4 – Annual Report 2019 Annual Report 2019 – 5 2019 was the first year WHERE WE WORK of the five-year IM works in partnership with 8 local NGOs in Dang, Kapilvastu, Gorkha and Nawalpur through SIDA STRATEGIC funding. IM and IRDC implement an irrigation project in Kapilvastu through The Charitable Foundation PLAN 2019-23 Australia ( TCF). In a consortium of European Union funded governance project, IM works in Jajarkot, with the key focus to European Union Project