Women Development Association (WDA), a CBO established by some energetic women at Jhapa initiated a community empowerment project in Kechana, Pathamari, Patharia, Baluwadi and Baniyani of Jhapa district in 2001 to 2008 with the funding support from the Lutheran World Federation Nepal. Each household from the poor and marginalized people organized into group and these groups were organized as community based organization throughout the period for their capacity development and empowerment for the rights movement. WDA registered six different community based organization at the period and continued its rights and socio-economic movement with the funding support from LWF Nepal. Integrated Community for Social Development – Kechana, Centre for Social Development and Mobilization – Patharia, Integrated Group for Social Justice – Pathamari, Collaborated Society – Baniyani, and Community Campaign –Baluwadi are the CBOs established at the period and registered in the district for the socio-economic movement of the poor and oppressed in the district. These CBOs contributed for the social as well as economic transformation of the people in the district. Later one leader from these CBOs realized to establish a network among and further accelerate the rights movement of poor and oppressed community including livelihood initiatives for economic transformation. Therefore, ‘Social Network for Justice and Development (SNJD), registered as NGO in the district has been an important platform for the poor and oppressed marginalized community for their social, economic, cultural and political rights and campaigning for the same. SNJD is an umbrella organization of these CBOs is now playing an important role in attaining the basic rights of the people and ensure appropriate access on public service and resources through it’s local to national level policy advocacy. It is a pioneer organization for the humanitarian and development works in the district with its people centered community-based empowerment approach.
SNJD has accomplished series of projects interventions for the socio-economic empowerment of most marginalized people in Jhapa in partnership with LWF Nepal throughout the period from 2001 to 2020. SNJD is privileged to narrate the following projects which it has accomplished and contributed for the rights movement of the people from Jhapa district. SNJD is targeting mostly the capacity development of people affected by the disaster for disaster risk reduction and preparedness management, livelihood sustenance of the people at risk, governance and justice and organizational development in partnership with LWF Nepal. It comprises a network of 10 Community Based Organizations, 10 Cooperatives lead by women, 24 Disaster Management Teams, 2 Disable People’s Organizations covered by the project, where 3,392 (654 male and 2738 female) individuals, who are organized in 171 groups.

Areas of working

  • Disaster Risk Reduction, Emergency Preparedness & Response
  • Sustainable Livelihood
  • Community Led Actions for Governance & Justice
  • Organizational Effectivenes
  • Working Area
  • Organization Structure
  • Working Approach
  • Disaster Risk Reduction, Emergency Preparedness & Response
  • Sustainable Livelihood
  • Community Led Actions for Governance & Justice
  • Organizational Effectivenes

The following are intrinsically-linked and mutually-reinforcing strategic approaches that SNJD applies in the project:

  • Rights-based approach (RBA): Rights-based approach aims at strengthening the capacity of duty bearers (the institutions obligated to fulfill the rights holders’ rights) and empowers the rights holders (who do not experience full rights).SNJD applies special focus on empowering those poor and highly marginalized communities so that they can claim their rights in a responsible manner. At the same time, assisting communities acquire knowledge and skills that lead to changed attitudes and transforming people into informed decision makers and active citizens. Active citizens are able to challenge policies or actions and existing structures on the basis of principles such as equality, inclusiveness, diversity and social justice.
  • Community-based empowerment approach: Empowerment is both a means and an end SNJD’s work with communities. This implies consulting the people first, in particular the poor and the marginalized, considering the impact of decisions and activities on them and enabling them fully to participate in and own these activities. SNJD engages with communities in ways that enhance and build on competencies and capacities of people, particularly the poor and the marginalized so that they can direct their own development, both as individuals and as active members of families, groups and communities.
  • Participatory and inclusive approach:SNJD is accountable to work for the poor and marginalized communities. While aligning its project goal and objectives with government, it will include goals and objectives set forth by the rights holder community, which is developed through participatory approach. It supports local government bodies to include those poor and marginalized communities in their formal and informal institutions and also support them to develop capacity of those community members for effective participation in local bodies and institutions.
  • Workforce diversity: Workforce diversity will be promoted while recruiting staff and consultants, and developing local resource persons. Emphasis will be on increasing diversity and inclusion among staff from the excluded and marginalized castes and ethnicities at all levels. Serious attempts will be made to include a minimum of 50% women in staff composition at all levels.
  • People with Disability (PwD) and GESI mainstreaming: Local institutions and community-based organizations, including groups/Cooperative will be assisted to be more inclusive, democratic and transparent in their functioning so that excluded, marginalized and disable women and men will have a proper voice and an equitable share of resources. Greater participation by such people has an important role to play in ensuring diversity and equitable treatment by these decision-making bodies.
  • Integrated program approach:SNJD provides highest priority to the project that is aligned with government program and also targeted to poor and marginalized communities. Understanding the holistic needs of the rights holders, SNJD makes its maximum effort to create synergy with existing projects.
  • Cooperatives-based development approach:SNJD promotes saving and credit cooperatives led by women, Dalits and Indigenous Minorities. It strengthens capacity of the cooperatives, including the community-based women-led cooperatives in ensuring that their policies, organizational strategies and business plans are pro-poor and inclusive and effectively implementing them. Attempts will also be made to mainstream the entire community in the development process with clear division of role, responsibilities and necessary action for each group of people in the community.
  • Environmental sustainability and climate change adaptation:SNJD supports communities that are extremely vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Environmental considerations will be integrated into the identification and design of projects in the areas of: promoting technologies and practices for increasing agricultural food production and food security in the context of climate change; land use management; soil conservation; alternative or green energy use etc. Adaptation strategies as part of disaster risk management and sustainable livelihoods are inextricably linked to the protection and management of natural resources and will be a core aspect of this work in the project.