From GTZ Partner Countries: IFSP


	Nepal

Districts

DANG DISTRICT

Following the government's decision to liberate all the Kamaiyas from slavery by abolishing the long prevailing Kamaiya system from Nepal on 17th of August 2000, the three partners of Rural Community Infrastructure Works Program i.e. WFP, GTZ and HMG/N through MLD decided to support the reintegration and settlement process of the freed Kamaiyas families in mid and far western terai districts of Nepal. In view of the fact that the newly freed Kamaiyas dwelling in various makeshift camps immediately needed employment so that they could earn sufficient food to feed themselves and their families and side by side they needed support to enhance their self-help capacity for their sustainable development in the long run, Freed Kamaiya Food Security Project- a modified form of Rural Community Infrastructure Works Program (RCIW) was formulated by the three partners and launched in the 5 districts-Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur in December 2000 (FY 057/58).

As such Freed Kamaiya Food Security Project (FKFSP) was also launched in Dang district for the first time and has completed its first year of project implementation period. Freed Kamaiya Food Security Project with an overall goal to improve the livelihood of the freed Kamaiyas is jointly run and supported by the three partners as in RCIW program. HMG/N through MLD being the chief administer and implementer of this project supports to this project financially for skilled labour, construction materials and half of ITSH; WFP supports to this project in terms of rice for unskilled labour and half of ITSH and GTZ provides technical support and in social mobilization process.

The three main objectives of this project are:

Ø Improve the accessibility to food of freed Kamaiyas.
Ø Improve the self-help capacity of the freed Kamaiyas
Ø Improve the rural community infrastructures in the freed Kamaiyas localities.

The concept of the project is to support a process which assists the target population in (a) sustainable building up of their problem-solving capacity and (b) organizing themselves to identify, plan, implement and evaluate community based infrastructure measures, which contribute effectively to the stipulated objectives of the FKFSP. The chief principles guiding the application of FKFSP are:

Ø Target population oriented
Ø Self-help based
Ø Transparent in terms of decision-making and resources distribution.
Ø Sustainable, productive measures which gives equal employment opportunities and conditions to men and women.

Therefore projects should

Ø be located in the localities of the freed Kamaiyas.
Ø be labour-intensive (at least 85% of the total costs should go to unskilled labourers).
Ø make maximum use of locally available construction materials.
Ø provide equal employment opportunities to men and women.
Ø have financial support from VDC concerned of NRs. 1 per kg of rice.
Ø be with in the self-managerial capacity of the self-help group.
Ø be transparent to all partners involved in the programme.
Ø be environmentally sound.

This is the second annual progress report of the FY058/59 of this project in Dang district. The purpose of this report is to present status and progress made in this fiscal year of this project.

1.2 General Feature of the District

Dang district, the largest valley of Nepal with total area of 2,955 km2 is one of the four districts of Rapti zone which lies in mid western region of Nepal. The district has border with Salyan, Rolpa and Pyuthan to the east; Uttar Pradesh of India to the south; Kapilvastu and Arghakhanchi to the east; Surkhet and Banke to the west. The altitude of the district ranges from lowest 213 meters to the highest 2058 meters. The total length of the district is 90 km. from east to west and total width from north to south is 72 km.

The total agricultural and forest areas are 69950 hectares and 192,155 hectares respectively out of the total 295,500 hectares area of land of this district. There is total 57775 hectares (19.5%) area of land is irrigatable while only 40734 hectares (70.50%) area of land is irrigated in this district. The major rivers providing irrigation facility to this district are Rapti and Babai.

The district has got temperate monsoon climate with minimum temperature 25.0 degree Celsius and maximum temperature 39.9 degree Celsius. The average annual rainfall is recorded 170.6 millimeter. Agriculture and animal husbandry are the main occupations of the people living in this district. Crops like paddy, maize, pulse, oil seeds, vegetables are chiefly grown here.

Politically the district is divided into 4 constituencies and 13 areas (Ilakas) consisting of 2 municipalities and 39 village development committees. Out of the 39 VDCs 11 VDCs lie in Deukhury valley and 5 VDCs are hilly VDCs of this district. The total population of this district is 462,896 out of which 228,763 are male and 234135 are female. Similarly the total households in this district are 83,162. The average household of this district is 5.6 and population density is 156.6. Out of the total population of this district 82.9% population reside in rural areas. The population growth of this district accounts for 2.67% per annum. Tharu, Brahmin, Chhetri, Magar, Thakuri, Sunar/Kami, Gurung are the major castes residing in this district.

So far as literacy rate in this district is concerned it is a little over half of the population i.e. 63.82% population is literate out of which female literacy is only 40.84%.

As per the data made available by the district land reform office of Dang district there are 175 freed Kamaiyas households of A category; 230 households of B category; 397 households of C category and 324 households of D category. Thus total 1126 freed Kamaiyas households are residing in 32 VDCs and 2 municipalities of Dang district. The total population of the freed Kamaiyas in this district is 6470 among them 3143 are male and 3327 are female. A total of 74-12-4 area of land has been separated for the freed Kamaiyas for distribution out of which 3-5-11 area of land is allocated to the freed Kamiayas in the two municipalities in this district. Land distributed to the freed Kamaiyas in this district varies from 0-0-3 to 0-5-0. In these VDCs and municipalities their settlements are very scattered in different villages.

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