Joint Programme Evaluation final evaluation report august 2016 DanChurchAid (dca) Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur Nepal Dr. Prakash Bhattarai and Dr. Dhruba Gautam

2.4.3 Resilient Livelihood and Sustainable Food Security

RLSFS programme has left a number of impacts at the local level. Some of these impacts can be summarised as follows;

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  Reduced the vicious circle of debt: This programme fostered community solidarity though joint social actions namely savings and credit mobilisation, loans mobilisation through cooperatives for small-scale enterprises with group guarantees, and setting the norm that groups are accountable for paying back loans if the borrower defaults. With such joint social action, solidarity and neighbourliness has grown among the right-holders. Beneficiaries expressed that it supported them to minimise the vicious circle of debt by provisioning institutional loans at minimal interest rates.
  

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  Reduced stigma and discrimination and increased empowerment: The evaluation team has found that the capacity-building training helped to develop positive attitudes among the poor families in programme locations. It also improved people’s personal dealings and decision-making skills, thereby helping them to claim their rights and entitlements. With their self-respect and dignity boosted, they felt empowered. Beneficiaries are more vocal and confident now than before; they have developed a “we can solve the problem” attitude.
  

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  Reduced the multiple vulnerabilities of right-holders: Increased advocacy skill through RtF network and CSOs has enabled the traditionally poor and excluded group to claim ‘RtF’ and ‘social safety net’ services. With the continuous advocacy and lobbying and social auditing and public hearing, government agencies have allocated the fiscal budget in livelihood initiatives. The advocacy also helped to claim social protection allowances. These initiatives collectively supported in increasing the wellbeing of right-holders by reducing the multiple vulnerabilities.
  

2.4.4 Humanitarian Response

DCA’s humanitiran response are mostly focused on improving the lives of community people, thus its impacts are mostly observed at the grassroots level. Some of these impacts identified by the evaluation consultants are as follows;

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  In Nepal, as result of timely, consolidated, and quality humanitarian response of DCA, a significant number of families affected by devastating earthquake, flood, and fire, are now almost back to normal life and resumed their traditional occupation. For example fire victims of Saptari district of Nepal who received shelter support from DCA were able to continue their daily wage type of work for their livelihood, instead of looking for loan to build their new house. The shelter support also solved stopped them to be displaced from their usual place of residence.
  

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  DCA’s humanitarian response programme has directly contributed to save lives through immediate response to climate and human induced disasters such as flood, earthquake, and ethnic conflict. DCA’s humanitarian response activities have included a strong component of DRR and long-term recovery/rehabilitation.
  

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  Due to cash transfer, providing seed, improvement of irrigation facilities and other livelihood support given by DCA, there was no significant impact on their traditional profession, mainly among people involved in agriculture sector. Improvement in irrigation schemes helped in expanding the irrigation command area, increasing cropping intensity and yield, diversifying income at the local level and reduced water related disputes. Involvements of women in cash for work interventions have contributed to make women economically empowered and have control over resources. Improvement of public infrastructures has opened an avenue for temporary employment to disaster survivors in Nepal, which reduced the trend of going India for earning. With an improved income, disaster survivors have begun to louder their voice to secure government services at the local level.
  

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  Due to reconstruction support given by DCA to different schools, children are able to resume schools within a very short period after the earthquake.
  

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  Due to shelter support received by earthquake survivors, it has contributed to increase their dignity. There is no evidence of the reporting of sexual violence against women; such cases often documented when people are displaced and living in mass or outside their homes for a long period of time. Getting a shelter redcued the risks related to overcrowded living conditions in which several families are forced to share a common space. Living in tents and not owning a house were perceived as having lost social status. Relief along with the psychosocial support helped reduce people’s fear, trauma and increase confidence.
  

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  In the DCA supported programme areas, there is no evidence of the emergence of communicable diseases. The construction of toilets improved the health condition of families and increased sanitation in project locations. The improved drinking water schemes saved time in water fetching, and reducing the women/girls drudgery. Kitchen gardening and use of vegetables in food have improved the health of women and children.
  

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  The extent of social discrimination is reduced when disaster survivors are in same place and share the same resources. The incidences of caste discrimination are much fewer which has eventually contributed to foster community solidarity. Disaster affected people are now well organised into local institutions/networks for immediate response as well as long-term policy engagement.
  

2.5 Sustainability

2.5.1 Migrant Rights Programme

Sustainability of MRP can be observed in five different intervention areas of DCA. First, with the increased use of MIC by potential migrant workers both in Nepal and Bangladesh and receptiveness of both governments regarding its operation at the local level, there is high possibility of its sustainability. However, DCA partners require technical supports in areas like MIC staffs’ capacity development, periodic upgradation of the content of pre-departure orientation package, and venue for conducting orientation session.
Second, CBOs and cooperative groups formed at the local level with an active participation of RMW and members of their families can be considered as another sustainable structure formed under the DCA support. However, there are not many active CBOs and cooperative groups at this stage. Those who are active both in Nepal and Bangladesh have shown their potential to be active even after the termination of this programmatic cycle.
Third, DCA supported/initiated cross-national linking, learning and sharing practices among CSOs and regional networks working on migrant rights, human trafficking, and domestic workers’ issues can be considered as another sustainable practice. Based on the evaluation team’s interactions with partner organisations, it is found that the DCA partners will somehow continue their collaborations even after the end of this project cycle. However, termination of support for regional initiatives will decrease the frequency of their face-to-face interactions, meetings.
Fourth, the evaluation team also concludes that DCA partners have developed capacity to continue one off and event specific migrant rights advocacy campaigns from their own efforts, as it does not require significant amount and time contributions. The case of ‘free visa and free ticket’ campaign launched in Nepal in late 2015 and early 2016 can be presented as relevant case in this regard. However, DCA partners in Nepal, India, as well as Bangladesh yet to be sustained when it comes to implementing a long term advocacy programme, as it requires a significant amount of resources, time, and dedication.
Finally, the entrepreneurship training conducted by DCA partners, particularly in Nepal and especially focusing on RMW can also be considered as an initiative to make them self-sustainable. This training has given an opportunity for dozens of RMW to be involved in self-employment and income generating opportunities. Locally contextual entrepreneurship trainings with market scope can be further developed in Nepal and Bangladesh to make the RMW self-sustainable.