Community Development
ICA Nepal believes that each community has its own unique need and concerns. But, to create maximum impact, ICA Nepal has some specific focus areas while implementing community development activities. It has successfully carried out integrated community development projects across Nepal, namely Parbat, Rupandehi, Jhapa, Bhaktapur, Dadeldhura, Baitadi, Doti, Rasuwa etc. ICA Nepal focuses on the following areas:
Literacy and Education
Adult literacy classes form the core part of several of ICA Nepal’s community development projects. Literacy is the first and the very essential first step towards achieving empowerment, access to opportunities, increased decision making power and the ability to raise a voice for rights. ICA Nepal aims to strengthen the capacity of local communities supporting basic education and literacy. ICA Nepal organizes TOT for adult literacy facilitators and these facilitators teach local people to read, write and calculate.
ICA Nepal has been recognised as one of the best NGOs in the education sector by the Ministry of Nepal for the activities carried out under the ‘Community School Support Project’ in eleven schools.
Entrepreneurship Development
Nearly 1.4 billion employed people globally live on less than $1.25 a day. ICA Nepal aims to enhance the living standard of communities in Nepal through providing skill development training, setting up service projects and developing opportunities to start income generating activities; creating employment to a larger community. The products made through this initiative are sold through Saugat Griha or other outlets. ICA Nepal has joined hands with the Institute of Research for Jatropha and Rubber (IRJR), a USA based research organization for the promotion of rubber plantations, by involving poor farmers in eastern Nepal.
Environment Preservation and Conservation
Climate change, rapidly decreasing biodiversity and growing extinction rates, dwindling resources, and pollution are serious and escalating threats affecting the global community. Nepal’s growing population places great pressure on natural resources and the environment.
Preservation and conservation of environment has always been a major concern of ICA Nepal. Through eco-clubs and sustainable agriculture programs, school children, youths and adults are respectively encouraged to think and work for a
sustainable environment.
Livelihood and Carbon Sequestration Programme
ICA Nepal’s activities are very much linked with the upliftment of downtrodden communities. People vulnerable by climate change and disasters are considered to be one of the key target groups for any community developed projects conducted by the organisation. Since its inception in early 1998, ICA Nepal has carried out various activities on agro-forestry, natural farming, restoration of degraded land etc. Many of such activities are directly contributing to the sequestration of Carbon di Oxide in the environment. ICA Nepal’s representatives have attended global events such as COP.
Forestry Management
Under the Forestry Management program, thousands of trees have been planted, with nurseries and agro-forestry started in various parts of Nepal. Furthermore, through training and facilitation, ICA Nepal has motivated thousands of people towards protecting the environment and planting trees.
ICA Nepal works for the rights of indigenous communities for access to, and use of, forest resources. With the support of the Global Forest Coalition (GFC), ICA has carried out a series of national level workshops on issues such as indigenous communities and their relationship to the forest.
Water & Sanitation
ICA Nepal understands that Nepal’s rapidly growing population puts great pressure on natural resources. Through Eco-clubs and sustainable agricultural programs, children and adults respectively are encouraged to think about ways to use their environment in a sustainable way.
We develop a community’s capacity to advance and maintain a water and sanitation system and to carry out interrelated activities to promote sanitation and hygiene behavior.
Self Sustained Projects
ICA Nepal’s focus has always remained on the long–term self sufficiency of the community. ICA works on building a strong foundation so that the programs can eventually sustain themselves, or rely on less funding as time goes by.
Most self-sustaining programs include, saving and credit, micro loans, enterprise development, and HIV and AIDS issues etc. Saving and credit programs have been demonstrated as an effective way to widen ownership and the distribution of resources; empowering community. Similarly, ICA facilitates community members in developing strategic plans for their area. ICA facilitates community in such a way that village members decide together what to vision for their village as per their need. Accordingly, they are mobilised and motivated to implement development activities in their respective areas.
