Message from Senior Advisor

CED Nepal has a firm believe that income and capability poverty are important dimensions to be addressed for ensuring sustainable poverty reduction.

Activities
In order to achieve the objectives mentioned above, various activities to be undertaken by CED Nepal focus on following.

  • Awareness on empowerment: Increase the awareness and understanding of the institutions/organizations and local people/communities on principles and practices of empowerment (legal, economic, political and social) and development of local people.
  • Social mobilization: Support existing groups promoted by different groups or new group formed to develop them as a viable community based organization to provide required services to their members.
  • Community Development: Assist local people to identify their needs and priorities as well as prepare, implement, monitor and evaluate their local development plan for their improved livelihood.
  • Ensure access to financial services: Enable local people access the financial services through either community based or commercial oriented financial services providers.
  • Linkages to non-financial services: Enable local people to ensure linkages to non-financial services such as market, technology, raw materials and business consultancy   through specialized service providers.
  • Research and studies: undertake baseline, monitoring, impact and evaluation of various projects / programmes as well as policy studies and researches on contemporary issues.
  • Capacity building: Support development of human resources required by institutions / organizations involved on empowerment and development of communities at grass-roots level; assist local people on preparing local development plan, local resource generation and mobilization as well as implementation, self-monitoring and evaluation of those projects and design the training packages on local community development including the promotion of income generating activities and micro-enterprises.

CED-Nepal has started its operation through social mobilization in Chhampi VDC of Lalitpur district and will expand its services based on the operational success on resource mobilization. Currently it is undertaking research studies on designing microfinance products and services for rural and urban poor for Plan International, SNV Nepal and Winrock International. CED-Nepal has done both research/studies and programme implementation. Details on research/studies done by CED-Nepal are:

  • "Community Owned Microfinance Programme implemented by Plan International Nepal in Banke District in partnership with Nirdhan Uthan Bank Ltd.", April-July 2008.
  • Preparation of Country Report on "Financing Domestic Biogas Plants in Nepal" prepared for Biogas Support Partnership Programme and SNV Nepal", July-September 2008.
  • "Developing Strategy for Access to (micro) Finance in Tea Sector in Ilam and Panchthar Districts, prepared for SNV Nepal", September-December 2008.
  • "Developing Strategies to Explore the Feasibility of Mainstreaming and Linking Processing Units in the tea sector in the ongoing COC Strategic (Supply Chain) Activities in Ilam and Panchthar Districts" September-December 2008.
  • "Assessing the Impact of Marketing Support in Community Livestock Development Project" done for CLDP/DLS, March-May 2009.
  • “Assessment of Revolving Loan Fund Scheme and Way Forward” done for Plan International Nepal, February 2010.
  • “Impact Assessment of Microfinance Component of Microenterprise Development Program” done for MEDEP/UNDP, October 2010.
  • “Strategies for Village Savings and Loan Association Program” CARE Nepal Nov. 2010.
  • Final Evaluation of Village Savings and Credit Association Program” CARE Nepal, December 2010.
  • “Design of Child Sensitive Livelihood Assessment Program” Save the Children Federation, Nepal, March 2011.
  • “Gender Analysis in Selected Savings and Credit Cooperatives” June 2011.
  • “Commercialization of Micro-insurance Scheme in Nepal” done for INAFI Nepal, December 2011
  • “Leveraging Remittance Services among Nepalese Microfinance Sector” done for INAFI Nepal, December 2011.
  • “Portfolio at Risk Analysis of Biogas Credit Fund” done for Alternative Energy Promotion Centre, January 2011
  • “Housing Microfinance: State of the Art in Nepal” done for Habitat for Humanity, Nepal, January 2011.
  • “Housing Policy Study in Nepal” done for Habitat for Humanity, Nepal, on-going.
  • “Risk Management System in Savings and Credit Cooperatives in Nepal” done for National Federation for Savings and Credit Union Nepal, on-going.

Further, CED-Nepal has been involved in strengthening savings and credit groups in Chhampi VDC and ensuring access to financial services to families in Saibu, Khokana, Bungmati, Dhapakhel and Sunakothi VDCs. It has active savings clients of over 500 and loan clients of over 250 supported. Financial services has been extended through its sister organisation namely Lagani Multipurpose Cooperatives Ltd., with the technical support of CED-Nepal on design of project proposal for small and medium enterprise (SME). It has supported to generate employment opportunities through support to emergence, growth and development of enterprises such as petty trade, grocery store, fish farming, poultry farming, vegetable farming, vegetable trade, iron works, etc. CED has a plan to support enhance access to financial services to poor households through other savings and credit cooperatives in the district and through the provision of non-financial services.