Humanist Initiatives for Rights Based Development Project 09
KamiGaun, KoshiDekha Village Development Committee, Kavre, Nepal

SOCH- in partnership with HAMU has been carrying out a year long ‘Rights Based Development Project’ in an untouchable community of Nepal since last 6 months. Project activities are accomplished with fullest possibility from SOCH and capacity of local community. Since it is also the humanist movement, SOCH is dedicated to carry on various activities that are significant to bring change in society, for e.g. controlling severe alcoholism, domestic violence, systematic cattle farming, etc.

Most of the project activities have been completed on time up to now. Now onwards rainy season is suitable for agricultural activities. This would also be suitable for the income generating activities- mostly vegetable plantation. Some activities are of regular nature- like education, health and sanitation awareness, cooperative/microfinance. These will continue for long-term basis and need.

Following is the summary description of the project activities:

1. Preliminary Exercise
SOCH Executive Committee (EC) visited the KamiGaun 3 times prior to the formal project commencement. Visits were intended to examine the degree of suitability and significance of humanist initiative in the village. EC had meetings with government officials at District Development Committee, Local Development Officer, Constituent Assembly Member, local teachers, and health center officials.

2. Household Survey
Village household survey of focused area has been carried-out on 3rd and 4th of October, 2008. This covers the family description, educational, economic, health, and professional aspects of the community. Survey team also came up with some local ground realities like- superstition, fatalistic mentality, pathetic health and sanitation facilities, and awareness; miserable economic condition, poor water availability and supply, deforestation, severe alcoholics and consequent domestic violence, school dropout trend, cast based discrimination, religious challenges like conversion, etc.

3. Project Lunched
SOCH organized a semi-formal project-lunching program in the community on 8 October 2008. EC members, Dalit leaders, cooperatives professionals, and sanitation expert were present in the program organized in the schoolroom. About 100 community people including teachers, political and social leaders were present at the function.

4. Request for Coordination with VDC and DDC
SOCH formally sent letters and met the authorities of Village Development Committee (VDC) and District Development Committee (DDC), Health Center, and Schools of respective area requesting for the agreement, cooperation, and coordination during project implementation between local authorities and SOCH Nepal.

5. SOCH Office at Local School
Janajagrity Primary- local community school’s Management Committee decided to provide a room to establish SOCH field office at the village. SOCH set up office there on second and third weeks of October 2008. Field Coordinator Mahesh Sigdel, as selected by SOCH EC, started his work in the community.

6. Sending Back Girls to School
After the household survey, SOCH realized that many girls are dropped-out from school, mostly after primary grades. This was because of lack of proper awareness, unable to afford uniform, fees, and books, and more importantly- to fulfill the labor need of family.

After the consultation with teachers, parents, and dropped out girls, SOCH managed to step them in to the classroom again. Four girls in grade five, eight girls in grade seven and one in grade nine went back to school from 18th of November 2008. They have been supported books, exam fees, and school uniform from SOCH as well as extra tuition facility before and after school time. Recently, all of them are upgraded in next class.

7. Non-formal/Formal Committee Formation
On 24th November, a community gathering was organized aiming at two targets- one, to convince people about the need and importance of health, sanitation and education in their life. Second was to form a loose committee of local people to cooperate with SOCH initiatives. This gathering formed a team of 14 people. Committee incorporated man and women, local social leader, teachers as well as caste differences from the community.

Later on at 15th of December, this committee took shape of formal one in Chairmanship of Mr. Kumar Biswakarma- local Dalit. On the date, this committee decided to start the micro-savings in village and declared Rs. 100 as membership fee and Rs 10 fixed minimum saving twice a month.

8. Local Assistant Appointed
SOCH, in consultation with local committee selected Deepak Biswakarma- a local untouchable youth, as an assistant to local community and SOCH project. Meanwhile, he is also supporting local primary school as a ‘teacher’ and taking at least 3 classes a day, since there are only 4 teachers for 6 classes in school.

9. Understanding ‘Transformation’
SOCH organized a Community gathering on 24th December. In the gathering, we focused on minor but neglected things like going to toilet, living out of alcoholism, sending children to school on regular and time basis, hard labor for economic opportunities, protecting water resources and dangers of waterless life, socially nurtured cultural malpractices like untouchables and gender discrimination etc. We focused on make to understand these things as the bases of bigger picture of socio-economic transformation.

10. VDC recognized SOCH as a Co-partner
The 1st January 2009, SOCH was invited to attend a meeting at VDC office that was called to form a local committee titled ‘Integrated Village Development Program’. This was to be the authorized body to allocate governmental budget in various needs and demands in the village. SOCH has been selected as one of the members of this committee as civil organization representative.

11. Review and Physical Planning Meeting
On 25th December local committee and SOCH sat on a meeting to discuss on 3 major topics. The 1st was review the sanitation and education improvement situation in community after conducting awareness meetings. These situations has found improved then ever before in the village. The 2nd was to review ongoing saving program and found improving. In addition, the 3rd was the physical planning decisions. Meeting decided to build 12 toilets with material support of SOCH, and labor and local material contribution from local people.

12. Mass Awareness Gathering
On 27th December, 2008 SOCH conducted Mass Awareness Gathering in the village. On the day, SOCH Cooperative President Shanti Gurung, Dalit leader Lalit pariyar, peace and youth activists Nilam Sharma, and SOCH EC facilitated four thematic group-sharing meetings. The topics were- ‘women and cooperative’, ‘girls and education’, ‘youths and social change’, and ‘alcoholism and socio-economic life’. This was aimed to interact with people and aware them in respective themes. About 150 community people participated in the gathering.

13. Cooperative Training
SOCH conducted training on ‘Cooperative Education and Management’ for a group of six local people including two women. Training was aimed at giving the theoretical knowledge of cooperative and practical book keeping skill to the participants. SOCH cooperative President Shanti Gurung and cooperatives entrepreneur Mr. Yagyaraj Dhungel were the trainers.

14. Toilet Building
There are 12 Toilets built in the village. Local community set the priority to select the households to build the toilets. Poorer and women led family got the facility this time. Now the toilets are in fully use.

15. Health Camp
SOCH successfully conducted a day health camp in the village and worked together with local to national level health institutions.

In camp, there were 2 were pediatrician, 6 Gynecologists, 5 General Physician, 3 were eye specialists, and 7 were nurses- 23 in total. Total 651 villagers consist of women, children, old age people, and man received the health check up and medicine facility.

Camp offered check up facility on the following categories and number of patients:

Gynecologists- 203 / Children- 165 / Eye- 151 / General physician- 132

After health camp, there were few serious cases needing urgent treatment, hence SOCH managed for eye operation for 7 people within the next week. We also supported cash fifteen thousand Nepalese Rupees to a heart patient and coordinated overall open-heart surgery treatment of local woman. About 15 Gynecological patients are invited to Kathmandu Model College for further treatment. SOCH is trying its best to support and facilitate this need.

16. Water Management
Water pipeline in local community was urgent. Women needed to go for hours to bring some water for daily use. SOCH and local community worked together to bring the water in community area and built three taps with in the households locality. Now, most of the surrounding villagers are benefited from the water supply system.

17. Agricultural Support
Income generating activities are started. Vegetable seeds- cucumber, been, tomato, etc are provided to about 90 household in equal amount. Seeds are already grown and now shifted to the grown field for production. Local people are now preparing to reach market to their production to get actual price of the production this session.

Field officer Mr. Mahesh Sigdel, local supporter Mr. Deepak Biswakarma and youth volunteer Mr. Sanjaya Khadka is mostly working in the field to run the activities smoothly. SOCH central office at Kathmandu is closely planning, implementing and evaluating the activities led by project coordinator. SOCH executive committee is also visiting the community time to time to take part as per the overall necessity of the project. Future activities will be carried out with same level of spirit and cooperation between the local people, institutions, SOCH EC and concerned parties.



Activities

1. SOCH Nepal has published a handbook on humanism (in Nepali language). It includes basic knowledge about humanism and other important philosophical write-ups.  SOCH is planning to publish the hand book on a yearly basis.
   
   
2. SOCH Nepal is publishing Bi-monthly “SOCH Bulletin” in Nepali and English bulletin quarterly. It was monthly before June, 2007.
   
   
3. SOCH is currently airing a fortnightly radio program from twelve FM radios stationed across Nepal. It is focused on promoting humanism in Nepal. The program is expected to contribute to eradicate dogmatism, paranormal practices and religious fundamentalism and promotes the culture of scientific and critical thinking, rationalism, courtesy in our society. According to data provided by FM stations, SOCH radio program enjoys an audience of around 7 million people per episode. 
   
   
4. Workshops and other awareness programs: SOCH Nepal organizes workshops every four months. Politicians and policy makers are the focal persons of these workshops. Such workshops were titled “Humanism and Current Crisis of Humanity in South Asia” and “Secularization of the country: Role of Youth, Politicians and Civil Society Leaders.” Workshop-secularism & New Constitution and Structural Dialog Program and humanist leadership development training.
   
   
5. SOCH has established an alliance of youth politicians of the seven mainstream political parties in Nepal. SOCH envisions a strong youth-centered nationwide  network in its bid to popularize humanist movement at the grassroots level of the society.
   
   
6. SOCH has its own network to fight against evil rituals, paranormal practices, superstitions, illusion, corruption, human right etc. It seeks to develop a far-reaching network to address these problems at all levels. Various right-based organizations and like-minded people are helping us being SOCH friends.
   
   
7. SOCH Youth has facilitated/attended the Social Youth Forum (SYF) 2006. SYF is the first humanist youth forum in Nepal. SYF announced the youth declaration 2006. SOCH Youth also presented a working paper on good governance and role of youth fighting corruption. Thousands of youths from different parts of Nepal actively participated in the program. About 70 youths from different district discussed on the working paper. SOCH Youth strongly contributed to prepare Youth Declaration 2006. Program was held in 30-31 December 2006.
   
   
8. SOCH Youth organizes monthly campus seminars, titled 'Humanism and Critical Thinking', on Humanist life stance and critical thinking. Till date SOCH has organized 31 seminars. These seminars are focused on practical education and vision of life stance for students which they cannot find in their curriculum. Main objective of the seminar is to inculcate critical thinking in young students and help them develop humanist approach. Students are encouraged to discuss about their thinking about life and society. They also discuss about scientific approach of life. Many youths influenced by SOCH campus seminar are interested to join SOCH youth to promote the humanistic life stance. SOCH has organized many campus seminars in remote part of country too. SOCH youth has established its network coordinator in two major part of Nepal - Morang and Jhapa districts.
   
   
9. The term 'Humanism' and 'Humanist Movement' is relatively new idea in Nepal. Thus, it is crucial that we make people aware of humanist movement and values. To this end, SOCH has undertaken fortnightly discussions amongst people from different walks of life i.e., scientists, journalists, professors, social workers and students. Discussions are held every first and third Fridays of a month.
   
   
10. SOCH has established “– Manavbadi Saving & Credit Cooperative Limited” for the sustainability of humanist movement in Nepal. Its services its members for the insurance, credit and deposit, health care, education facility and some humanitarian programs.
    
    
11. SOCH has completed a project titled “Initiating Nepal into Humanist Movement”