We are a multilateral project between the government of Nepal, the European Union, and the government of Finland - a continuation of the three-decade long non-stop water sector collaboration between Nepal, and Finland. The project works in rural water resources management and livelihoods development sectors, aligned with the government. The project has run in the villages of Sudurpaschim and Karnali Provinces of Nepal since 2006. The current project Phase III started in March 2016, and will end in 2022.

 

Our mission is to work with local people and Municipalities for achieving 100% access to safe drinking water supply and basic sanitation in the project area. Thus far, the project has served around 600 000 water supply beneficiaries (2019). The project has had an important role in the Open Defecation Free (ODF) movement that has resulted in declaring the whole project area ODF in 2018. Now, the focus has shifted to the next level - Total Sanitation movement.

 

We work for improving the nutrition and rural livelihoods of the local people by providing home gardens for hundreds of thousands, and income generation assistance for several thousands of local people. We support dozens of local cooperatives for improving the livelihoods opportunities and ever more sustainable water resources management. 

 

The project provides renewable energy for the people living in the poorest areas of Nepal, with a focus on serving a hundred thousand more people with micro hydropower, and dozens of thousands of Improved Cooking Stoves, and Improved Water Mills.The project also supports plantations and water source protection. These activities link the project to climate change adaptation and environmental disaster risk reduction.

 

We support the rural municipalities of the project area to govern their water resources, and to implement livelihoods in a systematic way, for instance by developing Municipality Water Use Master Plans and Livelihoods Implementation Plans with the representatives, by supporting in their policy formulation, and by providing various various trainings to the personnel.

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By the end of the project, nearly one million more people will have domestic water supply, basic household sanitation facilities, and home gardens. We will assist hundreds of thousands of people to develop sustainable livelihoods and to benefit from renewable energy.

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Gender equity and social inclusion (GESI), local ownership, transparency, and accountability are the core values of the project, integrated to all project modalities, activities, and implementation efforts. There is a proportionately balanced participation of women and the ethnic groups in the project activities and in the key positions of the water users' institutions. The project has a Human Rights Based Approach and GESI Strategy.