Rural Literacy and Self Reliance Program (RLSRP) - Nepal

Currently, there are over 1700 poor women involved in programme activities, with over 15 member-owned savings and credit cooperatives operating. Participants were selected through a participatory survey of their financial situation that included use of a poverty assessment tool and door-to-door visits by COPPADES staff. This strategy was designed to ensure wide participation in the decision of who the actual beneficiaries of the programme should be in the community. To that end, a community advisory committee including village leaders, teachers, and social workers was convened to determine the poverty ranking of the applicants.

A starting point of the programme involves providing small enterprise grants intended to enable participants to start small businesses, such as a vegetable shop. The strategy here has an economic development dimension, but also reflects an approach to strengthening the identity of women who live in what organisers describe as highly prejudiced Nepali rural communities. To further support this goal, women entrepreneurs organise themselves into savings and credit cooperatives that are mean to provide them with the skills and confidence needed to challenge threats to their personal integrity as working women - in other words, to empower them against discriminatory attacks and any acts of violence (domestic or otherwise). Women in these groups hold regular monthly meetings to collect savings, share information, and disburse loans. When pursuing any accounting or loan programmes, the groups work to involve the entire community in an effort to help maintain transparency among group members. The women participating hauled the rocks needed to build the community house where these meetings are held.

These groups also act as literacy and awareness-building groups that focus on community priorities in areas such as health, sanitation, environment, and the rights of children and women. Since the organisations include people of similar economic and social position, the organisers think, participants will feel more confident about developing perspectives on issues, taking part in discussions, and undertaking various social development activities within their communities.

Women, Rural Development, Economic Development, Literacy.

Organisers say that shortage of available land and the exploitative nature of rural money lending practices contribute to the fact that the rural Nepali poor - especially women - are stuck in a cycle of poverty. State initiatives, they say, tend to serve mostly those who can approach national banks and complete the paperwork required. The enterprise grant provided by this programme is intended to address the needs of illiterate people who cannot complete such a process, as well as poor people who do not have the means to submit the high interest rate imposed by local moneylenders and free labour requirement associated with the loan.