CANADA NEPAL GENDER IN ORGANIZATIONS

Section II: NGO Capacity building for gender equality

6. District Selection

CNGO set out to improve the situation of women in Nepal by building the capacity for gender-responsive development. The main focus was on strengthening NGOs, but it was also important that NGOs develop links with district governments who play a significant role in planning and implementing development initiatives. Therefore, the project first chose the districts in which to work, and then identified NGO partners from those districts. Criteria were established to choose the districts, and visits were made to the short-listed districts to meet stakeholders.

Research at the beginning of the project showed that the capacity to address gender issues in planning, programming, and organizational development was strongest around Kathmandu. Therefore, the project decided to focus on building capacity in more rural or remote districts. The district selection process considered the needs in the district, accessibility for project staff, and the number of potential NGO partners in the area.

The six districts chosen are among the poorest and least developed districts that are accessible by road. These districts are also among the one-third in which gender inequality is most extreme. To facilitate shared learning and synergy, as well as effi¬cient use of project resources, districts were selected in two clusters: One cluster is in the central terai (Mahottari, Bara and Sarlahi) and one is in the far and mid west regions (Doti, Dadeldhura and Surkhet).

Mid-way in the project, a seventh district, Kaski, was selected. Criteria were revised to reflect the deteriorating security situation as well as the reduced amount of time remaining in the project to complete the capacity building cycle.

“District Selection Report”: Available from CNGO