Impact Fund projects in Nepal
The Impact Fund focuses on supporting our partners by providing small grants for projects across a range of thematic priority areas. These include gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI), climate action, organisational strengthening, and volunteer assignment support. Explore successful grant applications and projects from Nepal below.
GEDSI (2023)
Combatting gender inequalities for women and girls with disabilities
The Center for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities (CIL) is a non-profit, non-political, self-help organisation run by and for people living with disabilities.
This project aims to empower youth with disabilities – particularly young women and girls living with disabilities – by providing them with knowledge and skills to tackle gender-based violence.
In Nepal, societal norms and values often lead to gender inequalities, which result in various forms of violence against women, girls, and LGBTQIA+ people. Women living with disabilities face even greater obstacles in accessing justice: 67% of women living with disabilities experience violence, but only 16% of cases are reported.
With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:
- provide training to 75 young people with disabilities on gender-based violence, legal provisions and the justice system and strategies to combat violence; and
- produce and disseminate communication materials on how to prevent violence against women, particularly women living with disabilities.
Climate Action (2022)
Economic use of Invasive Plant Species for Combating Climatic Shocks: A study from Kathmandu Valley
The Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, is the first and only institute in Nepal fully committed to education and training in Forestry and Natural Resource Management.
Climate change is one of the main drivers of invasive plant species in Nepal, where one or more plant species are colonising annually. Excessive biomass accumulation in the forests cause biodiversity losses, fuel forest fires and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
This project will assess the extent of the invasive species due to climate change and promote the economic use of invasive species for local women entrepreneurs.
With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:
- conduct an in-depth review of the economic use of invasive species, identify potential areas for their economic use and publish findings in a peer-reviewed article;
- conduct a survey on the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in Kathmandu Valley; and
- organise workshops with the women entrepreneurs and other stakeholders regarding the findings of the review, to benefit 400 people.
Climate Action with Project and Activity Based Learning (CAPABLe)
Kathmandu University School of Education is one of the seven schools of Kathmandu University. It was established in 1997 with the aim of contributing to enhancing the quality of education in the country.
In Nepal, the consequences of climate change are significant, but the education system is not preparing students with the knowledge and skills to both understand and address this challenge.
This project aims to develop the skills and confidence of secondary school teachers to lead students to take action to address the climate crisis.
With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:
- deliver a workshop for 18 school leaders from four under-resourced public schools on project-based learning to combat climate change;
- deliver teacher training to 20 teachers, on integrating climate change into science, environment, population, health and social studies; and
- provide mentoring support onsite to teachers and students.
GEDSI (2022)
Center for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities (GEDSI)
Disability inclusion orientation for newly elected local governments The Center for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities will educate newly elected local governments in Nepal about the rights and needs of people living with disability.
In Nepal, local governments are responsible for managing issues relating to people living with disability. Educating government agencies has been an important step in preventing the marginalisation or exclusion of people living with disabilities in Nepal.
Local elections in May 2022 led to new local government leaders who would benefit from guidance on issues relating to disability and a greater understanding of their roles and responsibilities in managing them.
With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:
- conduct a one-day workshop in each of the seven provinces of Nepal to promote the value of inclusive, accessible and disability-friendly mechanisms and structures in government policies and programs. The workshops will include mayors, deputy mayors, chiefs of the wards, as well as civil society members, disability rights activists and people living with disabilities.
- produce and distribute training booklets about the roles of local government agencies in responding to disability issues.
Climate Action (2021)
Strengthening the capacity of Indigenous women and young people on nature based solutions in Nepal
Program partner of the Ministry of Forests and Environment of the Government of Nepal and the Australian Volunteers Program: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), will enhance the community resilience of indigenous women and young people in Nepal. Participants will learn to apply nature-based solutions that address climate change impacts. It will help women and young people to build on existing traditional practices that can benefit from nature-based solutions.
Over 70% of Nepalese people depend on land-based ecosystem services for their livelihoods but have limited capacity and knowledge to cope with climate-related disasters. Climate change impacts are projected to increase and communities who depend on natural resources are the most vulnerable. The concept of nature-based solutions provides a promising approach to addressing climate change impacts but is not well understood in Nepal. Indigenous women and young people are well versed in traditional knowledge and practices, but they lack the skills and resources to apply nature-based solutions.
With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:
- identify networks of indigenous women and young people who represent resource custodians and local indigenous communities of Nepal
- assess their capacity to apply nature-based solutions in natural resource management projects
- form a voluntary task group to champion nature-based solutions within their networks and with partner organisations
- train participants in nature-based solutions, ecosystem-based adaptation and ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction
- organise educational visits to projects that demonstrate nature-based solutions, ecosystem-based adaptation and ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction practices.
This project will strengthen the capacity of Indigenous women and young people to promote nature-based solutions in their work. It will be designed in collaboration with partner organisations that represent indigenous women and young people.
