Rs. 800m assistance for CSP: DFID
The UK Department for International Development (DFID) committed today NRs. 800 million (£6.5 million) to be spent over the next two years for the second phase of the Community Support Programme (CSP).
The funds go to an international NGO, Care Nepal and a national NGO, Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN), to implement the programme.
Making the announcement, Head of DFID Nepal Sarah Sanyahumbi said: “We are pleased to announce new support of £6.5 million to Nepal through Care Nepal and RRN to implement the second phase of the Community Support Programme. CSP has had a positive impact on poverty reduction, providing nearly 800,000 poor and excluded people with access to basic services over the last seven years.”
The logic for us to go to a second phase of CSP is that with an uncertain political environment, and with Local Governance and Community Development Programme taking longer to get off the ground than expected, DFID Nepal needs to continue to deliver essential services to remote and deprived areas. We expect, with time, that LGCDP will take over this important task,”Sanyahumbi added.
Secretary at the Ministry of Local Development Shyam Prasad Mainali said: “The Ministry of Local Development recognises the effectiveness and success of CSP in providing service delivery in remote districts of Nepal. We are confident that with the extension of CSP, the people of remote districts will be able to receive basic services as per their needs.”
He said, “It will also help prepare the ground for the multi-donor funded Local Governance and Community Development Programme to take-over small scale development projects at the community level and will also help local bodies better understand the use of public auditing and public hearings to ensure accountability to poor communities.”
The second phase of the programme aims to provide 29,000 households with clean drinking water and sanitation facilities, and construct 1,500 community buildings, including schools.
Similarly, it will provide employment opportunities through income generating activities to 3,000 households, including for women and Dalits and vocational training to 2,000 poor and excluded youths in rural areas.
