I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BACKGROUND

Nepal's devastating earthquake on 25 April 2015 and 12 May 2015 that killed more than 10,000 people and injured over 25,000 brought to light the plight of persons with disabilities during and after disasters. In the Nepal quake, tens of thousands of persons with disabilities lost their families and houses within the Kathmandu Valley alone. In all, more than 70,000 persons with disabilities in all 14 districts of Nepal have lost their family members, their homes and personal property. Seeing that persons with disabilities are usually neglected and are not the priority when it came to reconstruction and rehabilitation initiatives, disabled people's organizations began to think of ways to help this vulnerable group to recover especially in economic terms.

WORKSHOP

In June 2016, the Workshop on Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in Post-Disaster Nepal was conducted in collaboration with the Government of Nepal through the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare (MWCSW), the National Association of the Physical-Disabled (NAPD) Nepal, the National Rehabilitation Centre of the Disabled (NRCD) Nepal, the National Association of Hard of Hearing and Deafened Nepal (SHRUTI) and the Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD), the 'Workshop on Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in Post Disaster Nepal' was conducted in Kathmandu in June 2016. The Workshop was supported by Workability International (WIJ) Japan and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Nepal.

The Workshop, attended by more than 30 participants with various disabilities, was organized to empower persons with disabilities and build their capacity in post-disaster coordination with stakeholders based on community-based inclusive development approach.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

After the Workshop in June, each of the participating organization began project implementation, which lasted from July to October 2016.

NAPD-Nepal, a non-government, non-profit and non-political organization, is a member organization of the National Federation of the Disabled-Nepal (NFD-N), Women Security Pressure Group (WSPG) and Human Rights Treaty Monitoring Coordination Committee (HRTMCC). It has been actively carrying out activities geared towards the development of persons with disabilities since 1993. Among its activities are awareness-raising, advocacy, lobbying, networking, skills-based training, capacity building, research and other disability-related leadership development trainings.

NAPD-Nepal's project focused on the establishment of a three Self-Help Groups in Bhaktapur and Lalitpur consisting of five different types of persons with disabilities. After the orientation, NAPD helped beneficiaries in creating business plans and provided them seed money.

NRCD- Nepal, meanwhile, focused on goats distribution to persons with disabilities affected by the earthquake. Established in 1997, it has so far granted employment services to more than 15,000 persons with disabilities in Nepal. For the project, it provided 100 goats to the most earthquake affected region of Kathmandu and neighboring districts. It also provided counseling services to persons with disabilities and their families, as well as formed self-help groups in six places to help monitor and continue the program.

SHRUTI Nepal, on the other hand, aimed to encourage self-employment, self-sustainability and
self-help movements by conducting a skills development training to persons with hearing disabilities (i.e. hard of hearing, deafened and deaf). Four types of capacity building trainings and one cross-cutting training were organized: accessories training, handicraft training, cooking, and cross-cutting training that included marketing, entrepreneurship, hygiene and nutrition.

This report details the process and progress of each of the projects and their results in succeeding attachments.

II. PROJECT PARTNERS

Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare of Nepal

The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare is a government body of Nepal to empower women and children, especially those who are economically poor, socially discriminated or otherwise put at a disadvantage. Its implementing wing is the Department of Women and Children, which is also tasked with advancing child rights and mainstreaming gender concerns in decentralized planning and review.

National Association of the Physical-Disabled Nepal

The National Association of the Physical-Disabled (NAPD) Nepal is a non-governmental, non-profit making and non-political, self-motivated organization registered at the District Administration Office Kathmandu in 1997 under the Country Act, as well as affiliated with Social Welfare Council. It is a member organization of the National Federation of the Disabled-Nepal, Women Security Pressure Group and Human Rights Treaty Monitoring Coordination Committee. NAPD-Nepal stands for the comprehensive development of persons with disabilities in Nepal through the mobilization of existing resources and opportunities.

National Rehabilitation Centre of the Disabled Nepal

The National Rehabilitation Centre of the Disabled Nepal, a national level non-profit making, non-governmental and cross-disability self-help organization of persons with disabilities, was established in 1997 to help create sustainable livelihood and employment opportunities through various skills training, income-generating activities, independent living skills and job placement services to persons with disabilities throughout Nepal. It is registered with the Government of Nepal under the District Administration Office, Kathmandu and affiliated with the Social Welfare Council and the National Federation of the Disabled.

National Association of Hard of Hearing and Deafened Nepal

The National Association of Hard of Hearing and Deafened Nepal (SHRUTI) was formed by youth who are hard of hearing and deafened in Nepal with a common vision of creating an inclusive society without communication barriers and where the hard of hearing and deafened will be able to live a dignified life. It plays in active role in mainstreaming the hard of hearing and the deafened in order to ensure their equal participation in social, cultural, economic and civil life and influence policy. Among its objectives are early intervention activities to identify children who are hard of hearing, dissemination of information through the appropriate medium, increased public awareness, launch anti-discrimination campaigns, and to facilitate and promote available technology, assistive devices and services.

Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability

The Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD) is a regional center on disability and development. APCD was established in Bangkok, Thailand as a legacy of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, with the joint collaboration of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Royal Thai Government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Government of Japan.

APCD was endorsed by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) as a regional cooperative base for its Biwako Millennium Framework for an inclusive society in the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012. ESCAP identified APCD as the regional center on disability for the Incheon Strategy to Make the Right Real, 2013-2022.

Workability International Japan

Workability International Japan is a member of Workability International, established in 1987 and is the largest provider of employment opportunities and jobs for persons with disabilities. The WI currently has 131 member organizations, providing 3.8 million jobs to persons with disabilities in 42 countries. WI Japan is also a part of the regional subgroup - Workability Asia - which hopes to improve employment services for persons with disabilities through regional networking and collaboration.

Japan International Cooperation Agency - Nepal

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is the primary Japanese government agency responsible for technical cooperation component of Japan's bilateral ODA (Japan's Official Development Assistance) program. It aims to contribute to the promotion of international cooperation as well as the sound development of Japanese and global economy by supporting the socioeconomic development, recovery or economic stability of developing regions. In Nepal, JICA provides assistance to construct roads, hydropower plants, water facilities and other infrastructure, develop the private sector, and supports the reduction of poverty in rural areas through such areas as agriculture, education and health services, among others.

III. APPENDICES

A. Report from NAPD

B. Report from NRCD

C. Report from SHRUTI

*To get copies of each report, please contact the following:

NAPD

http://www.napdnepal.org.np/

Email: napdnepal@gmail.com/info@napdnepal.org.np

NRCD

http://www.nrcdnepal.org/

Email: nrcd@ntc.net.np

SHRUTI

http://www.ap-fhd.net/SHRUTI/index.htm

Email: shrutihoh@gmail.com

Back Cover

Accessible for Persons with disAbilities

Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability

255 Rajvithi Rd., Rajthevi, Bangkok 10400 Thailand

Tel: +66-(0)-2354-7505 | Fax: +66-(0)-2354-7507

Email: info@apcdfoundation.org | Website: www.apcdfoundation.org

Logos:

Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability

National Association of the Physical-Disabled Nepal

National Rehabilitation Centre of the Disabled Nepal

National Association of Hard of Hearing and Deafened Nepal