News from the Field: "Inspire" - to enhance reconciliation and democracy building in Nepal

Nepal is currently in the midst of major social and political restructuring, having recently emerged out of more than ten years of conflict. The current situation is that of uncertainty as Nepal stands at a critical and historical juncture. While there is a considerable hope for sowing the seeds for a New Nepal, the current process of transition is quite challenging.

UNDEF provides its support to a two-year initiative implemented by Equal Access to strengthen democracy building principles and reconciliation in Nepal. This project entitled INSPIRE provides critical information on the peace process predicated on the belief that informed citizens form the vanguard of a strong democracy.

The INSPIRE project assists Nepalese communities in rebuilding their lives and their country through an innovative combination of radio programming entitled Naya Nepal - which means New Nepal - leadership training and direct community mobilization activities.

The Naya Nepal radio series highlight practical reconciliation solutions and success stories and gives voice to the needs and concerns of rural youth. Inspired by the characters in Naya Nepal’s serial drama, youth gain knowledge on human rights and on local and on national governance. The accompanying audio magazine section provides in-depth follow up on the issues raised by the drama and practical links to resources. Naya Nepal’s broadcasts improve citizen access to information and spread ideas for emulation to over nine hundreds listening clubs and a rural audience of over twelve million. Naya Nepal is broadcasted on 35 FM stations and Radio Nepal, the national broadcaster

Content production of the new episodes of the Naya Nepal has begun in September 2007. To support this content production a refresher training for fifteen community reporters covering a range of issues, including the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections, was conducted in July 2007.

The radio serial drama focuses on the central character Gauri, a school teacher who encourages women and young people to participate in the peace process and in the upcoming CA elections by discussing their importance. Audiences are introduced to how other communities worldwide struggled to overcome conflicts, such as the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. and the Dirty War in Argentina. The accompanying magazine section discusses stories of international and local peace and democracy activities in greater depth and provides links to available resources.

Importantly, this project includes the creation of a network of trained community reporters, who gather local success stories and record voices from the field. The first group of thirty youth leaders has been provided with an innovative training session. Each of them is currently undertaking the additional training session of thirty youth leaders bringing the number of beneficiaries to nine hundreds throughout Nepal. These training courses are supported by youth hub offices newly established in five key highway towns throughout Nepal. A further training will be conducted soon and the youth leaders will return to the field to continue a second round of training for their peers. Youth networks have arranged pre-Constituent Assembly Youth Parliaments in Bhairahawa from Rupandehi District, in Inaruwa from Sunsari District, in Gaindakot from Nawalparasi District, in Mahendranagar from Kanchanpur District and in Surkhet District located in the mid-west of the country. Ten selected youth parliamentarians - two from each of the five main zones - traveled to Katmandu and conducted a press meeting on September 23. The original plan was to present a memorandum to the Parliament, but as it is not currently in session, the youth submitted the memorandum to the Speaker of the House. Following the CA elections, UNDEF support will enable youth leadership trainings and networking activities to continue during the critical period of constitutional reforms.

Facilitator training sessions have been completed during August and September. Training sessions have been completed in Hetauda, Mahendranagar, Nepalgunj, and Ilam and in Dhankuta District. An estimated one hundred and sixty community facilitators have been trained. These facilitators along with the youth leaders, youth hub and listeners club network, will support the implementation of more than one hundred reconciliation activities commencing in September.

During the four-day long training session, youth trainees, mostly women, learned about facilitation skills, the ongoing peace process in Nepal, human rights, the upcoming CA election and the importance of their active participating in the CA election. Youth trainees gain a deeper understanding of issues covered in the Naya Nepal radio series and acquire the skills to create listening groups or community re-building activities in rural communities to facilitate group discussions around the radio series and effectively implement.

The role of women is critical to the success of this initiative. Most of Naya Nepal's community reporters are women, who record and send local success stories related to conflict and reconciliation to Equal Access for incorporation in the radio series.

According to these women, their reporting activities and facilitating skills have significantly enhanced after the training.

Ms. Anokha Rana Tharu of the Kailali District in far western Nepal shared her experience at the end of the training. She said that she is now better equipped with more information about the current peace process and upcoming CA elections and has now become a powerful facilitator in the listeners group in her community. Ms. Kumari Moktan of Churiyamai village of the Makawanpur District in central Nepal started a regular group discussion on peace process and CA elections in her village after she received the training. Ms. Sanu Maya Tamang, from eastern Nepal, used her new skills to help solve the problems in her village by first discussing them in the group and then bringing the disputing parties to a mutual agreement.

^ Back to top

Return to homepage