BUILDING HOPE ALONG THE KARNALI RIVER BASIN Q1 FY24 Report

The program, implemented by Mercy Corps, received funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and aimed to increase household level food access and availability, availability of reliable water resources, and reduce the impacts of natural disasters. During the first quarter of FY24, the program focused on program closure and handover to local stakeholders. No field-level program implementation occurred during the reporting period, and data collection for the comprehensive Final Program Evaluation was completed in September. The analysis of the evaluation findings is summarized in the final report. In response to the 6.4 Richter scale magnitude earthquake that struck Karnali Province in November 2023, the BHAKARI program handed over its remaining non-food relief items (NFRI) kits to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law of Karnali Province to support earthquake-affected households. The NFRI items handed over and distributed by the local government in Jajarkot included 49 tents, 120 tarpaulins, 11 blanket sets, and 66 NFRI kits that reached 66 households. The program team conducted a document handover meeting with BHAKARI's Project Advisory Committee (PAC) on December 29, 2023, to handover key BHAKARI schemes documents, reinforce government ownership and sustainability, and celebrate program accomplishments. The ICAAP manuals, capacity assessment on Disaster Risk Governance for each of the Palikas, guidelines on cash and voucher assistance (CVA), and more were shared with the committee in this meeting. The BHAKARI program implemented various activities to achieve its objectives, including Cash Transfers & Emergency Response, Essential Complementary Activities, and Purpose 1: Increased household level food access and availability. The program distributed agricultural inputs to 3,500 households, conducted food and nutrition demonstrations, and trained 28,770 farmers in total over the life of the award. The program also focused on increasing availability of reliable water resources, with 193 water projects completed across 132 communities, reaching 23,411 individuals from 4,279 households. The program also formed and trained 131 Water User Groups (WUGs) and strengthened government coordination. The BHAKARI program's closing ceremony took place on December 15, 2023, in Kathmandu, attended by 163 individuals, including government delegates, program participants, and development organization representatives. The ceremony showcased the program's impact and achievements, and provided an opportunity for participants to share their stories after participating in the BHAKARI program's interventions. The program's handover to the local government and stakeholders was also a significant milestone, with the program team passing on relevant resource materials to the USAID Karnali Water Activity (KWA) program and updating the Chief of Parties (COP) on BHAKARI's interventions in common working areas.