Nepal Sabal FY16 Q1 Report

The program is implemented in 11 districts of central and eastern Nepal, in partnership with several organizations, including Helen Keller International, CARE Nepal, and Action Against Hunger. The program's goal is to achieve three overarching purposes: 1) increase stable income of communities and households, especially for vulnerable females and males, 2) improve health and nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women, under five children and their families, and 3) strengthen the ability of households and communities to mitigate, adapt to and recover from shocks and stresses. The program's development hypothesis is based on the collective experiences of consortium partners addressing deeply rooted factors affecting food security, nutrition, and risk management outcomes in Nepal. The Sabal theory of change envisions innovation at three levels: absorptive, adaptive, and transformational. Absorptive innovations include changes in investment, economic practices, and/or public policies that reduce the exposure of households and communities to impacts from natural and unforeseen hazards, and enhance households' abilities to cope with these shocks. Adaptive innovations help to adjust major trends such as climate change or the expansion of markets into rural areas. Transformational change entails implementation of innovations as drivers of lasting, measurable, and upwardly-scalable improvement in people's lives. The program's first year was marked by the earthquakes on 25 April and 12 May 2015, and the following aftershocks. Although still in the recovery stage, civil disruptions and the resulting fuel blockade along Nepal's border with India have posed further detrimental impacts on program implementation. The absence of baseline survey results continues to impede the ability of the Sabal implementing partners to have a comprehensive understanding of the behaviors and characteristics of its beneficiary population in the 11 districts. In spite of the constraints, Village Development Committee (VDC) selection took place in the five districts added post-earthquakes. All VDCs were selected for the livelihood program, using criteria developed based on those utilized by other USAID projects, including SUAAHARA. The criteria focused on the density of poor and vulnerable populations, relative illiteracy rates, level of exposure to risk (natural disasters), and geographic remoteness from road-heads, services, and value chain linkages. Sabal refined its VDC selection guidelines and criteria for the 5 new districts in collaboration with the SC country office, and with the district development committees (DDCs). The NGO selection process in expansion districts was initiated during this reporting period. Sabal updated the guidelines based on its experience with PNGO selection in the six initial districts and got approval from district level stakeholders for the revised guidelines. Based on the guidelines, Sabal organized orientations for the potential partner NGOs on the program and the NGO selection process. The program particularly engaged the Local Development Officers (LDOs) and District Agriculture Development Officers (DADOs), along with representatives of major political parties operating in the districts, government line agencies, and other civil society organizations. The program's implementation is ongoing, with a focus on increasing stable income of communities and households, improving health and nutritional status, and strengthening the ability of households and communities to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses. The program's progress is being monitored, evaluated, and reported on a regular basis to ensure that it is meeting its objectives and making a positive impact on the lives of the target population.