Opportunities for creating program synergy by focusing on women : recommendations for USAID/Nepal

This study presents nine recommendations for increasing synergy among these SOs by focusing on women. Each recommendation is accompanied by immediate, medium-, and long-term actions for its achievement. (1) There should be more information sharing between partners involved in each of the SOs. The meetings that have increased cooperation and reduced competition between SO3 partners should serve as models for the other SOs and be expanded to join partners across the SOs. Also, the SO3 database should be modeled by SOs 1 and 2 and expanded to link all three. (2) The new synergy committee, designed to create horizontal linkages across SOs, particularly at the Intermediate Result (IR) and IR indicator levels, should be further institutionalized. (3) The SO3 program already aims to focus its activities in core geographic areas; the programs of SO1 and SO2 should concentrate their activities in these same areas in order to promote synergy. (4) All three SOs should attempt to secure greater access to the Mission"s extensive information base on gender roles and relations. (5) SO3"s literacy effort has made a critical contribution to women"s empowerment; however, it can no longer serve as a general service provider for the other SOs. USAID/N should continue to support the SO3 literacy program but seek alternative ways to accommodate the basic literacy and post-literacy needs of the Mission as a whole. (6) Besides literacy, use other entry points, such as credit, income generation, family planning, HIV/AIDS, legal rights training, or advocacy to meet and synergize the goals of the three SOs. (7) Women"s groups provide a powerful resource for synergy and empowerment; their use should be extended across the SOs. (8) Alter contractual, fiscal, and management structures to promote Mission synergy. (9) USAID/N should request the TA it needs to achieve these goals and share its experiences with other Missions; USAID/N"s SO3 is the only agency SO focused on women"s empowerment.