LGCDP success story

Sharmila Thapa Magar

Dhading, Nepal, 6 Jan 2012- It is a Citizen Awareness Centre (CAC) which is located to Sankosh VDC ward no-1 at Pachghare in Dhading District. It is about an hour far from Dhading Besi. This Citizen Awareness Centre is formed in Chaitra 2067 B.S by Local Governance and Community Development Program which is implemented by Prayas Nepal partnership with District Development Committee (DDC). Initially there are 22 members in the CAC group. The major aim to form Citizen Awareness Centre is to empower community people for active engagement with local governments and strengthening downward accountability and capacity development to claim their rights.  

Previously Pachghare people were not interested about any kind of development issues. They used to spend their time only for their own family. Due to the lack of awareness they never involved in the any village level planning. They did not have any idea what to do and where to go for claiming their rights. Underprivileged groups do not have the idea or the information about the facilities they can get through the government and non-government sector. This made their life even more deprived in terms of education, health, awareness. Their life style was going as usual.

While Citizen Awareness Centre established in this village then focusing to community people one reflect class has been started. A reflect class was conducted in a week. Reflect class started to empower and develop capacity of community people about their engagement in the ward level, VDC level planning, need identification, direct involvement in the planning implementation and claiming their rights from local authority.  

Now they are empowered and united. They can raise their voice for their rights. "We did not have any idea what we community people can do?. What our roles in the community development. But we knew many things from reflect class. Now we understood all about planning process, implementing process and monitoring process. And we are clear what is our role in all stages." said Krishna Adhikari (CAC coordinator)

All the community people who joined the reflect class can express their feelings and can speak without hesitation. Otherwise before the class they could not introduce themselves properly. "Due to the lack of knowledge we were unable to talk with political leaders previously, but now we know everything about our village and development process. So we can talk to them. It is all due to reflect class. Thank you so much Prayas Nepal. Hoping for continuity of the class." added all the CAC members.