SAHARA Group, Nepal

About Us

Meaningful participation of rural people in development activities constitutes an important pre-requisite for accomplishing our overriding objectives of poverty alleviation. More than 80% of the total population of Nepal lives in rural areas. The rural population is deprived of economic, educational and other opportunities. The result is ever widening gap between rural and urban communities in terms of socio-economic status. In view of this gap, it has become imperative to create social awareness amongst rural people and implement programmes that could uplift their socio-economic standards. Less articulate and disadvantaged section of the society, including the disabled, senior citizens, women and Dalits need to be the ideal target groups of such programmes.

Amidst the pile of socio-economic problems, the insurgency activities generated and hit the Nepalese society seriously and crippled the overall socio-economic activities in the country. It is felt that Government agencies alone cannot do this. They need to be complemented by community efforts. The SAHARA Group, a non-governmental, non-profit organization, is all towards this direction.

SAHARA Group was established in September 1997 with the primary objective of achieving concrete results in the campaign against rural poverty in terms of both incomes and human capabilities. SAHARA is committed to the promotion and protection of child rights, women empowerment under governance and create total awareness on HIV/AIDS to address the national development goal particularly through mainstreaming the rural poor destitute, women and children.

SAHARA has its central office in Baluwatar Kathmandu and branch offices are in Syangja, Pokhara and Nepalgunj.

THE VISION

Fully developed social harmony based on equal opportunity for all Nepalese people irrespective of class, caste, gender and age.

THE MISSION

To empower underprivileged communities with their active participation based on professional facilitation through social, political, and economic measures tailored to their specific needs.

THE ACTIVITIES

1.	Promoting awareness;
2.	Service delivery;
3.	Economic promotion;
4.	Information dissemination;
5.	Carry out research and publish findings;
6.	Rehabilitation/Reintegration;
7.	Conduct workshops, seminars and symposia;
8.	Organize focus group discussions on thematic issues etc.

THE STRATEGIES

•	Mobilization of social capital (social values and norms, institutions, associations, networks)
•	Use of local resources based on the ‘subsidiary principle’ (human, financial, physical)
•	Soliciting the stakeholders’ participation - instrumental, representative, transformative
•	Mobilization of external support for capacity enhancement measures- skills, attitudes, behaviors
•	Working together with other like-minded groups (collaboration, cooperation)
•	Involvement in advocacy functions - public policy, legal regime, regeneration of socio-cultural values
•	Promotion of sustainable development - natural environment, consumption pattern, poverty link

THE OBJECTIVES

•	To run programs among parents, teachers and children from schooling point of view.
•	To run follow-up programs and observe the result.
•	To raise a good understanding among the parents/guardians about the importance of the schooling of their children.
•	To increase guardians participation in promoting the standard of schools for better education.
•	To encourage and enable the children from Badi, Tharu and such other under developed communities to start schooling by providing Scholarship and Educational Materials.

THE TARGET GROUP

CHILDREN
	Children at risk
	Destitute
	Orphan
	Street
	Conflict affected
	Rural marginal
	Affected by HIV/AIDS
YOUNG GIRLS AND WOMEN
	Trafficking affected or trafficking prone girls and women
	Women living with HIV/AIDS
	Women sufferer by domestic violence and conflict
HELPLESS AND SENIOR CITIZENS
DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES
•	Dalits and other disadvantaged communities in rural areas

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