Ghunsa & Chyangsar: Establishing and strengthening local structures

The concept is being expanded:

After assessment talks and meetings in 2017, similar structures are now being set up in the village of Ghunsa. After the women of the two villages had already been able to network at the meeting in spring 2018, Roots for Life in cooperation with Chay-ya Austria designed a project which is now also supported by the provincial government of Vorarlberg.

During Carola Gosch's visit in December 2018, the content could be discussed with the women and the suitable property could be fixed. In January 2019 the land was bought and the project can start. It is planned to set up a model farm similar to the one in Chyangsar and above all to use synergies in training and food processing.

Initial situation:

After the 2015 earthquake, 30 women in Chyangsar (Solukumbu) decided to take their fate into their own hands. They organized themselves into a women's group and founded the Shree Sidhapuri Women development commety Kerung-1-Chyangsar. Together they implemented the "Village safe and loan system" (VSLS). Small loans guaranteed by the committee gradually enabled each woman to buy a bunch of chickens. Roots for Life supported the committee in the process.

Together with Roots for Life and its local partner Social Work Institute, this committee developed the idea of a training farm. In order to achieve this goal, the women took part in training courses and learned everything about management and operations management. With these competences, the women are able to establish themselves as cooperatives and to manage them. In 2017 the Sagarmatha Milijuli Sana Kishan Women Cooperative LTD was founded.

With the financial support of Roots for Life, land was bought, the construction of the farm buildings was organised and organic vegetables were grown on their own land. All this is the responsibility of the women's community.

If the women's group has a stable structure and strong structures are in place, the women can also effectively present themselves to contract partners and the government and receive aid money, for example.

Roots for Life is a supporting member of the projects of the Ghunsa and Chyangsar women’s community and is therefore also involved in decision-making. Roots for Life supports the projects of the cooperative, takes care of the financing and brings suitable partners on board.

For us, empowerment means supporting and strengthening local groups. Because before projects can be implemented sustainably in a village, strong supporting organisations are needed. In Ghunsa and Chyangsar, we try to form such organisations and establish strong structures.