• Some specialized training and skill development packages have been designed and delivered by CEAMP/PSU in the reporting period (April 2005- March 2007) covering a total of 82 days reaching 240 women and 643 men participants. The training was focused on the need of community level partners (CBOs, NGOs, PSOs and others) to improve their organizational performance and networks.

• A total of 899 VDC level training, strengthening and awareness activities/campaigns focusing on community environmental strengthening have been designed and delivered up to the end of March 2007. These activities directly benefited 90,017 women and 84,892 men. The VDC level partners' interests have increased and organizational performance has improved during the period. All these activities are linked to the specific ELIs (1,620 Nos.) and are implemented in the concerned community.

Traning & Environmental Awareness Sectoral Contribution of CEAMP (%)

• These VDC training and awareness activities were designed and delivered to address the local needs based on demand-led requests from communities and the districts and are combined with the activities WBS 140, 220, 240 and 250. The training participants replicate their knowledge and learning gained to their communities, thus the effects of training has been multiplied.

• Village Rural Environmental Systems Appraisal (VIRESA) followed by Village Environmental Development Planning (VEDP) process significantly changed the conceptual understanding and the orientation of district level officials thus enhanced the environmental planning capacity of those who were heavily involved in the VIRESA/VEDP process (Local Development Officer, DDC’s Programme Officers, Planning Officer, Planners and Development Officials of Line Agencies). They will be supporting the implementation of VEDP in the coming year by providing their committed financial as well as human resources.

• CEAMP’s successful approaches and practices (like appreciation of local community’s knowledge, high level trust to the local communities, devolution of environmental functions associated with capacity enhancement, adoption of true participatory approach, addressing environmental needs in a holistic manner, demand-led project activities, etc.) are self-evidenced and these highly impressed the VDC and DDC level Nepalese stakeholders.

(see photo gallery)

Increased level of local resource mobilization

• CEAMP's seed fund providing for ELIs through VEDF (until the end of March 2007), which amounts NRs. 23.391 Million NRs. (Equivalent to CAD – 389,852) mobilized a total capital of NRs. 63.703 Million (CAD – 1,061,733) from Local Communities (61.24 %), VDCs (7.14%), Line Agencies (0.15%), DDCs (5.09%) and other stakeholders (3.89%) through VEDF. Thus CEAMP's contribution constitutes 22.49% of the total amount invested in the communities.
• CEAMP secured the following total amount from different stakeholders as a part of their contribution to implement VEDP (ELIs and Training).

• Communities through its VEDF Management Team decide, implement and manage environmental local initiatives (ELIs), training and environmental awareness activities with high level of ownership.

• A monitoring and evaluation system relying on devolution of that responsibility to the communities has been carried out supported by popular audits called social audit. It also includes crosschecking mechanisms done through traditional VDC level government audits and CEAMP’s own random audit/sample systems supported by adequate financial records, administrative files and double authorizations procedure. The Project Book provides information to stakeholders at the community level as a basic ground for social audit.

• A total of 1,620 ELI proposals/projects have been approved (cumulated until the end of March 2007) and all of them are being implemented. These activities have directly benefited 406,146 women and 403,627 men. The status of cumulative ELIs and their major categories are given below.

(See photo gallery of ELIs)

• Vertical and horizontal networking among DDC and VDC level partners and stakeholders is evidenced, amongst others, by more than 76 training, orientation, meetings and workshops in which 3,835 officials from DDC and VDC level participated without counting on-the-job training associated with village environmental development plan (VEDP).

• Networking among DDC level partners and stakeholders further enhanced amongst others by a number of meetings and workshops in which more than 600 officials participated from community, village, sub-district and district levels.

• Women represent 67% of Village Environmental Facilitators (VEFs) selected by CEAMP and 50% of Village Environmental Development Fund (VEDF) team members selected by VDC level communities.

• Women's participation in meetings and discussions is 40%.

• Women's representation in the executive body of CBOs is 43% on average. Women CBOs working with CEAMP comprise 20% of the total for ELIs and 32% for training and awareness activities. In the four CEAMP districts (Palpa, Nawalparasi, Kavre and Sindhupalchok), the trend of increased participation of women is more than 32%.

• Dalits and Janajatis (minority groups) constitute more than 67% of total beneficiaries in Palpa, Kavrepalanchok Sindhupalchok and Nawalparasi districts.

• Women beneficiaries of training activities and ELIs implemented by CEAMP comprise respectively 56% and 51% of the total.

• Key officials working at district and village levels are trained extensively in gender concepts; gender focused policy, planning, and implementation in environmental programming together with village level partners. It strengthened their conceptual understanding and capacity.

• The number of women participating in the meeting, training and VEDP process has been very important during year four of project implementation (more than 90,017 women participated in training and other strengthening activities where as the number of men participants was 84,892). The participation was not symbolic but they very actively took part most of the time. This could be the result of CEAMP's persistent message on gender accompanied by genuine women empowerment through selecting 67% of them as VEFs and 50% of them as VEDF managing team members.