Back <

Introduction:

In response to a request from the Government of Nepal to provide technical assistance (TA) for preparing a women's empowerment project, a TA for empowerment of women is included in the Asian Development Bank's (ADB's) 2002 Country Program for Nepal. The Fact-Finding Mission which visited Nepal on 11-22 February 2002, was based in Kathmandu and visited projects in Chitwan and Nawalparasi districts. Meetings were held with concerned officials from the Ministry of Finance; the National Planning Commission; the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare (MWCSW); the Department of Women's Development (DWD); nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); and aid agencies. The Mission confirmed the need for the TA and reached an understanding with the Government on the scope, cost, financing, implementation arrangements, and the terms of reference for the consulting team.

In December 2002, the Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) was awarded the contract for the project preparatory technical assistance (PPTA) by ADB (T.A. No. 3872-NEP), based on a successful proposal and competitive bid under the ADB QCBS bidding system. The term of the PPTA was six months, January 13 – July 15, 2003.

Scope and Objectives of the PPTA

The PPTA would explore and address feasible modalities to empower women by elevating their socio-economic status. Its main output will be the identification and design of a project that takes an integrated approach to economically empowering Nepalese poor women. The proposed project will build primarily on completed and ongoing ADB activities, among others. Because a broad, multi-sectoral approach to women's empowerment is clearly required, the project will (i) design and implement a baseline survey that will gather data on poverty and gender inequality in selected districts of Nepal, (ii) examine the likely impact of small-scale time- saving community infrastructure on women and men, (iii) survey existing micro finance institutions (MFIs) to determine those best suited to delivering micro credit to poor women, (iv) identify key legal issues, and (v) design a core legal literacy curriculum that responds to the needs of poor women. The focus of ADB assistance will be on the poorest women, particularly those from the most disadvantaged groups. The PPTA will assess women's needs and develop a feasible and comprehensive package of specific interventions to improve the socio-economic status of rural women in Nepal.