Rural Enterprises and Remittances Project (RERP) organized a two-day Intra-IFAD GESI Thematic Workshop on 22-23 August,2017 in Sahayatri Hall, Manbhawan. Gender and Social Inclusion Experts and the associated team members from Adaptation for Smallholders in Hilly Areas (ASHA), Improved Seeds for Farmers Programme (ISFP), High-Value Agriculture Project (HVAP), and Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) participated in the workshop where, the participants presented their project‘s GESI implementation approaches, learning and way forward. RERP presented the draft GESI strategy/guideline document and the experiences from the pilot project in Sitapur, Dhanusa and Bishnupur, Saptari. RERP received feedbacks from the participants which will help in finalizing the document.
The other discussion agenda of the workshop was on Self Evaluation Tool for the capacity assessment of Cooperatives and District Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) used by HVAP which can be useful tool for every other project. Similarly, the participant from HVAP and ASHA who attended Gender Action Learning System (GALS) training briefed on different tools of GALS which is very effective while working with illiterate beneficiaries. However, the team requires further training on the tools of GALS to be used by the project. GESI Thematic Team Leader, Ms. Renu Rai orient the participants on IFAD gender format with a purpose to update the GESI coverage by IFAD projects.
The workshop was closed by making two major agreements among the participants:
1. The manuals, guidelines and other knowledge products prepared by a project will be made available to all other projects for learning.
2. There will be article from Nepal in each issue of Gender Newsletter which will be on rotation basis among the GESI experts.
3. The national GESI coverage format will be updated regularly and send to IFAD Nepal office.
4. The GESI Experts will meet regularly on trimester basis which will be hosted by each project on rotation basis. The next meeting will be on December and will be hosted by ASHA project.
