The geographic focus of our work is with over 1,000 households in 60 communities and across 4 local government municipalities in the Sunsari district. Individuals within these communities were primarily the participants in the earliest Ujyalo Bhabiysa programmes, and the members of the agricultural Cooperative that we support come from these 60 communities.
Our most recent programmatic initiative, the Livelihoods programme, is open to members from these communities who are also Cooperative members.
Building sustainable livelihoods in Nepal
Development Nepal has facilitated community-led work in the Sunsari district of Nepal for nearly 25 years. Driven by a mission to alleviate poverty, our goal is to improve the life outcomes for some of the poorest communities and individuals in Sunsari.
For the first 15 years, Development Nepal did this through Programme Ujyalo Bhabisya ('A Brighter Future'). Since 2015, an increased focus on micro-finance has been a direct response to what communities tell us they value, together with consideration of how Development Nepal can have greatest impact over the longer term. Through the establishment of a strong and successful agricultural co-operative ('Cooperative'), we have supported access to finance for some of the poorest people in Sunsari.
By investing in scaling the Cooperative's sustainable operations, it will be possible to support quality financial inclusion, provide micro-business support for the poorest, and ultimately fund the traditional social support activities of Programme Ujyalo Bhabisya.
In 2025 and into 2026, we undertook design and latterly initial delivery work for a new Livelihoods programme, which will provide more heavily invested support to a smaller number of community members to establish viable agri-businesses.