Sustainable Action for Resilience and Food Security (SABAL)

Donor:

USAID

Prime Contractor

Save the Children

Project Period: 2014 – 2019

SABAL project aims to address root causes of poverty (food insecurity and malnutrition, households unable to absorb shocks from disaster to climate change impacts) in close coordination with the Government of Nepal, Ministry of Agriculture Development, Ministry of Health and Population, Ministry of Federal Affairs and local development and line ministries, district line agencies and local NGO partners.


 Group level saving and credit meeting, Arunthakur VDC, Sindhuli (SABAL, DEPROSC-Nepal)

Project Goals

  • Increased and stable income,
  • Improved health and nutrition status of pregnant and lactating women, children under U5 and their families,
  • Strengthened ability of households and communities to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stressors.

Project Component:

  • Livelihood, Health and Nutrition
  • Financial Services and Micro Health Insurance
  • Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction

 

Project Area:

Makwanpur, Sindhuli, Udaypur,Khotang, Okhaldunga, Ramechhap

 

Target Group:

As per the Geographic Diversity, Farmer Diversity and Social Diversity

 

Project Activities & Achievements:

DEPROSC-Nepal as one of the technical consortium partners of Sabal programs played a lead role for increasing access to financial services in Sindhuli, Makwanpur, Udaypur, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Ramechhap providing support services to district level partner NGOs in planning and implementation of interventions along with the following activities.

  1. Financial Services
  2. Had technical lead to integrate Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) program in Farmers Groups.
  3. Design and developed training materials and assisted local partners in delivering training to VSLA foundation, Capacity Building of Cooperatives, and linkage development with cooperatives and Youth Self-Employment Fund.
  4. Develop Training Manual for Farmers Business School (FBS). Train LRPs, ATs, and Financial Services Officers and conduct FBS through LRPs, ATs, and FSOs. Provide technical backstop to local partners in providing this training.
  5. Promoted micro health insurance services and agriculture insurance in the communities of Sabal working areas.
  6. Follow-up of Alternative Livelihoods through Vocational Training (VT), Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB)

Achievements in Figures

Sabal worked with some 2834 Farmers Groups Sindhuli, Makwanpur, Udaypur, Ramechaap, Okhaldhunga, and Khotang to improve resilience and food security of poor and vulnerable households. VSLA is being integrated in 98 % of farmers groups.

 

           

  Table: District wise Savings & Credits generated by VSLAs

 SN District Number of Farmer groups Groups participating in VSLA Total Group Members Members participating in VSLA Total saving Total Loan from

formal and informal

sources (Bank,

Cooperative, MFI)

 Loan from group saving
1 Khotang 366 368 7776 7234 5,522,562 47503700 29115597
2 Makawanpur 504 509 10546 9463    8,370,065 118444214 20237136
3 Okhaldhunga 534 530 10790 9983    6,512,381 50830147 56681765
4 Ramechhaap 411 429 8196 7786    9,094,900 98325460 67280739
5 Sindhuli 375 371 7544 7089    6,479,719 81097716 46775394
6 Udayapur 644 668 14667 13308    4,789,656 96208351 36525243
      2,834     2,875  59,519  54,863 40,769,283 492,409,588 256,615,874

Note:  Number of VSLA Groups are greater than farmer groups because of add in some Mother groups

 

 

 

  1. Social Safety Nets

Health Insurance

Sabal promoted Government of Nepal’s Health Insurance Program since September 2017 in Sindhuli and Makwanpur districts and extended in Ramechhap and Khotang from 2018. Sabal facilitated access to Health Insurance Program across the project areas by sensitizing community people through farmers group meetings, meetings organized with local representatives at the ward level and R/ Municipality level with the participation of ward chairpersons, ward members, Chairperson of municipalities, health unit staffs from the municipalities and the leaders of the communities. Under this program a family of five members had to pay Rs. 2500 premium for the family health services which worthen Rs. 50,000 per annum. From 2019 the premium for health insurance per family has been increased to Rs. 3500, and the family will get health services worth Rs. 100,000 for their health services.

 

Dr. Guna Raj Lohani, ED of Health Insurance Board, delivering sessions during enrollment process of training assistant
Dr. Guna Raj Lohani, ED of Health Insurance Board, delivering sessions during enrollment process of training assistant

 

Table:  Progress of Health Insurance in Program Districts

Activity Descriptions Area Districts Total
Sindhuli Makwanpur Ramechhap Khotang
Health insurance Enrollment process started from   September 22, 2017 June 29, 2017 January 10, 2018 January 9, 2018  
Total Families Enrolled, Number District 10,151 18,491 4,007 3,975 36,624
Total Beneficiaries Enrolled, Number District 47,925 84,654 16,807 17,953 1,67,339
Total Female Beneficiaries Enrolled District 24,610 43,745 8,815 9,322 86,492(52%)
Total Male Beneficiaries Enrolled District 23,312 40,908 7,992 8,631 80,843 (48%)
Total Beneficiaries Utilizations of Health Services            

Source: IMIS: Health Insurance Board. Update: July 29, 2019; 12:20 PM

Agriculture/Livestock Insurance

Livestock and crop insurance promotional activities of Sabal are conducted in collaboration with respective insurance companies working in the district in coordination with Livestock services office (DLSO) & district agricultural development office (DADO) respectively. Our district-based financial services officers together with district team facilitate promotional activities such as sensitization of Sabal beneficiaries for up taking advantage from the government safety net program. Social mobilizers (SM) are trained on the procedures of government safety net program and the trained SMs sensitized group leaders/members, members of cooperatives, mother groups, vegetable groups, milk producing groups, fruit production groups on livestock & crop insurance. Moreover, our SMs are helping in linking farmers groups & cooperatives with service provider insurance company for up taking insurance services. Sabal has been conducted Agriculture Insurance campaigns in potential livestock and crop production areas.

Table: District wise progress on Livestock and Crop Insurance

Activity Descriptions Districts Total
  Sindhuli Makwanpur Ramechhap Khotang Okhaldhung Udaypur
Number of households involved. 121 315 203 0 1012 818 2469
Number of cattle insured 121 246 203 0 4748 672 5990
Number of goats insured 0 312 0 0 0 0 312
Number of poultry birds insured 0 0 0 0 0 4400 4400
Farmers received Compensation, Rs. 63000/- 124000/- 0 0 942400/- 220620/- 1350020/-