Japan extends financial assistance of 80,532 US dollar to NESPEC

KATHMANDU, March 5: The government of Japan has decided to extend financial assistance of 80,532 US dollar to Nepal Social Development and People Empowerment Centre (NESPEC) under the grant assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project (GSP) scheme of the government of Japan.

NESPEC, a local NGO in Udayapur district, will work with Small Farmer Women Agriculture Cooperative Society, Rampur Thoskila, to implement the project for the construction of Training Centre for Women’s Cooperatives in Udaypur district.

A grant contract relating to this project was signed and exchanged between Ganga Rai, President of Nepal Social Development and People Empowerment Centre and Japanese Ambassador to Nepal, Masashi Ogawa, at the Embassy of Japan on Friday.

The grant assistance will be used to implement the project in Thoksila VDC in Udayapur district and aims to promote income generation of female farmers in the area.

In Nepal, about 60 percent of the total population is engaged in agriculture. Among that, more than 70 percent are women. However, very few, about one tenth of these females own a house or land. Therefore, females lack cash income and are dependent on their family and income earners.

Especially, the poverty level of small-scale female farmers in the rural area is severe and needs to be improved.
Small Farmer Women Agriculture Cooperative Society, established in 2012 in Udayapur, has 600 registered members. Their aim is to support small scale female farmers by providing loans with minimum interests and also renting and selling agricultural tools, fertilizer and seeds. RSS