Community Development & Advocacy Forum Nepal (CDAFN)
Background
Community Development & Advocacy Forum Nepal (CDAFN) is a non-profit and a non-governmental organization. It was established in 2006 in Mahottari district in Nepal and registered under Social Welfare Council (registration number 19921 dated 2006/07/02). The organization was formed and operated by a group of professionals of natural resource management and social development sectors. CDAFN has been implementing projects for natural resources management, watershed management, climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and agriculture-based livelihoods for more than 16 years in different districts of Madhesh province. For the last 5 years, the organization has successfully completed various
projects along the Ratu watershed from upstream side to its downstream areas with funding support from Caritas Germany/Caritas Nepal, President Chure Conservation Program, Home Garden project of SDC & LI-BIRD, ELIVES project of DFID, ADRA UK/Nepal & iDE Nepal, Greening the Jaleshwor Municipality Program and COVID-19 Recovery support to COVID affected families project of UNDP. Moreover, over the past 15 years, CDAFN has been involved in different short term and long-term projects including emergency humanitarian support program in the Chure and Terai regions in which a total of 15000 households have benefitted directly, and above 25,000 households indirectly. Currently, CDAFN has 6 ongoing projects in the sector of DRRM, Livelihood & climate change adaptation, COVID-19 Economic recovery and emergency support. The 3 years’ project of Caritas Germany (CDRRP) and the 42 months’ project of ADRA UK and Austrian Development Cooperation (LIRIC) are continued from the 1st quarter of 2020. Similarly, Helvetas and LGs funded Riverbed farming program is being continued from 2019. COVID-19 Economic Recovery project of UNDP and LGs, ICIMOD supported Community Based Flood Early Warning System (CBFEWS) in the Koshi basin of Nepal are other key projects that CDAFN has been implementing from the year 2020.
Besides the projects listed above, CDAFN has also provided emergency COVID support to hospitals and affected families collaborating with Caritas Germany/Nepal, ADRA Nepal and Helvetas. These are being done to provide timely support to Hospitals with different medical equipment and the vulnerable, disabled, poor and marginalized with emergency food, shelter and livelihood resumption. These were well coordinated and effectively accomplished projects in 2021.
CDAFN has good experience in carrying out the riverbed farming. From the riverbed farming, farmers get the opportunity to use the riverbed during the dry season to commercially produce vegetables and sell to generate some income. In many cases of our intervention, the riverbeds are converted into fruit orchard with minimum cultural practices and thereby gradually started vegetable farming for short cycle crop production and income generation.
CDAFN’s innovations, best practices, and the working modalities in the sector NRM and river system management have been well recognized and replicated by several stakeholders working in similar sectors, like the government agencies, civil societies, NGOs and INGOs. It is important to recognize that CDAFN emphasizes partnerships and collaboration with government, NGO/INGOs, private sector and media.
Target Group
Women, Dalits, Janjati, Madheshi, Youth and Children including poor, disadvantaged and disable group of society are the target group of the institution.
Vision
An Equal and prosperous society will be built by making communities aware of their basic needs and rights.
Mission
We will make our continuous efforts to assist in fulfilling the basic rights of the target communities
Goal
For the development of the community, the civil society will be empowered and self-reliant to help maintain peace, development, and good governance.
Objectives
- To manage community resources in collaborative manner by empowering community groups and
stakeholder - To conduct Disaster Risk Reduction programs regarding earthquake, landslide, flood etc. as well as to
work for humanitarian response and recovery need collaborating with partners and stakeholders - To contribute to making peaceful, just and civilized society by strengthening good governance in services
of LGs, CSOs and local institutions - To awake community on health issues and work to ensure the access of health services particularly to
women, children, and elderly in rural areas in the issues of reproductive health, family planning, epidemic/
pandemic - To aware community on the natural resources and environmental protection issues and ensure environment
friendly development activities - To implement forestry and agriculture-based income generating activities adopting climate smart technology
for sustainable economic development considering the need and interest of local community - To adopt a collaborative work approaches by engaging LGs, Private sectors and media to enhance
effectiveness and synergy development - To raise voice to ensure basic human rights such as child right, women right, right to education,
environmental rights etc. - To provide safe drinking water facilities in rural and urban areas as well as make community empower for
sustainable management of drinking water system in future - To aware people not to discriminate in the name of Dalit’s and gender as well as work against discriminations/
violence of any kind - To empower and develop leadership from poor and marginal people for sharing equal benefits as well as
ensure participation in the decision-making process - To seek opportunities working in partnership with other agencies (government and non-government)