Qatar Red Crescent, Gorkha Municipality and UNDP tie up to rebuild community infrastructure in Gorkha

The Qatar Red Crescent and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Nepal today signed an agreement to rehabilitate and rebuild community infrastructure and facilities in Gorkha.

 

The Community Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement Project aims at enhancing the access of approximately 10,000 earthquake-affected people to improved community infrastructure and services. The total budget of the project is NRs 36.8 million (US$ 335,330), out of which Qatar Red Crescent will contribute NRs 16.5 million (US $150,000), UNDP NRs. 3.3 million (US $30,000) and the Gorkha Municipality and communities NRs. 17 million (US $155,370).

 

The agreement was signed by Rashid Saad Almohanadi, Director General of Relief and International Development at Qatar Red Crescent, and Renaud Meyer, UNDP Country Director in Nepal at the UN House in the presence of Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Nepal H.E. Yusuf bin Mohamed Al-Hail. Upon signing the agreement, Almohanadi said, "We are pleased to be part of this six-month collaborative project with UNDP and Gorkha Municipality and look forward to help earthquake affected communities to improve their health and disaster resilience."

 

The project includes construction of two irrigation schemes, a drinking water system, a school building, a health post and over 200 toilets and putting in place a hospital waste management system. The project is complementary to the planned interventions of the local government and coordinated by the concerned ward chairs of the Gorkha municipality.

 

"UNDP is pleased to sign this agreement with the Qatar Red Crescent. We want to see this as the beginning of a new partnership to mobilize the generosity of Qatar in helping Nepal build resilient communities and achieve progress on its broader development objectives." said UNDP Country Director Renaud Meyer. "We hope we can reach other needy communities in the future with similar interventions."

 

"We would like to thank Qatar Red Crescent and UNDP for their support to the community infrastructure projects, which will be implemented with full participation, leadership and ownership of local communities. The Gorkha municipality and the local people are contributing almost half of the total budget," Rajan Raj Panta, Mayor, Gorkha Municipality. 

वाढी, पहिरो पीडितका परिवारलाई राहतका लागि सरकारसँग आग्रह

केही दिनदेखिको परेको अविरल वर्षा पछि आएको वाढी, पहिरो र डुवानको कारणले देशका विभिन्न जिल्लाहरुमा धनजनको ठूलो क्षति भएको र जनजिवन अस्तव्यस्त भएको छ । वाढी पहिरोबाट कैलाली, बाँके, सिन्धुली, रोल्पा, चितवन, पर्सा, महोत्तरी, सुनसरी लगायतका जिल्लाहरुमा डेढ दर्जन भन्दा बढी व्यक्तिको मृत्यु भइसकेको तथा ठूलो संख्यामा मानिसहरु वेपत्ता र विस्थापित हुनका साथै कैयौं व्यक्तिहरु घाइते भएका छन् । हजारौ हेक्टर खेतियोग्य जमिन डुवानमा परेको, पहिरो र डुवानका कारण सडक यातायात अवरुद्ध भएको घटनाप्रति नेपाली कांग्रेस गहिरो दुःख व्यक्त गर्दै सम्पूर्ण पीडितहरुको यो संवेदनशीलताप्रति नेपाली कांग्रेस सहानुभूति प्रकट गर्दछ ।

वाढी र पहिरोमा परि जीवन गुमाउनु भएका सम्पूर्ण दिदीबहिनी तथा दाजुभाइहरुमा नेपाली कांग्रेस भावपूर्ण श्रद्धाञ्जली अर्पण गर्दछ र उहाँहरुका शोक सन्तप्त परिवारजनहरुमा हार्दिक समवेदना प्रकट गर्दछ । साथै, घाइतेहरुको शीघ्र स्वास्थ्यलाभको कामना गर्दछ । 

प्राकृतिक विपतको यस संवेदनशील घडीमा प्रभावित नागरिकको जीवन रक्षा, उद्धार र राहतको कार्यलाई प्रभावकारी रुपमा तत्काल संचालन गर्न तथा पीडितका परिवारलाई तत्काल अति आवश्यक सामाग्रीहरु— खाद्यान्न, लत्ता कपडा, भाडाकुडा, औषधी र अस्थायी बसोबासको यथाशीघ्र उचित प्रबन्धका लागि सरकारसँग नेपाली कांग्रेस आग्रह गर्दछ । बाढी, पहिरो र डुवानका कारण क्षति भएका सडक, विद्यालय, पुलपुलेसा लगायत भौतिक पूर्वाधारहरुको यथाशीघ्र पुनर्निर्माणका लागि समेत सरकारसँग आग्रह गर्दछ । 

वाढी पहिरो प्रभावित सम्बन्धित जिल्लाका नेपाली कांग्रेस तथा भ्रातृ एवं शुभेच्छुक संस्थाका सबै निकायहरुले पार्टी, भ्रातृ एवं शुभेच्छुक संस्थाका साथीहरुलाई परिचालन गरी उद्धार, राहत र उचित बसोबासको व्यवस्था मिलाउन सहयोग पु¥याउँदै पहिरो एवं डुबानमा पर्न सक्ने थप जोखिम क्षेत्रको पहिचान गरी उक्त क्षेत्रबाट अन्य सुरक्षित स्थानमा मानिसहरुलाई स्थानान्तरण गराउने कार्यमा जुट्नका लागि नेपाली कांग्रेस निर्देश गर्दछ । 

KOICA-UNDP partnership to benefit 10,000 fruit farmers

The Government of Nepal, UNDP and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) signed this week an agreement to implement a project on "Valuechain development of fruit and vegetables in Nepal" aimed at raising the incomes of nearly 10,000 smallholder farmers through strengthening the value chain of fruit and vegetable production in the country. As part of the project, there will be special focus on production maximization, post-harvest technology development and rollout, and improved market linkage.

Under the agreement, KOICA will support US $5 Million and UNDP will contribute US$0.5 million respectively for  a joint initiative to be implemented in about 40 municipalities in twelve districts in Province 3 and 4, namely Dhading, Kavre, Makawanpur, Chitwan, Dolakha, Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Nawalparasi, Tanahun, Gorkha, Kaski, and Syanja until the end of 2022.

The MoU was signed by Dr.Hyungkyoo Kim, Country Director KOICA Nepal Office and Renaud Meyer, Country Director UNDP. Before that, the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Finance: Mr. Shreekrishna Nepal, and the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management, and Cooperatives: Mr. Tej Subedi signed the project document with the UNDP at a function held at Singhadurbar, Kathmandu on 26 June 2018.

The valuechain development project focuses on increasing production, reducing post-harvest losses and improving the marketing system for selected fruit and vegetables. Through its efforts, cooperatives and farmers' groups will have better access to production technology, as well as improved crop production practices. Post-harvest technologies will be developed and transferred to farmers in collaboration with the Nepal Agriculture Research Council. Support to physical facilities, organizational management and access to market price information will be provided to collection centers and satellite markets to improvemarket linkages. 

Marketed volumes of fruit and vegetables are low in Nepal and farmers have limited access to agriculture technology. Post-harvest losses are high, with estimates suggesting losses between 10 and 14% for fruit and vegetables. Careless handling of crops during loading and unloading, and lack of storage facilities at collection centres are some contributing factors.In this context, this programmewill also help to establish 20 collection centres and satellite markets. The programme will help Nepal achieve the Sustainable Development Goals with a direct contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 1 (No Poverty) and Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).