Voluntary Sector In Nepal
A Positive Assessment

By Mukti Rijal

THERE is a wider recognition given to voluntary sector in this part of the world. Voluntarism that is service dedicated to the weal of community without any attachment or interest lies at the root of the voluntary sector. Voluntary sector has rich spiritual dimension and flavour. A person or a group of persons can commit to social service and spare his or her time and resources for community welfare if he or she has an urge and actuation from within. Selfless, Honest

Only the selfless and honest calling motivates a person to work and contribute to larger welfare and benefit. . All the non-governmental organisations and civic initiatives fall within the ambit of voluntary sector translated as Swekchhik Chhetra. In India we see an upsurge and growth of the organisations that are motivated and fuelled by the voluntary spirit. The Chipko Andolan in India and several other civic and social movements have in them a dedication of persons motivated purely by social interests. No impure and selfish motive can be attributed to the civic action initiatives of Mr Bahuguna, Chandi Prasad Bhatta and Medha Patkar in India while the activities of Tulsi Mehar and Dayabir Singh Kansakar in Nepal are equally worthy of emulation and exaltation.

Today the situation is very different. Distortions and deviation abound in the voluntary sector. But how much of voluntarism and selflessness is left with the non-government organisations (NGOs) in Nepal is yet to be assessed. No doubt the NGOs have an important contribution to create and enlarge civic space and they have some comparative advantage over government organisations especially when flexibility, efficiency and adaptability is demanded. However, since voluntarism considered as the critical factor of civic organisations is fast giving way to individualism and parochial material interests the social image and projection has not been healthy and inspiring. This has negatively affected the process of building and widening space for civic and voluntary sector.

This writer had an opportunity to interact with some of the members of the Lions Club in Birgunj, Narayangarh, and Pokhara recently and know about their activities. The interaction gave an impression that the voluntary sector has been able to maintain its strength and reach service to the people. Lions Clubs in Nepal are in hundreds and they are members of the Lions Club International which is purely a service oriented voluntary organisation created and promoted by people with social eminence and standing. Members of the Lions Clubs contribute membership dues and other donations to create fund and carry out services to the needy people in the community. We serve is the motto of the Lions. It is perhaps the largest membership based civil society organisations in the world in which persons of eminence including business people, social leaders and former politicians associate themselves for service and quality citizenship. Lions have no funding from donor agencies nor do they have tendencies to seek such assistance and support. Yes they have twin arrangements to enhance interaction and co-operation between the developing and developed Lions clubs. This support network has made it possible to implement several social development projects.

We have in Nepal several examples of dedication and service demonstrated by the Lions and Lion clubs. One can take cues from the activities of the Lions clubs of Birgunj, Narayanghat and Pokhara where the member Lions have extended their bountiful and blessed hands of service and co-operation to the needy in the society. A committed and brilliant Lion from Birgunj told to this writer about the toilet project carried out by the Lions for prisoners in Birgunj costing eight hundred thousand rupees. Lions service centres in Narayanghat, Pokhara and other places are evidence of the Lions singular dedication to the community services. No Lions get anything in material and pecuniary terms except fellowship and mutual interaction. But he or she, according to the statue, should pay dues mandatorily to stay as member so that Lions Club international and their respective local clubs survive, sustain and serve the people. What else can be the example of voluntarism and civic vibrance than this.

Erosion of Values

Like the Lions Clubs Jaycees, rotary clubs and Reyukai Clubs, Red Cross societies provide brilliant examples of voluntarism sustaining on dedication to services. Though, as complained by the Lions, there has been a continuous erosion of values and voluntary spirit in the Lions Clubs, as in the other social sectors, these above-mentioned membership based social and civic forums distinguish themselves as the brilliant islands of the voluntary sector. However, there is a problem of enough interaction between this important voluntary sector and the society at large. This needs to be further strengthened for broad based fellowship, understanding, and quality citizenship.

Off-farm Activities For Sustainable Development

By Khilendra Basnyat

IN Nepal, a large chunk of people still resides in rural areas. The low level of living associated with the average per capita income of about two hundred and sixty rupees per month in the rural areas makes even the minimum standards of nutrition, clothing and housing beyond the reach of the person.

Rural development has become one of the priority sectors of national development since the inception of planned development approach in the country in the nineteen fifties. Ever since, it has also been an area of constant and consistent search for solving the problem of rural development in this country.

In the past decades, several programmes were conducted for rural development. However, the process of rural development created as a palliative by the development planners and administrators proved illusory. The outcome was nothing but the increasing income disparity, causing great hardship for the poor and the needy.

Most of the farming carried out in rural areas depends on rain for irrigation and employs age-old and outdated techniques and tools. This undoubtedly adds to the woes of the rural people.

With the lapse of time and high population growth rate, our rural economy became weak, bringing marginal land into use, accentuating production shortages and causing environmental degradation.

Today, poverty is widespread and rampant in rural areas. Its main reasons are unemployment and disguised unemployment. Actually, unemployment gives rise to poverty, and poverty itself is lack of employment opportunities.

In fact, the generation of off-farm employment and off-farm income is more desirable than extending subsistence farming activities, which have led to deforestation, soil erosion and landslide.

It has been observed in some hilly areas that off-farm activities have reduced dependence on forests and diminished the dangers of ecological imbalance resulting from over exploitation of forests.

Rural energy in general and electricity in particular provide a new impetus for sustainable rural development through the infusion of modern technology, new skills and high labour productivity.

The majority of the rural people have had to spend most of their time in their hard daily struggle for earning a bare existence. They are persistently utilizing the available land for cultivation or are dependent on wasteland for their food, firewood and fodder needs. The existing traditional land use patterns are not able to even fulfil their basic needs.

While on the one hand development endeavors need to be geared towards raising the growth rate of the economy, on the other, programmes need to be formulated and launched to address the immediate problems facing the rural poor. By doing so, their hardships will be alleviated and they may seize the opportunity to enhance their quality of life.

The transformation of the subsistence of agriculture communities into townships specializing in agricultural industries based horticultural/livestock activities and/or tourism and other non-agricultural activities, seems to be likely, with rural industrialization through rural electrification. However, other infrastructures such as roads/bridges, ropeways should be available. Such a transformation will entail more sustainable type of rural development in terms of maximum utilization of forest land and water resources.

No doubt, off-farm activities will help expedite sustainable rural development. In order to make off-farm activities effective in rural areas, the skill of manpower involved in such activities should be continuously improved in consonance with the changed context.