Shanti’s Commitment for Social Transformation

Dhanusadham Municipality Social Mobiliser Ms. Shanti Lama has witnessed a noticeable social transformation within a very short span in a Musahar Community at Ward no 4, of Dhanusadham Municipality. Thanks due to her untiring efforts and dedication for facilitating regular meetings of Citizen Awareness Center (CAC), engaging herself in Open Defecation Free (ODF) campaign and involving in Annual Development Planning process of the Municipality.

Earlier almost all 36 family of Musahar Settlement used to drink too much alcohol. They had very limited awareness on sanitation and hygiene issues. Moreover, no people had been involved in local development planning process until when she appointed last year to work as Soial Mobiliser in the Municipality. Therefore, most activities in annual local development plans were for local elites. Even, no people in the Musahar Community were able to put their development demand in local development planning and budgeting process. Moreover, the community had very limited opportunities for enjoying income and employment generation activities from the Municipality.

When all Musahar families were organized into a CAC and got capacity development training supports together with income generating activities from LGCDP through the Municipality, they were empowered noticeably. In every week they attend REFLECT class that helped them to understand their rights, roles, responsibilities and information on services they can claim from local government. Further, from LGCDP they had received livelihood and infrastructure development supports that were utilized in rearing goats, purchasing a white board for REFLECT class, constructing a community building, maintaining a public toilet and carrying out saving and credit programs.

Having effective social mobilization process together with livelihood opportunities, Ms. Lama was able to convince the Musahar Community for not to drink too much alcohol. Also, she persuaded them towards undertaking environment cleanliness campaign and continue social mobilization process. With Rs.3,15,000 support of LGCDP – the CAC procured 30 goats, maintained a community building, constructed a public toilet, and adopted saving and credit schemes, started to enjoying local governments’ services such as vital registration and citizen certificates. The support, though were small helped a lot in developing confidence of Musahar Community for designing and implementing development plans. “I am pleased to see that most of their plans come out through rigorous discussion and interaction are included in the Municipality Annual Plan 2073/74” said Ms. Shanti. The CAC members for the first time had engaged in municipality annual development plan preparation process. Due to their active participation in the entire planning process, even in the terai strike in January 13, 2016, the Municipality organized the council meeting in time.

However, she cautiously said that all programs including environment friendly development activities forwarded by the CAC had not been included in the Municipal Annual Development Plans. The budget Rs.12,000 received by the CAC group from LGCDP for snacks were not well enough to hold regular meetings. Further she expected to have regular capacity development support to herself from LGCDP. As she had engaged heavily in the social mobilization and local development planning process even during the terai strike, she got life threatening message from some local elites.  She had an expectation of identity card and life insurance scheme from the program. Despite having all hardship she extended her best for completing the Municipal Council Meeting in time.

In a nut shell, effective social mobilization can be ensured only through dedicated and hardworking Social Mobilisers, frontline soldiers of development activities. LGCDP should pay further attention towards strengthening capacity of Social Mobilisers to upkeep their spirit of work that ultimately helps ensuring inclusive development at the local level.

The story was prepared based on interaction with stakeholder including Ms. Shanti Lama in Dhanusadham on April 2, 2016.