Some years ago, Chola Devi Bhat of Bandi Pokhara Village Development Committee (VDC) was known as a reluctant woman who even could not speak out her name properly. But now she has become able not only to express her feelings and opinions but also to teach the skills she knows to other women.

Likewise, Dipak Pathak of Telgha unable to improve his economic condition even by hard working for 20 years aboard seems busy and happy with his present income.

More than 4,000 people of Palpa district have similar success stories to tell. These stories are the result of Village Development Programme, jointly conducting by the ministry for local development, National Planning Commission and Palpa District Development Committee (DDC) with the economic and technical support of UNDP.

Pathak, earning more than Rs 5,000 a month selling vegetables he produces, considers the programme necessary for creating awareness and teaching the people to earn a decent living.

Bhat, women leader of her village, said that they have formed a group to solve their common problems and to make a collective decision on using the amount saved. The group also provides loan at a low interest rate.

The programme was launched to target poverty elimination and economic empowerment of the people by assembling them into different groups to make them aware of developing and mobilising the internal and external economic resources and reducing unproductive expenditures.

A total fo 3,968 persons are involved in the 160 groups among which 39 groups have only female members. According to Tanka Bhandari, social worker, the groups have saved Rs 1.2 million so far and more than Rs 1 million has been invested in agriculture and livestock farming.

The programme is moving ahead successfully with the slogan 'Skill, organisation and saving'. On the basis of the slogan, every group is collecting funds for the saving amount, and also provide loan for productive works.

A trust is also established in the DDC office through which budgets for drinking water, irrigation and environment protection projects is being provided.

According to Bishnu Pokharel, account administration assistance, more than Rs 1.4million has been invested through the trust. He informed that after the launching of the programme a bridge has been constructed just within 35 days in Humin VDC with the joint effort of the users and a swimming pool which would otherwise cost Rs 1 million has been completed with Rs 150,000 in Bhugha Pokharathok VDC.

Seventeen different training programmes have already been organised to train the villagers on using money for various productive works.