Kathmandu, October 18

The Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction is all set to launch ‘Psychosocial Counselling and Support Services Project’ in ten districts for conflict affected persons in the first phase.

The two-year project is funded by Nepal Peace Trust Fund under MoPR and technically supported by International Organisation for Migration. IOM will develop training manual, capacity development trainings for psychosocial workers and other support for the project.

Bishwo Raj Neupane, project manager, today said the main objective of the program was to contribute to the peace process by holistically addressing the needs of conflict victims beyond the relief packages.

He said the project would provide psychosocial counselling and support services to the victims of decade-long armed conflict, their families and community members, especially women, children and marginalised groups.

The project will be implemented in ten districts—two each from all development regions, including Jhapa and Morang in eastern region, Chitwan and Makawanpur in central region, Gorkha and Kaski in western region, Rukum and Rolpa in mid-western region and Kailali and Kanchanpur in the far-western region.

“The project aims to provide psychosocial counselling and support services to as many as 23,000 CAPs and others within two years,” Neupane said, adding, “The services are expected to commence from January 2016.”

MoPR Psychosocial Counselling and Support Services Project has recently issued a public notice calling interested firms to host ‘Consulting Services for Conducting Psychosocial Counselling and Support Services’. The notice states that the firms should submit their applications by November 16, 2015 at Psychosocial Counselling and Support Service Project Management Unit, Relief and Rehabilitation Division in Babarmahal, Kathmandu.

Neupane further said the project will be monitored by Relief and Rehabilitation Division Psychosocial Counselling and Support Service Project Management Unit under MoPR at the central level while the Recommendation and Monitoring Committee under the chairmanship of respective chief district officers shall monitor the works at the district level.

“There is three-tier service for CAPs and other victims during the project implementation. First, we will provide primary care to the CAPs in a group to identify the people who need psychosocial counselling and other support, then we will talk to them individually and finally, those in need will get necessary treatment in the third phase,” said Neupane.