In the future, the goal is not only to provide the participants with seeds and tools but also with micro funding so that they have greater chances at succeeding and scaling up their agro-enterprises.
We all know the value and potential of agriculture in Nepal. We also know how much the sector has been neglected. It is becoming less and less attractive with less and less people keen to work on it.
A bold project by The Ability Development Society of Nepal (ADSoN) in collaboration with The Rose International Fund for Children (TRIFC) and Rotary Club Patan is changing these dynamics. It is a bold proposition because it envisions persons with disabilities not only earning a dignified income but also to prove that agriculture is still a viable and productive sector.
The Empowering Persons with Disabilities in Nepal by Teaching Organic Vegetable and Poultry Farming is effectively empowering citizens living with different types of disabilities to champion national agriculture. Started in January 2021 after months and months of preparation, so far 57 participants have been benefiting, undertaking a rigorous 3 months' training that provide them with the skills and expertise to become successful micro agro- entrepreneurs. They are also equipped with seeds and other tools that would allow them to start their new careers. Citizens with disabilities are at the margins of the society. ADSoN is pushing to change this status quo through economic empowerment.
Nirmala Gyawali, a co-founder of the organisation and currently the funding development director that, half jokily, considers herself as a V.I.P. (Visually Impaired Person), is one of the engines behind the initiative.
"We are giving the skills so that the participants can earn their living in a dignified way and become a model in the society," she explained to me in a meeting with his colleague, Bharat BC, who works as the program manager. "We hope that, by providing them with skills and tools, they can really become successful, a model for their whole communities."
Bharat who is a wheelchair user and a great wheelchair basketball player, shares with me: "The country needs a different narrative about persons with disabilities, and we are trying our best to offer them a pathway to showcase how capable they are."
Just few weeks ago the 8th batch of trainees started the training. The whole programme has been designed in a such a way to be self-sustainable and impactful. For example, no allowances are paid, but for the participants living in the Valley, only nominal transportation costs are provided. For those coming from outside, the vast majority of the participants, they are offered full lodging during the 3 months of hard training.
Indeed, those who are selected through a long process of screening and two rounds of interviews do come from all the seven provinces. They must own land or be willing to lease one in order to be eligible. The training happens in Sunaguthi, approximately 4 km from Satdobato, Lalitpur where ADSoN has leased a piece of land. The master trainer is herself a person with disability, a deaf person with vast knowledge and experience in the agricultural sector.
Nirmala and her colleagues dream of expanding this programme across all the seven provinces, and this is was one of the goals of the golf fundraising tournament that was recently organised. The good news is that the number of participants at this charitable event exceeded the expectations.
In the conversation, Nirmala was crystal clear on the challenges faced in terms of fundraising and overall resource mobilisation. Doing something with this level of ambition and, literally speaking, so transformative, is expensive. The average cost, I was explained, per person is around Rs 90,000.
In the future, the goal is not only to provide the participants with seeds and tools but also with micro funding so that they have greater chances at succeeding and scaling up their agro-enterprises.
Perhaps, the reader might be surprised by the fact that I used the adjective "transformative" to describe this initiative. There are not so many in the society that think of them as a whole human being with innate potential and skills and positive ambitions.
"Once the training is over, participants go back to their communities, and when their first output emerges from the hard and dedicated work, when they are able to sell their vegetable or chicken, other members of the society start thinking of them in a different way," Nirmala said.
Nepal is desperate for more productive land, and now we have a group of persons with disabilities, some of them are deaf, some of them are blind, some of them are wheelchair users, who are instead showing the way, proving that it is worthy being engaged in the agriculture sector.
The initiative is one of the several that ADSoN is undertaking. Education, including provision of scholarships, is another area where the organisation is very active. Effective and inclusive learning can also be a gamechanger, and it is key that even a small organisation like ADSoN is working holistically, combining livelihoods with trainings and with a strong focus on learning.
"Stereotypes will be erased if we succeed at creating hundreds and hundreds of entrepreneurial farmers and educated citizens from within the disability community," Nirmala added.
"We want our participants to be really good and show the whole nation that they can do everything they want. We are here to support them a bit, and we will succeed, they will succeed," she said.
Knowing her grit and determination, I have no doubt that Nirmala will realise the vision of a better, more inclusive society, but she needs some help. After all, this is not only her cause, it is a common cause. If you have time, go and visit the training field, and you will realise that magic things sometimes happen, and there, you will meet a lot of true V.I.Ps.
Galimberti is the co-founder of ENGAGE and of The Good Leadership
