Chetana Club

This organisation focuses on the promotion of human rights and peace in the mid-western Dang region of Nepal, but also recognises the importance of economic uplift in averting future conflict and supports local people in income generation schemes.

Overview

Chetana ("consciousness, alert, awareness") Club is a local NGO engaged in the human rights, peace, good governance and income generation sectors.

Chetana Club was established with the aim of social transformation for the promotion of human rights and uplift of the economic situation of the local people. Taking into consideration the internal armed conflict and its peaceful resolution, the organisation has launched a number of peace programmes over the last couple of years with the aim of reducing violence and creating local awareness of non-violent means for conflict resolution.

Chetana Club believes that one of the major causes of the conflict in Nepal is poverty. The organisation is working to improve the economic situation of the local people by providing training in income generation and skill development and providing subsidies to run entrepreneurial projects. The organisation has formed rehabilitation groups of conflict victims to help reduce the impacts of the conflict. Chetana Club has also satisfied basic needs for the conflict victims to help them resume normal life in the short term.

Chetana Club is currently running Local Governance, Human Rights and Democracy, Poverty Alleviation and Peace and Development projects and a community-based literacy programme at the local level in six Village Development Councils (VDCs) in Dang district. It has formed 31 groups comprised of Dalits (untouchables), Janajatis (ethnic minorities), ex-Kamaiyas (bonded labourers), conflict victims, women, and landless people. The groups are provided with training on working skills, human rights and peaceful conflict resolution.

With subsidies from Chetana Club many people have started small businesses and are now able to sustain themselves economically. It has formed a district level peace network to campaign for peace in the district and in the zonal level. This network groups together a number of civil society organisations from Dang to campaign for peace.

What Services are Provided?

The Chetana Club provides training on human rights, income generation and skill development workshops, economic and technical subsidies, peace awareness programmes, training on conflict resolution and peacebuilding, trauma healing, and a rehabilitation programme.

Geographical Area of Operation

Mid-Western Region

Funding Resources

• United Nations Development Fund - Support for Peace and Development Initiatives (UNDP-SPDI);
• Department for International Development (DFID) under the Community Literacy Development (CLD); and
• Finnish Embassy.

What Further Information would you like?

• Resource materials for conflict resolution training;
• Information about capacity building training;
• Contact details for funding agencies; and
• Foreign volunteers for agriculture, peace and community development (those that have been working in conflict-affected countries, who have rich experiences of peaceful and successful negotiation, or who are experts in community development - English language is essential).

What New Contacts would you like to make?

People who have connections to the above sectors.

Associated Organisations

• NGO Federation of Nepal;
• Social Welfare Council;
• Literacy Forum of Dang;
• Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP); and
• UNDP-SPDI supported Peace Network.