Poverty Reduction Support Program (PRSP)

Poverty Reduction Support Program (PRSP) covers Panchdewal Binayak municipality ward no 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 and Mellekh Rural Municipality ward no 1, 2, and 3 of  Achham district as a “Partner Organization” (PO) of Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF). The program adopts inclusive and participatory development approach for socio-economic betterment and poverty reduction of the most vulnerable section of the society.

ASTHA Central office at Mangalsain, Achham coordinates the project interventions. Total 7 staffs that include one Project Coordinator, Sub. Engineer and Social Mobilizers are working under this project.

Basically, we are dedicated to play the role of mediator between community and PAF to transfer the spirit of PAF to poor and implement the matters extracted from the sprit among them.  As a Partner Organization (PO) our role is guided by the norms of PAF, principally to work for social mobilization and capacity building of the community organizations as well as facilitate the Community Organizations (COs) in preparing proposals and implementing the sub projects. Furthermore, ASTHA is responsible for the smooth implementation and monitoring of the community sub projects as well as other necessary actions.

The target communities are the sole actor. They have planned and are planning what they need and prioritized and prorate on the basis of their capacity and local resource potentials, we are investing our energy to link the COs and PAF to develop Direct-Funding Mechanism to COs for the effective implementation of the sub-projects according to PAF’s norms. By this action the resources are provided directly to the COs, and thereby transparency and efficiency of work and community ownership is expected. We have considered the PAF’s principle that the poor themselves are the best source of information and the best managers to manage their needs and resource and we do not confuse with to equip them by external information and facilitate to transfer the skill as per the need of the community and circumstance according to the objective envisioned by PAF. We have been regularly facilitating the Community Organizations for planning, designing and management of the sub projects by them to develop them as an established institution to run in long term. As the COs are facilitated, it is believed that the transparency in technical and financial process of the sub projects will be maintained highly. For this purpose we have encouraged to follow the PAF’s provision to maintain display boards at project sites and carry out public audit periodically during different capacity building trainings and other occasions.