Our Work
Development Society works across five interconnected programme areas: Education and Youth Development;Community Development and Local Governance; Livelihood and Socio-economic Empowerment; Social Inclusion, Accountability and Learning; and Health and Nutrition. Our approach recognizes that children’s education,
household income, health, community participation and accountable local systems are closely linked. We therefore promote integrated development interventions that respond to local needs and strengthen community ownership.
Education and Youth Development
Education and youth development is one of Development Society's strongest programme areas. The organization supports quality education, learning recovery, teacher capacity development, school governance, student assessment, EMIS/IEMIS strengthening, literacy promotion and co-curricular student engagement. Development Society has worked with community schools and local governments to support students affected by COVID-19 and other disruptions through the Recovery and Accelerated Learning Plan. Activities have included baseline/pre-test assessment, learning-level identification, teacher orientation, ReAL-related training, EMIS/IEMIS updating, monitoring and reporting.
Key intervention areas:
• Learning recovery and remedial support
• ReAL implementation and assessment support
• Baseline, endline and diagnostic assessment
• Teacher orientation and mentoring
• EMIS/IEMIS data updating and use
• Bal Bikas and early childhood teacher capacity development
• School governance and supervision support
• Co-curricular and sports-based student engagement
• Student health-related school activities, including eye screening
• School mapping and education data support
Expected contribution
Children and youth have improved access to quality education, participate actively in learning and school life, and develop confidence for future opportunities.
Community Development and Local Governance
Development Society supports community development and local governance by strengthening participation, coordination and accountability at the local level. The organization believes that communities are better able to influence development when they are informed, organized and linked with local government systems. This programme area focuses on building the capacity of community structures, supporting dialogue between communities and local governments, and facilitating inclusive participation of women, marginalized groups and vulnerable households in local planning and monitoring processes.
Key intervention areas:
• Community meetings and local consultations
• Awareness and orientation activities
• Capacity building of community groups and local structures
• Coordination with local governments
• School-community-local government linkage
• Public sharing and feedback collection
• Community review and accountability practices
• Inclusion of women, marginalized groups and vulnerable households in local development processes
Expected contribution
Children and youth have improved access to quality education, participate actively in learning and school life, and develop confidence for future opportunities.
Livelihood and Socio-economic Empowerment
Development Society recognizes that household economic vulnerability affects children's education, access to health care, nutrition and overall wellbeing. The organization therefore promotes livelihood and socio-economic empowerment as a core thematic area. Development Society's livelihood work includes skills, employment promotion, livelihood planning, linkage with local economic opportunities and support to local government policy processes. The organization has contributed to local employment strategy/policy work, including support linked to Parsa Rural Municipality's Local Employment Strategy for FY 2081/82 to FY 2085/86.
Key intervention areas:
• Skills training and employment promotion
• Local employment policy/strategy support
• Livelihood planning with vulnerable households
• Linkage with local markets, cooperatives, employment services and support schemes
• Youth and women’s economic participation
• Integration of livelihood support with education, health and community development
Expected contribution
Vulnerable households improve income opportunities, strengthen economic resilience and become better able to invest in education, health and wellbeing.
Social Inclusion, Accountability and Learning
Development Society promotes social inclusion, accountability and learning across all programmes. The organization gives special attention to women, Dalits, economically disadvantaged households, children at risk of educational exclusion, persons with disabilities and other groups with limited access to services. This programme area ensures that programmes are inclusive, safe, accountable and continuously improved through evidence and community feedback.
Key intervention areas:
• Gender equality and social inclusion mainstreaming
• Participation of marginalized groups
• Disability inclusion and referral linkage
• Safeguarding and Do No Harm practices
• Community feedback and accountability mechanisms
• Monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning
• Learning documentation and adaptive management
• Evidence-based programme improvement
Expected contribution
Development Society's programmes become more inclusive, accountable, safe and responsive to community needs.
Health and Nutrition
Health and Nutrition is an emerging and important thematic area for Development Society. The organization recognizes that children's learning, attendance and wellbeing are closely linked with health, nutrition, disability identification, hygiene and access to referral services. Development Society has already supported school-based health-related activities, including student eye screening and early disability identification in community schools. Through this thematic area, the organization will further promote health awareness, school health screening, nutrition education, referral linkage and integration of health and nutrition with education and community development initiatives.
Key intervention areas:
• School-based health screening
• Eye screening and early identification of disability-related concerns
• Referral support for children needing further treatment
• Health and nutrition awareness
• Child wellbeing and school health promotion
• Hygiene and preventive health education
• Integration of health and nutrition into education and livelihood programmes
• Coordination with health facilities, municipalities and schools
Expected contribution
Children and communities benefit from improved health and nutrition awareness, early identification of health-related concerns and stronger referral linkages.