Empowering Communities Through Women’s Leadership: Sajag Samaj Project Launched in Rautahat

Gaur, Rautahat, April 26, 2025

The Women’s Voice and Leadership in Anticipatory Action project, or Sajag Samaj (SaSa), was officially launched on April 25, 2025, through a district-level inception meeting in Gaur, Rautahat. Funded by CARE Nepal and implemented by Campaign Nepal in partnership with the Institute of Himalayan Risk Reduction (IHRR), the project seeks to enhance disaster risk reduction (DRR) and promote sustainable livelihoods in Durga Bhagwati Rural Municipality and Rajdevi Municipality.

The Sajag Samaj project underscores the importance of anticipatory action and women’s leadership in fostering community-driven disaster preparedness, with a particular focus on empowering vulnerable groups such as women, marginalised communities, and those most at risk during disasters. The inception meeting, chaired by Ram Ayodhya Ray Yadav, Chief of the District Coordination Committee (DCC) Rautahat, convened a diverse group of key stakeholders, including Bhikhari Ray Yadav, Mayor of Rajdevi Municipality; Sambhu Singh, Chairperson of Durga Bhagwati Rural Municipality; deputy mayors; Kiran Nidhi Tiwari, Assistant Chief District Officer; ward commissioners; and local community representatives, all united to support the project’s vision of building resilient and inclusive communities.

Kiran Nidhi Tiwari highlighted the importance of anticipatory action in the flood-prone district, stating,

This project’s focus on women’s leadership in DRR aligns with national and global frameworks, enhancing our ability to mitigate risks effectively.

Sambhu Singh affirmed Durga Bhagwati’s commitment, saying,

Sajag Samaj will strengthen our capacity to protect lives and livelihoods. We fully support its objectives.

Similarly, Bhikhari Ray Yadav pledged Rajdevi Municipality’s backing, noting,

Women are central to community resilience. We are committed to ensuring this initiative’s success in improving disaster preparedness and livelihood recovery.

A woman’s group member from the project community expressed community enthusiasm, saying,

This project empowers us to lead and protect our communities. We are committed to its success.

In his address, Ram Ayodhya Ray Yadav emphasised the project’s alignment with Nepal’s DRR goals, stating,

Sajag Samaj is a crucial step toward building resilience in Rautahat. By prioritising women’s leadership, we are fostering inclusive and sustainable disaster preparedness.

The Sajag Samaj project will implement comprehensive initiatives, including multi-hazard mapping to identify and assess risks such as floods and landslides, the establishment of community-based early warning systems to ensure timely disaster alerts, and livelihood support programs to enhance economic resilience through skill-building and sustainable practices. These efforts will prioritise gender-responsive and inclusive approaches, ensuring that women, marginalised groups, and vulnerable populations are actively involved in decision-making and benefit equitably from project outcomes. Stakeholders, including local government officials, community leaders, and women’s groups, expressed unanimous support for the initiative, with a shared vision to create a replicable model for disaster resilience that can be adapted across Rautahat and potentially other disaster-prone regions in Nepal.

The event was facilitated by Laxmi Aryal and Man Bahadur Dangi from Care Nepal, Suraj Gautam from IHRR and Shatrudhan Singh from Campaign Nepal, with other project team members from these organisations also in attendance.