One of the key components of the Ratmate Livelihood Restoration Project (LRP), designed by MCA-Nepal to restore the livelihood of project-affected people at Ratmate, was setting up a cooperative to mobilize savings and credits to support agricultural activities and income-generating businesses for project-affected families.
With the support and technical guidance of MCA-Nepal Consultant SAPPROS Nepal, Bhimeshwar Multiple Cooperative Limited, established in Belkotgadhi Municipality in Nuwakot district, was registered on 10 May 2024. Trainings on account keeping, cooperative management, governance, saving and credit mobilization, financial lending and reimbursement of loans as well as market linkage of agricultural products were also provided to enhance the capacity of members.
Mr. Maheshwor Neupane, the Chairperson of the Cooperative, and a project-affected person shared, “The cooperative will foster a sense of solidarity and mutual support among members, promoting social cohesion and resilience in the face of challenges. It will also serve as platforms for skill-building, knowledge-sharing, and capacity development, empowering project-affected families to pursue sustainable livelihoods and achieve long-term economic stability.”
Ms. Sanju Bagale, the Team Leader for the LRP, SAPPROs Nepal, shared, “In the course of the registration of the cooperative, a major obstacle was the absence of bylaws necessary to register a cooperative in Belkotgadhi municipality. The LRP team had to facilitate the process of endorsing the bylaws and simultaneously conduct various key activities to establish the same after relentless efforts.”
The cooperative was officially inaugurated by the Mayor of Belkotgadhi Municipality on 4 July 2023. As of the closing of the LRP program, the cooperative already generated a total revenue of NPR 12,228,700 from the shareholding members and provided 34 individuals with loans to initiate their own small-scale businesses or scale up the existing businesses among which 16 are project-affected persons.
Watch the success story:
