The field-level monitoring event under the KOICA-funded project “Empowering Her: Advancing Women’s Economic and Political Leadership for Climate-Resilient Communities,” jointly implemented by Oxfam in Nepal and Rural Development Centre (RDC) Nepal in Brindawan and Rajdevi Municipalities of Rautahat District, Madhesh Province, was conducted by the Executive Committee of RDC Nepal with the primary purpose of ensuring effective, accountable, and results-oriented project implementation at the community level. The monitoring aimed to systematically review field activities against approved project plans, results frameworks, indicators, timelines, and methodologies while assessing the overall effectiveness, quality, relevance, and inclusiveness of interventions, particularly those centered around Women Empowerment Centers (WECs), WEC member engagement, and Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) support provided to women farmers. The project operates in a context characterized by significant socio-economic vulnerability and increasing climate-related risks, where women face disproportionate impacts due to entrenched structural barriers limiting their economic participation, access to resources, decision-making power, and political representation, despite their strong potential to lead climate resilience and community development initiatives.
Against this backdrop, the monitoring visit served as a critical mechanism to verify reported progress, assess service delivery and beneficiary participation, and examine whether project interventions are contributing meaningfully toward strengthening women’s economic agency and political leadership at the grassroots level. A mixed-method monitoring approach was applied, combining direct field observations, systematic review of project documentation and monitoring data, and structured interactions with key stakeholders, including WEC members, CSA support-receiving farmers, facilitators, Junior Technical Assistants (JTAs), and project staff, alongside focused group discussions aimed at capturing qualitative insights on participation, relevance, service quality, satisfaction levels, and early outcomes. The Executive Committee rigorously cross-checked reported achievements against approved work plans and indicators to ensure data accuracy, transparency, and evidence-based assessment of performance, while also identifying implementation bottlenecks, operational risks, and capacity gaps affecting delivery at the community level. The monitoring further examined the functionality of WECs as platforms for women’s collective action, leadership development, access to information, and economic empowerment, as well as the effectiveness of CSA-related support in enhancing women farmers’ resilience, skills, and productivity.
Through direct engagement with beneficiaries and field staff, the visit documented both challenges and emerging good practices, including increased awareness among women regarding their economic and political rights, improved participation in group activities and local decision-making processes, and early signs of strengthened collaboration between WEC members, technical staff, and local stakeholders. The process also reinforced downward accountability by validating beneficiary perspectives and upward accountability by ensuring responsible resource utilization and alignment with donor expectations. Overall, the field-level monitoring exercise strengthened institutional oversight, promoted transparency and learning, and generated practical, actionable recommendations aimed at course correction, capacity strengthening, and adaptive management, thereby contributing to improved effectiveness, sustainability, and impact of the Empowering Her Project in advancing women’s economic and political leadership within climate-resilient communities.
