Agriculture and Food Systems
RRN recognizes the critical importance of agriculture to Nepal’s economy and the livelihood of its people. As a primarily agrarian country, Nepal’s agriculture sector is vital for food security, employment opportunities, and economic stability. Emphasizing organic agriculture and livelihood diversification, RRN has implemented approaches like the Farmer Field Schools (FFS) and the Value Chain Development and Inclusive Business (VCD-IB) to increase income opportunities and build the capacity of smallholder farmers to bring them from subsistence to commercial stage. RRN develops sustainable food systems addressing production, distribution, and consumption utilizing local resources. RRN has played a significant role in facilitating the integration of The Right to Food and Food Sovereignty Act, championing the fundamental right to adequate, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food. Through the Right to Food Network (RtFN), RRN works in building resilience and self-reliance of farmers other capacity building activities at the local level and policy advocacy at the national level.
Education and Community Empowerment
RRN promotes quality and inclusive education in rural areas, aligning its endeavors with the national education policies and programs. RRN focuses on providing educational opportunities and vocational and life-skill training for underprivileged children, out-of-school children, and marginalized adolescents. RRN works closely with school management, teachers, children and local authorities to enhance learning experiences in rural areas. RRN’s approaches include setting and running Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDC), Community Learning Centres (CLC), and SAMVAD (Dialogue) Centres. It employs a Rights-Based Approach and methods like Participatory Learning and Action (PLA), Participatory Organizational Capacity Assessment Process (POCAP), Regenerated Freirean Literacy through Empowering Community Technique (REFLECT), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Method to empower communities through education and collective action, to fight against violence and inequality at grassroots level. RRN is equally engaged in building disaster–resilient school infrastructure for a safer learning environment. As a founding member of Children as Zone of Peace (CZOP), RRN actively promotes child rights and protection through its development interventions.
Health, Nutrition, and WASH
RRN acknowledges the significant health challenges Nepal faces, particularly in rural Nepal. These challenges include limited access to healthcare services, safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene. Despite the progress in reducing infectious diseases and maternal and child mortality rates, malnutrition remains a critical issue in Nepal. RRN focuses on improving reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH), nutrition WASH initiatives and preventing (gender-based violence) GBV. By adopting community led total sanitation (CLTS) and school led total sanitation (SLTS) approaches, RRN strengthens healthcare providers’ capacities and improves infrastructure services, including birthing centers, health posts, and menstrual hygiene facilities. RRN integrates nutrition strategies, aligning with relevant national policies to promote sustainable agriculture, diversify food sources, and improve dietary diversity. RRN also engages in generating grassroots knowledge, building capacity, and advocating for evidence-based policies at local, national and global level. RRN aims to improve health outcomes, build healthier communities, prevent diseases, and promote the right to health among rural populations.
Democracy, Governance, and Human Rights
RRN is dedicated to delivering basic services and fostering robust governance structures to uplift marginalized communities in Nepal. RRN works to reinforce governance at the local, provincial, and federal levels, focusing on capacity development of both the demand and supply sides of rights-holders and service providers. Under the demand side, RRN raises awareness, empowers, and mobilizes deprived and marginalized communities to claim their rights and campaign against prevailing socio-cultural malpractices. Under the supply side, RRN works to build the capacity of service providers for effective service delivery, transparency and accountability. In Nepal’s post-conflict context, RRN has been a pivotal advocate for conflict transformation, championing democracy and peacebuilding through comprehensive reconstruction, rehabilitation, and reconciliation efforts. RRN engages with CSOs from Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and other developing nations, actively representing and advocating for citizens’ interests at international platforms. Through such initiatives, RRN strives to enhance global solidarity and support human rights and governance reforms worldwide.
Biodiversity, Climate Change, and Environment
RRN recognizes the unprecedented challenges that Nepal faces due to climate change and environmental degradation. Remote communities, marginalized groups and indigenous people bear the brunt of the climate crisis, despite being the least responsible. To ensure that the voices and rights of the most affected populations are prioritized in climate policies and actions, RRN advocates for climate justice at national and international platforms. RRN promotes effective practices, collaborating with local communities, grassroots-level organizations and government entities to formulate local adaptation/climate resilient plans. It actively works to protect ecosystems by strengthening local and indigenous knowledge systems to build a healthier and resilient planet. It also ensures sustainable development by integrating robust environmental and social safeguards to protect the rights and well-being of all stakeholders. Through research, advocacy, capacity building, and collaboration, RRN strives to raise awareness on climate change mitigation and adaptation practices, biodiversity conservation, and safeguarding natural resources.
Law and Social Justice
RRN integrates law and social justice into its core mandate, ensuring fairness, equity, and dignity for all, especially historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities. RRN empowers individuals and communities to voice their concerns and actively participate in decision-making processes. By lobbying for policies and practices that promote social justice, human rights, and access to justice, RRN strengthens communities’ ability to drive transformative social change. RRN promotes environments that value diversity and inclusion, addressing socio-economic, political, and livelihood challenges in Nepal. Recognizing the deep-rooted issues of social exclusion and gender-based discrimination, RRN adopts gender-sensitive approaches, designing a robust Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Action Plan and implementing Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) across all its projects.
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Humanitarian Response
RRN recognizes Nepal’s vulnerability to multiple hazards, attributed to its rugged terrain and steep topography. Nepal ranks among the most disaster-prone countries globally, experiencing frequent floods, landslides, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. RRN’s establishment began with the emergency relief support and rehabilitation to the flood victims of Rapti river of Eastern Chitwan in 1992. Since then, RRN has actively engaged in humanitarian response efforts, notably during major disasters such as the Gorkha earthquake (2015), the Terai flooding (2017), the COVID-19 pandemic (2019), and the Jajarkot earthquake (2023). RRN aims to foster resilient communities through collaboration, advocacy, and proactive disaster preparedness and response strategies. RRN empowers local governments and communities through capacity building, provides technical support for disaster resilience policies and Local Disaster and Climate Resilient Plans (LDCRPs), constructs mitigation infrastructures, and advocates for enhanced DRR financing commitments at national and international levels.
