The Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) has agreed to provide a grant of US$ 2.6 million to Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF)'s new project ‘Making Markets Work for the Conflict Affected Nepal’ to enhance the opportunities and share of poor rural artisans in the crafts and cultural market.

The project will be implemented in nine districts—namely Myagdi, Gorkha, Tehrathum, Rupandehi, Dhanusha, Lalitput, Bajura, Dailekh, and Kapilbastu. The initiative seeks to improve the livelihood of the internally displaced, landless and vulnerable communities, poor women and differently abled, whose lives depend in the cultural industry.

Addressing the lunching ceremony of the project, Janak Raj Joshi, vice chairman of PAF said this innovative project aims at addressing a root cause of unrest and distress by enabling the beneficiaries to access sustainable livelihoods by strengthening their traditional skills and make inroads into mainstream markets.

"The pilot project will test a new model for improving the livelihoods of the most vulnerable communities in politically sensitive and lagging regions that depend on the craft sector for their livelihoods," he added.

The World Bank (WB) is the administrator of the grant fund while PAF is the implementing agency of the project. JSDF is an official development assistance program administered by the World Bank on behalf of the government of Japan.

The four-year-long project intends to bring opportunities for 8,000 beneficiaries, who are, despite being highly skilled, forced to migrate to the urban centers as laborers and un-skilled workers. Nepalnews.com