Posted on December, 08 2017

After the 2015 earthquake the Hariyo Ban Program undertook green recovery and reconstruction (GRR) activities at central level and in four seriously affected districts. This evaluation looked at the effectiveness of interventions. With a few exceptions, field activities were found to be effective in terms of timely planning of activities for recovery, building partnerships with other development partners, bringing benefits to affected populations including needy and socio-economically vulnerable households, and reducing pressure on forests and natural resources. Central level interventions including GRR training and outreach were largely successful in reaching target audiences across several sectors, and establishing soil bioengineering demonstration sites. Challenges were encountered in managing beneficiary expectations; ensuring activities met beneficiaries’ immediate needs; implementing cash-for-work activities; doing outreach to communities on GRR; and ensuring sustainability of interventions after the Hariyo Ban recovery funding ended. Recommendations cover strategic planning; quality assurance; technology transfer; cash-for-work; livelihood grants; GRR integration in disaster planning; and sustainability of program-supported activities.