INTRODUCTION

BHAKARI is supporting communities, households and individuals in their journey to self-reliance, while reducing the overall humanitarian caseload of the Karnali River Basin area. Mercy Corps Nepal is managing the BHAKARI program, supported by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA). BHAKARI is a unique model as a Multi-Year Emergency program, focusing on both increasing long-term food security while also responding to short-term emergency shocks, via an integrated, multi- sectoral approach with a strong emphasis on gender and social inclusion. Key sectors include disaster risk reduction, integrated agriculture, watershed management, and emergency assistance, and will be implemented in partnership with six district-level implementing partners, three national-level technical partners, and one international social enterprise partner, taking careful advantage to leverage work with other USAID implementers, donor programs, and key initiatives from the Government of Nepal. The BHAKARI activity will establish mechanisms for short-term cash support—through both the activities and government’s systems—while linking longer-term resilience to agriculture, water, financial inclusion, DRR and community capacity strengthening. Concurrently, BHAKARI layers an intentional focus to address the root causes of gender inequity and social exclusion.

BHAKARI AT A GLANCE

WHAT

Meet the emergency food needs of vulnerable and socially excluded households in Karnali River Basin while building food security and resilience for the future.

WHO

“One BHAKARI” partnership model with Viamo, NTAG, SAPPROS, Rupantaran, BNA, WAC, SAEWCC, RCDC, KIRDARC, and HuRENDEC, with close collaboration with the Government of Nepal.

HOW

The three-year (October 2020 – September 2023), $15 million program will support over 22,350 vulnerable households across six districts in the KRB in increasing availability and access to food and sustainable water sources for productive purposes and will reduce the impacts of natural disasters.

BHAKARI GOALS

Theory Of Change

IF vulnerable households have:

Increased social inclusion and empowerment.
Increased access to nutritious food through emergency cash transfers,agricultural production, and livelihoods.
Increased availability to reliable water resources through improved systems and management.
Increased information and nutrition, engagement in participatory disaster planning.

THEN they will be more food secure and resilient to shocks and stresses.