Sahakarmi Samaj (SS) was formed as a non-governmental organisation in 1997 to promote self-sustainability approach for empowering disadvantaged and marginalised communities to become self-reliable and inter-dependent. The whole initiation of SS is targeted to make their equal access inclusive and a well governed society. SS believes in collective action, thus its actions are focused on providing benefits to the targeted communities by ensuring their participation in Community Groups (CG) and networking organisations(MCs & CBNOs) formed at the initiation of SS. These groups and networking organisationsare the forums for enabling marginalised people to advance their interests by engaging in collective action to increase access to resources and to influence the local government planning processes, so that they could identify better ways to access local resources for their own sustainability.

SS is recognised as the leading exponent of the Facilitation for Empowerment and Social Transformation (FEST) process-led approach for community development in Nepal. The approach was originally developed in the early 1900s while implementing a project in Surkhet. FEST is a pioneering community empowerment initiative, which enables the community groups and institutions, as well as the local government, to work towards a more just and interdependent society through critically-informed collaborative action. The approach is aimed to help disadvantaged and marginalised people to combat fatalism and to bring about sustainable, justice-oriented change through participatory analysis, planned collective actions, resource optimisation and mobilisation and constructive engagement with government and non-governmental agencies. Hence, the approach focuses on reducing external donor dependency and facilitate communities/CBOs to optimise and mobilise local and external resources in order to achieve their goals and provide support for capacity development of local government institutions to enhance their capacity for being more responsive and accountable toward marginalised citizens.SS has replicated this approach in different areas over the past 20 years by itself and has delivered this approach to other NGOs and INGOs as well.

SS has organised 20 CBNOs including around 1,000 CGs including 25,000 community people and empowering them to act as a change agent in the society. The organisation has been working for enhancing the capacity of such organisations so that they continue to take active initiation for their sustainability and addressing the issue of poor and marginalised communities.

Started from Surkhet district, the organisation has been working in 8 districts of Province number 5, Karnali and Far Western Provinces of Nepal. Rather than implementing the donor supported projects, SS has been supporting capacity development initiatives of the local government and other I/NGOs, CBOs and Networks. With the strong belief that community mobilisation and advocacy work should not be dependent on donor funding, SS has been mobilising its resources like trained human resources, office facilities and training halls for generating local resources. For example, of the total resources mobilised in 2017, SS has been able to mobilise 17 % resources from its own. As a result of its distinct approach and working modality, SS has been well perceived by the communities, local government and other networks.

SS is currently is the member of different national and international networks including FIAN and NGO Federation Nepal. SS has been working to be more professional and trying to diversify its funding base for the sustainability of the organisation. For example, SS led the consortium of five organisations including two INGOs and won an EU project. The organisation is trying to develop its capacity by being more result oriented and professional. We will continue to develop relations with other like-minded organisations and reach to the poor and marginalised communities.