Role of NGO in distribution of Housing Grant

Many NGOs supported the distribution of Housing Grant, NPR 200000, to the earthquake victims who lost their homes in April 2015. They helped National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) by providing logistics and human resources during the enrollment of the beneficiaries. 

Housing Recovery and Reconstruction Platform (HRRP) supported the housing grants distribution program of National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) which was started in Singati, Dolakha as pilot project. Soon after NRA declared the date of enrollment, HRRP started coordinating with all the agencies working in Dolakha so as to harness their support for the process.  

In one of its coordination meeting, the platform nominated an organization,  NSET, as district lead partner organization (PO) to manage all the enrollment activities in the district. 

HRRP facilitated the pilot project in Singati through coordination, knowledge management and communication. In fact, HRRP was conveying information from NRA to the POs and back. Likewise, it also mapped the resources needed, and appealed the same to POs for their support. Moreover, HRRP made an interagency coordination for garnering resources—human and logistics—needed for the enrollment process. 

The enrollment of beneficiaries through the process of grant distribution was divided into three phases, namely pre-enrollment, enrollment and post-enrollment. 

A. Pre-enrollment Phase

The housing platform in the district conducted a number of coordination meetings followed by field observation of enrollment site. Next, it also mobilized POs for community mobilization in the villages so as to disseminate clear information to the people. Likewise, it also facilitated FM stations and local magazines to broadcast and cover the relevant information on enrollment. 

Next, HRRP harnessed the pledge of all the POs thereby garnering both the logistics and human resources. The enrollment site was thus prepared entirely through the effort of all the agencies working in the district. 

B. Enrollment Phase

During enrollment, there were separate desks namely, pre-document checking, information dissemination, document verification and filling of agreement forms, agreement desk, opening of bank account, technical information dissemination and grievance registering. 

i. Pre Checking of Documents 

The beneficiaries were guided through queues to this section. The volunteers assigned checked the availability of required documents, i.e. citizenship, land ownership certificate and CBS survey slip. Those having all the three documents were given access to the information desk. Otherwise, they were either returned or advised to go to the grievance registering desk. The beneficiaries could show photocopy of their documents in this section. 

ii. Dissemination of Information 

The beneficiaries coming to this section were registered first, then checked if their name matches with the list published by NRA.

Provided that they have all the documents, they were given the pertinent information on how to go ahead in the enrollment process. The information provided were installment of the grant, responsibility of the house owner and the government, and answer to any question they might ask. The beneficiaries were then sent to document verification desk.

If they have any issues, they will be guided to the particular desk that may address their problem, including grievance registering desk. To ease the process, they were given a slip with specific letters that represented the particular desk and a serial number. 

iii. Document Verification and Filling of Agreement Form

The photocopies were matched against the originals. In case of the documents with poorly visible dates, names and other credentials, further verification from the VDC secretaries or his/her assistants was needed. Therefore, it was imperative to deploy at least one government staffs, preferably a local one, in this section.  

After this scrutiny the volunteers of the POs filled two copies of the agreement forms for each of the beneficiaries. Likewise, two photographs, one for each copies, are needed to fill the forms.   

iv. Signing of Agreement 

The VDC secretary, after checking the documents, signed on the two copies of the agreement form. Meanwhile, the staffs of the POs helped him/her in further checking the documents, stamping and arranging the same. In addition, the secretary required his/her assistant to check the documents so as to avoid any variations. One copy of the document was kept at VDC secretary for official purpose where as another copy went with the beneficiary to push the process ahead. 

v. Upload into MIS

The signed documents were scanned and uploaded into MIS. An android tablet was used, in each desks, so that the scanned photographs were directly synched into the server. 

vi. Opening of Bank Account

The beneficiaries, with the signed agreement, were processed for opening of bank account. The bank staffs and volunteers assisted beneficiaries to fill two firms, one for account and another for ATM. It required 4 photographs. Further, the beneficiaries were given codes after opening of the account which will be used for identification during future transaction. Alternatively, if one has an account already in the same bank, the code/account number was registered for further processing.

vii. Dissemination of Technical Information

Engineer from DUDBC, Dolakha, together with technical staffs from POs oriented beneficiaries on building construction. So far, the information disseminated were display of 17 designs of earthquake resistant model houses, the cost involved in each, and process of attaining money in each of the three installments. Likewise, they disseminated the techniques of earthquake resistance to the ones who are willing to build the house of their own design.

The technical orientation sessions were conducted by using multimedia devices. 

viii. Registering of Grievance

The people who were not lucky enough to get through the enrollment process were directed to this section to register their problems. In this section, people could come either from documents pre-checking, information desk or document verification section.  

Usually, a government staff accompanied by POs staffs helped to register grievances through filling form. The beneficiaries also needed counselling and assurance that their problems will be addressed as soon as possible. 

C. Post Enrollment Phase  

After the beneficiaries went through the enrollment process, the next steps would be review of the process for betterment, management of the documents thus produced and the disbursement of the grant.