World Bank suggests PAF to work on third phase programme

The World Bank has suggested Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) to carry out rigorous planning to qualify for a possible third phase of support.
"It is time to begin thinking about how PAF III would look like," World Bank country manager for Nepal Taseen Sayed said during an interaction with PAF senior officials here in the Valley today.
She also stressed the need to establish better coordination and linkages with the public sector in its next phase. The current programme — PAF II — is coming to an end in September 2014.
The World Bank has provided grants amounting to $215 million for PAF since 2004.
The World Bank Nepal Office chief also said that the bank was ready to offer technical support for providing identity card for the poor and establishment of an oversight agency for poverty.
"Transparency and targeting are of significant importance while issuing poverty ID cards," she said. Sharing her experience on her recent visit to a PAF programme in Dhading district, Sayed said that the programme has contributed to raising awareness among poor women through intense social mobilisation. "I am really impressed with the engagement and discourse from the women members," she added.
Earlier, PAF vice chair Janak Raj Joshi briefed the World Bank Nepal Office chief on the recent measures that PAF has taken in terms of its institutional reorganisation, policy shifts and reform measures within PAF.
"We are working to re-brand PAF in terms of its acceptability, national ownership and service delivery," Joshi said.Established in 2004, PAF is the largest community development programme targeting poor women, Dalits, Janjatis and other marginalised groups.
Currently implemented in 40 districts, the programme so far has supported 19,000 community organisations to implement different income generation, community infrastructure and capacity development schemes.