BAL BHELA

Annual consultation with children using participatory tools to understand

children’s demands in their community, and incorporating them in local gov-
ernance planning process

June 2016
UNICEF Nepal Country Office
© United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Nepal Country Office

Permission is required to reproduce any part of this publication.

Published by:
Child-Friendly Local Governance Unit, UNICEF Nepal
UN House, Pulchowk, Lalitpur, Nepal
on June 2016

All maps included in this publication are stylized and not to scale.
The findings, interpretations, and learnings documented in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect
the policies or views of UNICEF. The text has not been edited to UNICEF official publication standards and UNICEF accepts no
responsibility for errors.

2
BAL BHELA
Annual consultation with children using participatory tools to understand chil
dren’s demands in their community, and incorporating them in local govern-
ance planning process

Visual mapping exercise done by child club in Bharatpur©UNICEF Bharatpur Office/2015

3
 Children gathered together / ©UNICEF Nepal/2015
Risk mapping by children in Dhanusa/©KSumaylo/2016

4
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This documentation introduces the concept of “Bal bhela,” or the annual
consultations with children where children’s voices are listened to, and their
demands are taken into consideration and reflected in the planning process
of local bodies.

This report was designed under the supervision and guidance of Anjali Prad-
han, Chief of Child friendly local governance Unit in UNICEF Nepal Country
Office. The report was compiled, edited, and designed by Ko Woon Park.
Technical inputs and materials were received from Indira Koirala and Dovan
Lawoti, Anita Dahal, Purushottam Acharya, Madhab Baral, and Pharsu Ram
Panth. Some wonderful photographs are works of Mirist, taken from child-
friendly communities in Nepal. Village Development Resource Center—
Nepal have been instrumental in conducting the research analysis of Bal
bhela in the 11 most affected districts from the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

We would like to praise the extensive support and leadership of the Ministry
of Federal Affairs and Local Development division and line agencies for the
institutionalization of Bal bhelas in the national Local Governance and Com-
munity Development Programme and their expanding commitment in pur-
suing child friendly local governance strategy.

We thank our developing partners Save the Children, Plan International, and
World Vision for their contribution and support in the initiative. We extend
our gratitude to all local bodies, social mobilizers, VDC secretaries, and
frontline workers in planning, facilitating, conducting Bal bhelas in their re-
spective communities. The passion and vision seen in them for meaningful
participation of children has been true motivation and encouragement.

5
ABBREVIATIONS
CCWB Central Child Welfare Board
CDO Chief District Officer
CFLG Child Friendly Local Governance
CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child
DACAW Decentralized Action for Children and Women
DAG Disadvantaged Groups
DDC District Development Committee
HMC Health Management Committee
IEC Information Education and Communication
IPC Integrated Planning Committee
IRC Innocenti Research Center
LDMC Local Disaster Management Committee
LGCDP Local Governance and Community Development Programme
LSGA Local Self-Governance Act
MOFALD Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development
SMC School Management Committee
TFR Total Fertility Rate
TOT Training of Trainers
UN United Nations
UNICEF United Nations
VDC Village Development Committee
VDRC Village Development Resource Center-Nepal
WCF Ward Citizens Forum
WTS Welcome to school

6
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 5
ABBREVIATION 6
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 8

01 BACKGROUND 10
02 INTRODUCTION TO BAL BHELAS 20
03 ANALYSIS 31
04 BAL BHELA DURING EARTHQUAKE 39

CONCLUSION 44

7
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
‘Bal bhela,’ the process and event of involving and consulting with children using
systematic methodology to understand their needs and demands in their commu-
nity, have fundamentally helped local government bodies in reflecting their de-
mands in local periodic and annual planning and budgeting processes. Outlined
under the national Child friendly local governance (CFLG) framework and strategy,
Bal bhela falls under the rights to child participation, as stated in the United Nations
Conventions on the Child Rights (CRC). It is a fundamental approach that promotes
the meaningful participation of children in activities and policy decision making
process that works for their best interest. According to the provision written under
the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development’s (MoFALD) ‘Child Friendly
National Strategy and Operation Procedure Guideline’, a Bal bhela event should be
conducted prior to the local government’s planning process in Village Development
Committees (VDCs) and municipalities. In the conclusion of the event, the collected
issues and demands proposed by children are submitted to the VDC council for re-
view. The demands that have been approved are reflected in the local bodies’ plan
and budget formulation for each fiscal year.

Bal bhelas has been initially designed by the CFLG Unit in UNICEF Nepal Country
Office which was later adopted and integrated in the government system of Nepal.
Since its inception, UNICEF Nepal has continuously advocated for this innovative
mechanism to be integrated in the local planning and budgeting process (for the
institutionalization in planning processes), and financially/technically supported the
needed resources (training the capacity of child clubs and the social mobilizers or
facilitators for conducting Bal bhela), to establish a working platform for children to
meaningfully participate in local government decision-making processes.

In this context, this documentation aims to holistically capture the compositions of

Bal bhela and the positive impacts it has made on children, local bodies, and com-
munities:

1. Conceptualization of the Bal bhela framework

2. Methodology adopted for the institutionalization of Bal bhela in the national
program, the tools selected, as well as the implementation process
3. Analysis on the participation of children in Bal bhelas and highlights of the out-
comes from the events
4. Adoption of Bal bhela during the Nepal earthquake of 2015

8
“Children’s participation is not just
about giving young people a voice,
but getting adults to have an ear.”

- Roger Hart

Children in Biratnagar municipality, Nepal © Mirist/2016

9
01
BACKGROUND
Children participation under the national
Child friendly local governance framework

1. State Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her views the right
to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being
given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of child.

2. For this purpose the child shall in particular be provided the opportunity to be heard in
any juridical and administrative proceedings affecting the child, either directly, or through
a representative or an appropriate body, in a matter consistent with the procedural rules
of national law.

-Article 12, Convention on the Rights of the Child,

on the right of all children to be heard in decisions affecting them

10
01 BACKGROUND
Child friendly local governance (CFLG) is a strategic framework that intends to mainstream children’s issues
in government policies, plans, systems, processes and mechanisms, especially in respect to the obligations
under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Situation Analysis
For Nepal, the growing adolescent and youth population represents a major development oppor-
tunity on the one hand and a challenge on the other. Adolescents (10–19 years) account for
nearly one-quarter of the total population and those under 25 years of age represent more than
half (55 per cent). The proportion under 25 is higher in rural settings than urban cities (56 per cent
cf. 51 per cent) and higher in the Mid- and Far Western Development Regions than other devel-
opment regions (59 per cent). Since 2006, the working age population of Nepal has been growing
at a higher rate than the total population, putting Nepal in a potential “demographic window of
opportunity,” or demographic dividend for economic growth and sustainability of social services.

However, the recent demographic and social trend shows there is a short timeframe for reaping
the benefits from this “window of opportunity.” The total fertility rate (TFR) in Nepal—the number
of children that would be born to a woman if she survives till the end of her reproductive years
and bear children in accordance to current age-specific fertility rates– has rapidly declined after
the 1980s from 6.3, to 2.6 in 2011. This trend of decreasing population size and increasing life
expectancy translates that the young population under 15 is decreasing, but the relative size of
the population in the 15-59 age bracket is increasing. The demographic pyramid of Nepal shows
the new cohorts in recent years are smaller. This means investment in children and adolescents is
especially important for shaping national development, with heightened urgency required to en-
sure that children and adolescents are well prepared to participate actively in social, political and
economic development.

Despite the window of opportunity, many youth and adolescents in these populations are highly
vulnerable, given the deficit in current levels of attention being paid to nutrition, health, educa-
tion and protection issues. The situation of children, adolescents and women must also be ex-
plored with reference to the increasing trends in internal and external migration. The 2011 census
reported that one in every four households had at least one member of their household absent to
go abroad in search of employment. More than six per cent were under 15 years of age, and 76
per cent were aged 15-34 years. Despite the vast window of opportunity, the unemployment rate
in adolescents and youth reached to 21 per cent. Youth and adolescents are migrating to seek
employment opportunities abroad.

In order to fully realize their rights and pursue the given opportunities in Nepal, adolescents and
youth need to participate in decision-making processes about matters that shape their lives. This
might be through political parties, local government bodies or non-formal organizations such as
self-help group and user committees. In this regard, Nepal has made significant strides in main-
streaming children's right to be heard. Drawing on previous examples from the Philippines and
Brazil, UNICEF Nepal and the Government of Nepal prioritized child rights and participation in its
planning and budgeting processes. The examples from Phillippines and Brazil have shown that
children and youth participation can strengthen civil society, contribute to effective and sustain-
able development progress, and strengthen social accountability in both children and adults.

11
On this basis, UNICEF Nepal conceived the CFLG framework which was designed
and adopted by the Government in 2011, and institutionalized by the Govern-
ment-led Local Governance and Community Development Programme (LGCDP).
CFLG mainstreams child rights issues related to the survival, development, par-
ticipation and protection of child into government policies, systems and proc-
esses of local governance. Due to the range of issues covered by the needs of
children, such as health, education, and sanitation, CFLG can also provide a plat-
form for sectoral convergence.

Local governance structure of Nepal

One of the central pillars of CFLG framework is the promotion on rights to child
participation in local planning processes and structures. It values and pushes for
the meaningful participation of children in influencing the communities that they
live in, through voicing their opinions in local government decision-making proc-
esses. Nepal's local governance structure is divided into two large administrative
levels formed and overseen by the MoFALD, operated and monitored by various
divisions and sections under the MoFALD: District Development Committees
(DDCs) as the upper tier, and Village Development Committees (VDCs)/
Municipalities (cities/towns) as the lower administrative tier. In Nepal, the village
bodies are called VDCs with municipalities serving the same function in city/town
areas.

Nepal is made of 75 districts which are sub-divided into 217 municipalities and
3,157 VDCs. VDCs and municipalities are divided into wards, the lowest level of
service delivery in the governance system. There are average nine wards estab-
lished in every VDC. These districts, municipalities, VDCs, and wards are grouped
and identified as "local bodies" under the local governance structure. The local
governance structure in Nepal was placed after the restoration of democracy in
1990 and the current functions of the local governance is in effect after the
promulgation of Local Self Governance Act in 1999. These local bodies are the
center of the CFLG framework and strategy.

Under the child participation pillar in

CFLG framework, “Bal bhela,” the an-
nual consultation with children is
integrated within the national
LGCDP program as a mandatory activity
for local bodies to conduct before the for-
mulation of their annual planning process.

Children participation and bal bhelas

integrated in the national LGCP program

12
 Child friendly local governance
Child friendly local governance (CFLG) is a framework and strategy that places
WHAT IS CHILD children in the center of all development policies, structures and processes in
FRIENDLY LOCAL local government. It seeks to enhance good governance at the local level
(district/VDC/municipality) by mainstreaming child’s right to protection, survival,
GOVERNANCE? development, and participation as underlined in the United Nations CRC into
local governance. CFLG also aims to ensure that all children, adolescents and
women have access to social protection, education, health care, nutrition, sanita-
tion, clean water, information, and other services, so that their rights to survival,
development, protection and participation may be fully realized.

In 1990s, UNICEF with the support of partners like the Norwegian Government
and other agencies such as World Vision, Plan International, and Save the Chil-
dren, started working with women and children at the grassroots under the prin-
ciples of decentralized planning. The experiences garnered through the Decen-
tralized Action for Children and Women (DACAW) program have fed into the
development of the national CFLG strategy, which was adopted by the Nepali
government in July 5, 2011. DACAW’s right-based approach and capacity to en-
sure sectoral convergence at the district planning level showed how CFLG could
function, and developed MoFALD interest and its commitment to the concept.
DACAW provided valuable examples of structures and processes that could en-
sure empowerment of community-based groups, participation by children, and
convergence of sectoral programs in local planning. At the district level, adminis-
trative capacity is now being strengthened through the development of periodic
and annual plans, networks, policies, situation papers and strategies for the pro-
motion of CFLG.

CFLG National Framework: Strategies, Provisions and Indicators

The UNICEF supported CFLG is a framework evolved from the previous Decen-
tralised Action for Women and Children (DACAW) program. Through its align-
ment with the MoFALD owned Local Governance and Community Development
Programme (LGCDP), CFLG was intended to mainstream children's issues in gov-
ernment policies, plans, systems, processes and mechanisms. CFLG was linked to
MoFALD and local bodies due to the following reasons:

 MoFALD has mandates to coordinate local bodies and lead CFLG process
through National Steering Committee at national level
 Local bodies are in the best position to coordinate and provide better ser-
vices for families, and protect children, as they the nearest government unit
to them.
 Local bodies are mandated for developing and coordinating the entire plan
for districts, and their implementation methods also prioritizing children’s
needs.
 CFLG is a core component and a cross-cutting issue in the MoFALD’s national
program on LGCDP as it focuses on improving local governance through the
local bodies.

13
14
In 2011, the Nepal Government approved the CFLG framework and guidelines. Under the CFLG
strategy, a VDC, municipality or district must achieve at least 80 per cent of the target indicators,
as specified by the 27 CFLG indicators, in order to be declared as a “child friendly” community.
The indicators include various aspects of child survival, protection, development and participation
such as immunization, breast feeding, access to safe drinking water, birth registration, establish-
ment and functioning of child club networks, child club representations in local government com-
mittees, and more.

The CFLG national framework suggests a number of strategies for ensuring the effective imple-
mentation of CFLG. These are the following:

 Mainstreaming of child-rights issues into policy, plans, activities and the working modality of local
bodies, including the development of auditing tools
 Policy advocacy, lobbying and awareness-raising, particularly in relation to making policy and laws
more child-friendly
 Institutional arrangements for the promotion and implementation of CFLG
 Capacity development of stakeholders and supporting agencies at various levels for the promotion
and implementation of CFLG
 Cooperation and collaboration with local and external/international development partners
 Social mobilization of community organizations and community groups including child clubs
 Social accountability and transparency, e.g. public dissemination of information and public hearings
 Social inclusion programs for children belonging to marginalized communities, the poor and disad-
vantaged groups
 Behavior change through the development of education, information and communication (IEC)
materials and campaigns; and
 Monitoring and evaluation through the minimum indicators for CFLG that have already been devel-
oped in the National CFLG guideline

As a result of the CFLG framework and the guidelines it sets forth, policy changes have trickled
down. The Local Body’s Resource Mobilization Guidelines developed by MoFALD stipulates that
every DDC, Municipality and VDC must allocate at least 10 per cent of the capital portion for chil-
dren, 10 per cent for women, and 15 per cent for disadvantaged communities. This provision al-
lows local bodies to allocate minimum fiscal resources for children, women and the disadvan-
taged, and some local bodies have allocated more than the minimum defined by the local body’s
resource guidelines. Local bodies are encouraged through the CFLG adoption process to allocate
10 to 15 per cent (15 per cent if already declared child-friendly community) resources to support
children issues.

15
 Activities under CFLG

CFLG is also a part of UNICEF Nepal's CPAP (2013-2017). UNICEF in CFLG has influ-
enced in building the framework in three distinctive areas: developing CFLG frame-
work, influencing policy provisions and listening to the voices of children. In planning
for children, CFLG puts policy frameworks and policy guidelines in place. About 80,000
child club members participate in various VDC, municipal and district level planning
committees throughout Nepal. In budgeting for children, UNICEF has influenced the
MoFALD in policy provisions to ensure that all local bodies mandatorily allocate a
minimum 10 per cent (15 per cent for child-friendly local body) of block grant (capital
grant) to be used for children. The Government of Nepal has earmarked USD 40 mil-
lion per year from block grants for children, women and the disadvantaged. In listen-
ing to the voices of children, CFLG creates a space and mechanism to listen to children
and ensure their meaningful participation in local planning and budgeting.

One of the core provisions of child rights stated in the CRC is the right to child partici-
pation. This entails children’s participation in decision making processes, social and
WHY CHILDREN cultural activities, religion as per faith, communication and information, expression,
PARTICIPATION establishing organizations, gathering, and respecting their feelings and opinions. In
another word, the right to participation means having children meaningfully involved
IN LOCAL in activities and decision making processes that serves for their best interest.

GOVERNANCE Facilitating child participation is both a national and international obligation. The right
to children being heard is explicitly mentioned in article 12(1) of the CRC. It states chil-
dren have the right to express their views freely in all matters concerning them, and to
have those views taken into account and given due weight in accordance to their age
and maturity of the child. The very general formulation of article 12(1) - the article

16
most often referred to as a basis for a child’s right to participate in decisions concerning him/
her - indicates that the right of the child to be heard applies to all circumstances, where a
decision concerning the child is made. This can be in family, school, and the community at
large - national and international levels, in judicial or administrative grounds.

In 2000, the International Secretariat was established at the UNICEF Innocenti Research Cen-
ter (IRC) Florence, Italy. The secretariat provides support to share knowledge and experience,
and promotes research analysis of strategies and practices to implement child rights at local
level. The outcome document of the UN special Session on Children stresses “Local Govern-
ment and bodies can ensure that children are the center of agendas for development. By
building on ongoing initiatives such as child friendly cities and communities without slums,
mayors and local leaders can significantly improve the lives of children “ (A world Fit for chil-
dren , United Nations General Assembly , S-27/2, 11 October 2002). The reason for advocat-
ing this framework in local governance is the growing responsibility of local authorities in the
well-being of their citizens as a result of decentralization in many countries around the world.
Within the principle of subsidiarity, local authorities are the ones closest to children and ac-
countable to address the problems confronted by them.

There are compelling reasons on why it is critical to have children participation in local gov-
ernance. Often, governments or adults fail to consider children’s best interests in decision-
making processes. It can be the role of children to advocate for their own interests. The qual-
ity of decisions and sustainability of the outcomes through children’s suggestions can be en-
hanced by their participation in governance structures and processes. As put by the Commit-
tee on Rights of the Child:

The views expressed by children may add relevant perspectives and experience and should be
considered in decision-making, policymaking and preparation of laws and/or measures as well
as their evaluation (Committee on the Rights of the Child General Comment No. 12(2009).

UNICEF encourages the creation of a ‘local system of governance committed to fulfilling chil-
dren’s rights’, by promoting child friendly cities – communities where the CRC is implemented
by the local government. The child friendly city initiative was launched in 1996 to act on the
resolution passed during the second UN Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) to
make cities livable to all. At the Conference, it was declared that the well-being of children is
the ultimate indicator of a healthy habitat, democratic society and good governance. Child
friendly cities are a platform to take child rights agenda forward in both developed and de-
veloping countries.

Children’s participation in local governance context applies

CHILDREN to their representation in local governance structures and

processes, where issues and demands related to children
PARTICIPATION are reflected in local planning and budgeting process.
These governance structures in Nepal context include local
IN NEPAL community, school (school management committee, par-
ent teacher association, student organization), integrated
CONTEXT planning committee, health management committee, ward
citizens forum, in district/VDC/municipality committees,
and local CFLG committees. They partake in actions and
plans related to children, such as periodic and annual
planning processes, project implementations, as well as
monitoring and evaluation processes.

17
 In 1990, Nepal adopted and ratified the CRC. Its newly promulgated constitution in
2015 makes specific reference to child rights and child participation under section fun-
damental rights (article 39). Nepal is one of the few countries in the South Asian re-
gion where the government has made a policy provision that has ensured participa-
tory mechanisms to listen to children at the lowest level of local governance. MO-
FALD’s national Local Governance and Community Development Programme (LGCDP-
Phase II) is supported by 14 development partners including UNICEF. The LGCDP pro-
gram has explicitly included an indicator that mandates local bodies to organize an-
nual consultations with children (Bal bhela), prior to the annual planning cycle in every
local body. This effort is to ensure that the collective voices of children are heard and
reflected during the local councils, and in the annual plans.

The national strategy on CFLG explicitly outlines children participation as a core prin-
ciple, and included indicators to ensure children participation. The policy provision
allows approximately 60,000 children club members to be represented in the 31,642
Ward Citizen Forums structures of LGCDP and in the 3,276 VDC level Integrated Plan-
ning Committees (key committee that makes decisions on the allocation of block
grants), and in CFLG committees at district, municipal and VDC level.

Children and adolescents are finding ways to participate in decision-making processes

within their community. One of the most influential and meaningful avenues for par-
CHILDREN ticipation is through child clubs. According to The State of the Children of Nepal 2015
PARTICIPATION published by the Central Child Welfare Board (CCWB), there are 22,457 child clubs in
Nepal where 431,960 children (201,301 girls and 230,659 boys) are affiliated with.
THROUGH Child clubs vary in terms of size and structure. Half of the child clubs are linked to
community-based structures, and the other half associated with schools. Children
CHILD CLUBS aged from about 8-18 years and sometimes older are members of the child clubs.

Child club structures

Participate in district level government struc-
tures (CFLG committee, Integrated Planning
District level child club network Committee, Education Committee, etc.)

Illaka Illaka Illaka Illaka Illaka

Participate in VDC level government structures

(CFLG committee, Ward Citizens Forum, School
VDC network
Management Committee, Health Management
Committee, etc.)

School-based Community-based child

child club club (from 9 wards)

* Illaka: Administrative division in Nepal govern-

ance system. Four to five VDC make up an Ilaka
18
Child clubs are institutionalized within the local governance structures and processes
through the UNICEF supported LGCDP operated by the MoFALD. The Local Body Re-
source Mobilization and Management guideline and LGCDP provides local governance
platform where youth can participate and raise their concern in decision-making proc-
esses. Through the institutionalization, child club members are invited to represent
children in local governance structures such as the Ward Citizens’ Forum, Citizens’
Awareness Centre, CFLG Committee, Integrated Planning Committee, School Manage-
ment Committee, Health Management Committee, and Local Disaster Management
Committee. They are also an integral part of the local planning and budg-
eting process through a mandatory annual consultation with children
called 'Bal bhela.’ By being a part of the local level integrated planning process,
children are able to raise concerns affecting the development needs of children and
able to participate in the resource allocation process of the local government. UNICEF
Nepal has advocated and invested in capacity building of child clubs nationwide to
empower them to become agents of change in their communities. The types of train-
ings provided by UNICEF follows:

 Leadership training
 Orientation on child rights and meaningful child participation
 Orientation on various issues related to children
 Creating wall newspaper
 Orientation on CFLG and children’s role in the CFLG strategy
 The use of participatory tools in Bal bhela
 Visual communication—photography, video production

19
02
INTRODUCTION OF BAL BHELA
Annual consultation with children to identify and understand
their demands and issues, and incorporate their recommenda-
tions into local planning process

“Bal bhela have created a forum for children to express their needs. It has made Village De-
velopment Committees and adults more accountable, since children are pressuring them. Bal
bhela are also helping convince political parties to invest more in children.”

- Jaya Shah, 15 years old

Child club member from Parsa district

Visioning exercise at Biratnagar municipality

20
02 INTRODUCTION OF BAL BHELA
“The biggest advantage of the CFLG framework, and Bal bhela, is that people have realized the importance
of listening to children...it has opened our eyes and motivates us to invest in our children. In fact, there
needs to be nationwide campaign to invest in children.”
-VDC Secretary, Parsa district

There are two main channels for children participation within the CFLG framework: the Bal Bhela, an
annual consultation with children organized by the local governance structures in identifying chil-
dren's collective needs and reflecting them in annual plans; and mandatory (or invitational) participa-
tion in local governance structures such as the Ward Citizen Forum, Citizens’ Awareness Centre, CFLG
Committee, Integrated Planning Committee (IPC), School Management Committee (SMC), Health
Management Committee (HMC), and Local Disaster Management Committee (LDMC).

Bal bhela is an annual consultation with children using participatory tools to identify the issues and
needs of children, and incorporate the solutions recommended by them in local planning process.
Facilitated by local CFLG resource persons (such as social mobilizers), child participants are gathered
for a day and oriented on child rights, CFLG, and budget provisions for children. Through innovative
tools such as risk mapping and visioning exercise, the Bal bhela event provides children a platform
and opportunity to discuss their shared issues. At the conclusion of the event, child participants not
only list their priority concerns related to children, but also recommend the possible solutions to the
issues, and deliberate how to allocate the 15 per cent capital grant earmarked for children’s issues.

Inclusive participation of children to promote the best interests of

WHY USE children is a core component of the CFLG strategy. Despite pro-
viding guidance through the CFLG framework, the guidelines
BAL BHELA? alone could not guarantee children participation in local planning
and budgeting processes. UNICEF found that children participa-
tion in local governance structures was often being carried out in
Need and Importance: an ad-hoc fashion, and did not always include the collective
voices of children, particularly those of girls and children from
1. Provides opportunity of Disadvantaged Groups (DAGs). The children chose to attend plan-
sharing their problems, ning meetings such as Ward Citizen Forum (WCFs) or Integrated
needs and desires Planning Committees (IPCs) were usually one or two child club
2. Creates environment to
members meant to represent the entire ward’s child population
work for their best inter-
and, in the latter case, an entre district’s child population. Often
est by submitting priori-
times, these representatives were not even child club members,
tized needs to govern-
and in cases where a child club member was the representative,
ance officials
they were not informed or aware of the wide-ranging concerns
3. Promotes the meaningful
participation of children and demands of the children from the VDCs of their district. To
4. Supports capacity devel- avoid such ad-hoc and unrepresentative child participation, UNI-
opment of children, child CEF wanted to develop a systematic process that could be institu-
club and child network tionalized and improved over time. To address this goal, Bal bhela
5. Provides children the was introduced as a formalized and institutionalized tool under
platform to be involved the government owned LGCDP-Phase II program to ensure chil-
in local governance and dren participation in these decision-making processes. In 2013,
democratic system UNICEF conceived the Bal bhela event. It was developed as an
innovative and participatory mechanism that would help promote
the collective voices of children and adolescents in local govern-
ance affairs.
21
Summary of Bal bhela

Where to conduct VDC/Municipality level

Why conduct To identify children’s issues and problems at local level and include them in local bod-
ies’ annual plans

How to conduct Using child friendly and child participatory plan formulation approach

Main responsibility Local bodies (VDC/municipality)

Supporting body/ Child friendly local governance committee, child welfare committee, community organi-
stakeholders zations, ward citizen forum, NGOs, line agencies etc.

Facilitation Facilitator/ social mobilizer

Resources Local bodies and other supporters

Period Annual (Plans from children need to be included in every fiscal year)

Participants  Representatives of the Tole child clubs, school level child clubs, labor child clubs
 Children of target groups who are not included in child clubs and are out of
schools
 Children not mentioned above

Children participants  2 children (at least 1 girl) from the child clubs of all wards of the VDC/municipality.
 2 representatives from VDC/municipality level child network.
 At least 2 children among the ones who are not the members of child club/child
group.
 Children, members of the Child Friendly Local Governance Municipal/VDC Commit-
tee.
 Children, members of the Child Friendly Local Governance Community/Ward Com-
mittee.
 Children, members of the ward citizen forum.
 Children, members of the Integrated Plan Formulation Committee.
 Children, members of the health management committee.
 Children, members of the school mangement committees.
 Children, members of the ward citizen forum.
 2 children (at least 1 girl) among the out of school children.
 4 children (at least 2 girls) among Dalit, Adibasi, Janajati, Madhesi, Muslim children

Children participants in 2 children from each ward citizen forum, totaling 18 children from ward citizen forums
case no child clubs in all of the VDC and 9 children representing children with disability, Dailt, Adibasi and Jana-
wards of the VDC jati community and out of school children. Total 27 children will need to participate in
this case.

Achieved from Bal bhela  Children’s issues identified and prioritized

 Service providers may get report with issues of children that need to be addressed
 Children’s demands are received and adopted by decision makers
 Children can participate in decision making meetings and seminars with the de-
mand prioritization list, and address them in effective way
 Participatory planning process enhanced, and children’s issues are addressed in a
fair manner

22
 Institutionalizing Bal bhela into government framework
SETTING UP The government owned LGCDP - Phase II was a strong entry point for institutionaliz-
ing Bal bhela in the form of child participation. The national CFLG framework was al-
BAL BHELA: ready mainstreamed in the LGCDP program as a result of UNICEF’s continuous advo-
cacy towards child-friendly governance. It was logical and strategic to include Bal
METHODOLOGY bhela concept within this framework thereby ensuring child participation enforced by
law. UNICEF collected evidence based on information from review meetings and field
visit reports, as well as anecdotal evidence that validated the lack of sufficient child
participation in local governance structures. This also proved that lack of participation
in government structures meant lack of children’s contribution in local planning and
budgeting processes.

To avoid such ad-hoc and unrepresentative child participation, UNICEF wanted to de-
velop a process that could be institutionalized and improved over time. In 2013 UNI-
CEF conceived the Bal bhela event. It was founded on the sound basis that it is a much
needed mechanism to hear collective demands by children, and that could effectively
ensure child participation in local governance. The team in UNICEF approached Mo-
FALD in 2014 with three major points on why it was crucial to launch Bal bhelas:

1. Evidence that proved insufficient child participation in local governance. The lack
of information on children’s needs was one of the core evidence.
2. Evidence on the positive results of child participation in places that rightfully in-
cluded children in planning process. Evidence showed that children can contribute
in making positive difference in their communities.
3. Emphasis on how the main objective in conducting Bal bhelas—increasing child
participation and listening to children— has already been supported by the Gov-
ernment through its CFLG national framework.

It was strongly emphasized to the Government that ad-hoc instances of child partici-
pation was not sustainable and often lead to inconsistent results. It was necessary to
have an institutionalized mechanism that includes children’s voices in local planning
and budgeting processes.

Bal bhela institutionalized in

local annual planning process

23
 As a result of UNICEF’s continued advocacy efforts, MoFALD agreed on the formalized
child participation, which was eventually incorporated into the government owned
LGCDP-Phase II program. MoFALD was further convinced to introduce Bal behals in
the 2013-2014 local planning and budgeting process in UNICEF’s 15 target districts
(585 VDCs).

The LGCDP program has explicitly included an indicator that mandates local bodies to
organize annual consultations with children (Bal bhela), prior to the annual planning
cycle in every local body. This effort is to ensure that the collective voices of children
are heard and reflected during the local councils, and in the annual plans.

Source: Government’s LGCDP Program Document—Phase II

Budget Allocation System and Modality of District Plan: Provisions on bal bhela

Growing policy support to promote child participation in Nepal:

 The Local Self-Governance Act, 1999 (LSGA) mentions children participation in Article 201
 The Local Governance and Community Development Programme (LGCDP) mentions social mobilization
and children participation in WCF and IPC
 LGCDP-II mentions children participation and Bal bhelas in Outcome 1 (Citizens and community organiza-
tions are empowered to actively participate and assert their rights in local governance)
 Bal bhelas are to be institutionalized as a compulsory mechanism
 Indicator for child participation: number of local bodies (DDCs, Municipalities, VDCs) that have incorpo-
rated children’s needs into their annual plans from Bal bhelas

24
Developing participatory tools for Bal bhela Further, it was equally important to evaluate the
Innovative participatory tools were conceptualized effectiveness of the Bal bhela in the closing of
to assist children during Bal bhela sessions that each event. The tools to review the learnings
could draw out the common concerns and needs from Bal bhela events included the H-Assessment,
among the children. Based on preliminary research, body mapping and perception matrix which was
several approaches were selected and pre-tested used both by children and adults.
by children. The tools particularly helped children
who felt restrained from speaking to comfortably 1. H-Assessment: The tool explores the
express their views. The participatory tools to as- strengths and weakness of children participation
sess children’s views included the following: in Bal bhelas and suggestions to improve.

1. Visioning: The tool allows children to draw i) 2. Body mapping: The tool explores possible
what they like about their community that is changes in perspectives, or experiences before
friendly towards them, ii) what they dislike about and after children’s involvement in Bal bhelas.
the community that is unfriendly towards children,
and iii) the vision of how they would like to see
their village or city.
Which tools from Bal bhelas did
2. Risk mapping: The tool allows children to visu- children found useful?
ally pinpoint the areas they feel safe, unsafe, and
their recommendations on the action needs to be Summary of findings from the three field visits and the
taken. review of 22 districts using the perception tool,
H-assessment and body mapping tool

3. Priority ranking (Dot ranking): The recommen-  The use of drawings to illustrate issues/
dations collected from children as results from the challenges/ fears. Drawings helped chil-
tools above, are then prioritized, documented and dren see the range of problems experi-
submitted to the village municipal councils to be enced in their communities. They also en-
reviewed and endorsed. joyed the drawing process.

 The issues/challenges and the demands

children came up with through using the
tools.

 Discussions among the group as this made

it easier to reach a consensus about im-
portant issues. Children felt coming up
with solutions was possible through group
discussions and working together.

 Risk mapping of problems within the com-

munity. These include: poor sanitation and
lack of toilets; children not attending
school due to poverty; height of water
taps; child marriage; child abuse; child la-
bor; and alcoholism, among others.

 Teachers were helpful in facilitating and

providing guidance and information (i.e.
budget amount allotted to address chil-
dren’s concerns).

25
Capacity building for Bal bhela
Bal bhela events are managed and facilitated by the facilitators. They include local re-
source persons, social mobilizers, and district level trainers. With the participatory
tools in place, the facilitators were trained on Bal bhela concept and tools, information
about the ethical and meaningful participation of children, and the ethical participa-
tion of facilitators. The first training session of trainers was conducted in October 2013.
Participants included district program officers, child rights officers and regional train-
ers from UNICEF’s 15 priority districts. From this initial session, a curriculum was devel-
oped to train the facilitators, or the social mobilizers on the use of the process and
tools. These facilitators are then assigned to conduct bal bhelas in the 3,157 VDCs of
Nepal, integrated in the national local governance LGCDP program.

 DDC PO and CRO from 15 districts are trained as Master trainer of bal bhela
 VDC secretary orientation
 SM capacity building training in districts

UNICEF support
Strengthening child clubs: UNICEF has played a critical role in building the local capac-
ity for facilitating Bal bhelas. Over several years the organization has provided exten-
sive support to establish, strengthen, and map child club networks in districts. Child
clubs being the essential part of Bal bhelas, these strong networks have greatly con-
tributed to the success of Bal bhelas thus far.

Trainings and workshops: Both UNICEF and field officers have been involved with ca-
pacity building of several key actors such as local resource persons, social mobilizers,
and district level trainers. In particular, UNICEF experts facilitated workshops on ethni-
cal and meaningful participation of children, and Bal bhela facilitation. Technical sup-
port was also provided throughout the planning process to ensure that districts were
meeting the CFLG guidelines.

During Bal bhela trainings, UNICEF is careful to link the duties and responsibilities of
social mobilizers to the LGDCP, emphasizing that social mobilizing work must be re-
lated to children, women and disadvantaged group, and why it is crucial for them to
take ownership of facilitating Bal bhelas in meeting this expectation.

26
 Bal bhela, the consultation with children, is conducted annually in every VDC/
BAL BHELA Municipality level, before the start of annual planning. It is a mechanism to raise the
collective voices of children and adolescents in local governance processes and in-
PROCESS clude them in the annual plans. The local government body or social mobilizers in
VDCs/municipalities are responsible in organizing Bal bhela sessions. The session is
conducted using a child friendly and child participatory plan formulation approach. In
these sessions, children from various social background represent on behalf of all chil-
dren in the local body. The children participating are invited from child club, child club
network, children representatives from Ward Citizens Forum (WCF), Integrated Plan-
ning Committee (IPC), CFLG committee, school, out of school children, and disadvan-
taged children.

 Period: Annual
 Responsibility: Local bodies (VDC/municipality)
 Conducting region: VDC/municipality level
 Supporting body and stakeholders: CFLG committee, child welfare committee,
community organizations, WCF, NGOs, line agencies, etc.
 Event facilitation: Facilitator/ social mobilizer
 Children participants:
 Two children (at least one girl) from the child clubs of all wards of the VDC/
municipality
 Two representatives from VDC/municipality level child network
 At least two children among the ones who are not the members of child club/
child group
 Children, members of the CFLG Municipal/VDC Committee
 Children, members of the CFLG Community/Ward Committee
 Children, members of the WCF
 Children, members of the IPC Committee
 Children, members of the HMC Committee
 Children, members of the SMC Committee
 Two children (at least one girl) among out of the school children
 Four children (at least two girls) among Dalit,
Adibasi, Janajati, Madhesi, and Muslim children

In case there is no child club in a ward, then two

children from each WCF totaling 18 children
(average 9 wards in a VDC), and 9 children repre-
senting children with disability, Dalit, Adibasi and
Janajati community and out of school children
(altogether 27 children) will be made to participate
in the Bal bhela.

Bal bhela process

2 children representatives from every Ward
Citizens Forum are invited to participate in
the annual Bal bhela event organized in the
VDC/Municipality level

27
 Children participation in bal bhela using participatory tools
Identification of children’s problems and issues
The child participants are divided into groups based on age for identifying the issues
related to children in their communities. Group one is children between 8-11 years,
and group two composed of girls between 12-18 years, and group three with boys
between 12-18 years old. They are grouped in age and gender as each may have dif-
ferent perspectives. Once the issues are identified, everyone participates in prioritizing
the issues with colored stickers and marking next to the issues they feel most impor-
tant versus least important.

Risk mapping
The risk mapping session prompts children to highlight/draw the places on a map
they feel are safe and unsafe in their community. For example, every participant can
draw a smiley face by the places they like or feel safe in. Children repeat the process
for marking places they feel are dangerous in their community—where they do not
feel safe, scared, or places where accidents happen. They can similarly draw a sad face
by these places on a map. The final part of the exercise is asking children to indicate
three things in their community that they would most like to change. Each child par-
ticipant for example can place a start next to the three they would like to change.
Group discussions are held after each segment to talk on the issues and concerns
raised by children.

Visioning exercise
Children in each group are asked on the things they like about their community re-
lated to environment (including trees, rivers, mountains, air, water, weather, seasons,
etc.)

Risk mapping
exercise
Safe places Unsafe places
 Children park  Market where girls feel
 Police station unsecured/harassed by
 House boys
 Library  Crossing river to school
 Schools that has high risk of flood
 Child club  Polluted areas
 Unsafe forest areas
 Accident prone roads
 Ponds where they feel risk
of drowning
Risk mapping exercise during bal bhela

28
Visioning exercise Like
Girls group (ages 12-18)  Clean road
 Involvement in social activities
 Computer facilities in school
 Plantation and greenery
 Love and support to children
Dislike
 Alcohol places near school
 Child marriage
 Domestic violence
 Polluted areas
 Child labor
 Teacher absenteeism
 Corporal punishment
Vision
 Greenery everywhere
 No gender discrimination
 No child marriage
 No child labor
 Risk-free from natural hazards
 Safe road with bridge to reach school
 Love and support for children
 Regular opening of school

Visioning exercise at Biratnagar municipality

Child participants are also asked about the things they do not like about their commu-
nity in terms of environment, such as weather, heat wave, cold wave, flooding, land-
slides, fire, waste disposal, pollution, etc. The last stage of the exercise asks children on
how they want the community to look like in the next five to ten years in terms of en-
vironment. Children came up with visions such as having a more green community
with more trees planted, warm classrooms, clean ponds where children are able to
swim, strong bridges, and less polluted areas. Facilitators of Bal bhela enabled to cre-
ate an environment for children where they can express what they have seen and ex-
perienced through drawings without being influenced by adults.

Prioritization of issues and demands

Once the issues and problems are collected from the risk mapping and visioning exer-
cises, facilitators with children discuss on distinguishing issues and problems. They are
then asked again to to think of solutions to the identified issues/problems, and come
up with plans and programs that can address these in real life context. Once a consen-
sus is reached, children’s demands (programs to the issues raised during Bal bhela) are
transferred on a plan with an estimated budget to be submitted to the VDC council for
review and approval.

Some examples of demands raised by children in Bal bhela are as follows: Building
child friendly taps, having extracurricular activities in schools, purchasing stationary
needed for orphaned children, conducting birth registration, school enrollment, and
child marriage campaigns, construction child-friendly water taps and toilets in schools,
construction of library, leadership training for children.

29
Children’s demands allocated to local planning and budgeting
The demands submitted by children to the VDC/municipality are re-
viewed, selected, and approved by the VDC/municipality council. The
approved demands are included in the annual planning process of the
local body, and reflected in the budgeting plan for the allocation of the
approved programs.

USD 12,200 USD 12,200

30
03
ANALYSIS
Analysis on children participation in Bal bhelas and the
positive impacts from the results after conducting Bal
bhelas

“ In the past, there was no children’s participation in plan formulation process. One boy and one girl
were made to participate in the name of children’s participation, but their voices were not listened
to. Children used to remain unknown about the activities of local bodies. There were no involve-
ment in planning process. The conduction of Bal bhela has guaranteed children’s participation in
the planning process of local bodies. The have listened to children and the programs we have pro-
posed and reflected in the next year plan. This participation opportunity has boosted our morale.”

- Jaya Shah, Secretary, District child club network

31
03 ANALYSIS
The involvement of children in these planning processes has also proved to be an effective mechanism to
increase local government’s accountability towards children and commitment to CFLG.

Bal bhelas have proved to be a useful and thus far successful tool as part of the CFLG framework.
It promotes the active participation of children in local governance, starting from the ward level
up to the VDC level. Through Bal bhelas, children have been able to actively participate and have
their collective voices heard during the local planning and budgeting processes. This in turn
helped ensure that the 10-15 per cent of the block grant for children is spent on activities that
directly reflect the demands of the children. Bal bhelas has also provided a platform for children
to draw attention to issues that in past might have been ignored, or ones that children felt they
were insufficient to address.

The involvement of children in local governance has also helped enhance local bodies ownership
of development activities as the most needed demands of the communities are emphasized dur-
ing the Bal bhela process. Child involvement in these budgeting processes has avoided funds be-
ing channeled to the usual infrastructure projects. Rather, it has increased attention on other, of-
ten ignored but equally important developmental goals. Further, Bal bhelas have encouraged
multi-sector convergence, as the issues and demands prioritized by children cover a wide range
of sectors such as health, education, and sanitation.

Even more, the involvement of children in these planning processes has also proved to be an ef-
fective mechanism to increase local government’s accountability towards children and commit-
ment to CFLG within the broader LGCDP Phase-II.

32
Analysis of Bal bhela participation in several program districts

Bajhang
Total participants:
1,448
58%

Saptari
Total participants:
6,075

The common issues raised by children during Bal bhelas are the following:
 Child marriage
 Child labor
 Child abuse
 Sanitation related issues (open defecation, littering, etc.)
 Girl child discrimination
 Immunization and health related issues
 Teacher absence in schools
 Out of school children (particularly girls and children from disadvantaged
group
 Lack of recreation materials (playground materials, sports equipment, etc)
 Birth registration
 Nutrition issues (for children and pregnant mothers)
 Lack of clean water

Demands prioritized by children during Bal bhelas:

 Campaigns against child marriage
 Immunization campaigns
 Welcome to School (WTS) campaigns to encourage school enrollment
 Education about sanitary pad use
 Sports equipment and playground materials for schools
 Leadership development training for child club members
 Street drama to raise awareness about risks of open defecation
 Separate toilets for boys and girls in schools
 First aid kits in schools
33
 Saptari
Total participants: 6,075

Dadeldhura
Total participants:
504

* Chhaupadi: Social tradition in the western part of Nepal for Hindu women which
prohibits them from engaging in normal day activities and encountering with family
members during menstruation because they are considered impure during this period.

What did children learn through the Bal bhela process?

CONSULTATION Children discovered and learned about the various problems and challenges faced in
their communities through the problems and issues finding exercise using participa-
WITH CHILDREN tory tools. Through Bal bhela orientation, they learned about local planning and budg-
eting process (how there is a mandatory budget allocation for local bodies to spend
towards children development), and the areas which they can be involved in making a
positive change for the children of the community. Children were also educated about
their rights, such as the right to survival , development, protection, and participation.
They have gained confidence through knowledge creation from Bal bhela that they
can be agents of change by advocating for their own rights in local planning and
budgeting process.

* Based on the summary of findings from field visits and review of 22 districts using the
participatory tools in Bal bhela

VDC secretaries are at the final stage of the Bal bhela consultation process, where the
CONSULTATION demands raised by children during the Bal bhela are submitted to the VDC councils
and waiting for approvals to be incorporated in the local annual plan and budget.
WITH VDC Based on evaluation report with the VDC secretaries, they strongly felt that Bal bhelas
have allowed children to articulate their collective needs and demands. Previously,
SECRETARIES there was no platform that children can take leverage to speak about their needs. The
Bal bhela platform established under the CFLG framework has provided children and
adults with the opportunity to realize the importance of listening to the voices of chil-
dren.
34
 Because of the plans submitted by children, the allocation of funds towards address-
ing these demands have become a more regular and systematic process, as opposed
to being ad-hoc basis in the past. In some occasion, political parties can be obstacles
in implementing the prioritized projects raised by children, sometimes influencing
VDC decisions despite the results from Bal bhelas. Nonetheless, one of the Secretary
group mentioned that having Bal bhelas (and CFLG guidelines) makes it harder for
political parties to force VDCs to allocate budget spending according to their de-
mands.

According to the VDC Secretary group, Bal bhelas allow children to express their views
and build self-confidence. It helps develop their capacity and leadership, teaching
them to develop policy plans to address their needs. Further, the goals under CFLG
framework and Bal bhelas, as well as the meaningful outcomes from the execution of
the projects recommended by children have led to their understanding and stimulated
motivation to invest more in their children. “I’ve always known that education is im-
portant for my own children. Now the same priorities under education can be applied
to children throughout the community,” shared one VDC secretary. On this basis, they
have suggested there needs to be a nationwide campaign to invest in children of Ne-
pal.

The involvement of children in local decision-making processes through Bal bhela

EXAMPLES OF have resulted in the empowerment of children, made both children and adults to be
socially accountable actors, and directly benefited the well-being of all children
POSITIVE throughout the community with improved services on education, sanitation, protec-
tion, health and nutrition, and their rightful participation in local planning and budget-
OUTCOMES FROM ing processes. The following examples delineate the positive impacts made in commu-
BAL BHELA nities after conducting Bal bhela.

35
01| Example of demands raised by Children through Bal Bhelas and
addressed by Municipal council / Sunwal Municipality - 2070/71

Sunwal municipality of Nawalparasi

district planned, budgeted and re-
flected the voices of children in its
overall planning process. It is the first
municipality in Nepal to have been
declared child-friendly in June 2015.
Sunwal municipality developed a
three year investment plan with the
allocation of the 15 per cent capital
grant for children. The municipality
utilized 100 per cent of this grant in
the last two years (2013-2015), ad-
dressing the demands (in chart
above) proposed by children from a
Bal Bhela session.

36
02 | Learnings from Parsa district
The CFLG team held a Bal bhela review in the Birgunj Municipality of Parsa district, where
participants included VDC secretaries, social mobilizers, and child club members. In break-
out sessions with these groups, discussions were held on the activities conducted during
and after Bal bhelas, accomplishments achieved in the community due to CFLG and Bal
bhela as well as challenges and areas of improvement.

Children remarked that they enjoyed the tools used during the Bal bhel events. They
learnt about their rights as well as the local budgeting and planning process, and how
they could become involved in these processes. The use of drawings helped them see the
range of problems being experienced in their communities, and the discussions that fol-
lowed helped them find solutions as a group. This engagement in issues affecting their
own lives made them feel included in their community, educated about the governance
process, aware and passionate about child rights, and optimistic about what they could
achieve together.

In just a year, Parsa district has experienced progress in education, sanitation and other
areas of development. Children commented on some of these accomplishments. Aware-
ness campaigns have increased student school enrollment and birth registration. In one of
the VDCs, after the lack of toilets was prioritized in their Bal bhela and consequently ad-
dressed by the district, the number of toilets went up from 20 per cent to roughly 70 per
cent of households. A child club in Parsa succeed in instituting a fine for not disposing
garbage properly; as a result, the sanitation situation in their municipality significantly
improved. Many of these positive outcomes have led parents and adults to see the posi-
tive changes happening in their community due to child participation and child clubs. In
discussions with the VDC Secretaries, many had positive feedback on Bal bhelas.

Further, some commented on the fact that interaction of children from various groups has
resulted in a decrease of discrimination among communities. With children being aware
of the budget allocated for them, funds are now actually being spent on children issues.
Many agreed that Bal bhelas have contributed to accelerating village development. Lastly,
they liked how Bal bhelas helped develop leadership skills of children, by teaching them
to develop policy plans to address their needs, and instilled civic values in the children.

37
03 | Learnings from Saptari district
For the implementation of Bal bhelas in Saptari district, UNICEF took a number of steps:

1. Discussed Bal bhela initiation and implementation plans with local officials
2. Two District Development Committee (DDC) officials along with UNIEF Governance
Officer were given Training of Trainers (ToT)
3. A one day Bal bhela orientation was held for local VDC Secretaries by the DDC with
the technical and financial support of UNICEF
4. A two day training on Bal bhela facilitation and tools was conducted by UNICEF for
social mobilizers, who would facilitate and conduct the VDC level Bal bhelas
5. UNICEF held ToTs for social mobilizers and local resource persons
6. UNICEF provided financial support for local resource persons and covered monitoring
costs
7. Of the 110 VDCs in Saptari that conducted Bal bhelas, UNICEF has financially sup-
ported 35 VDCs
8. UNICEF or DDC officials attended around 30 Bal bhela events at the VDC level to pro-
vide social mobilizers with additional facilitation support as well as monitoring

After conducting the Bal bhelas, most VDCs incorporated all demands in the council
meeting. The children’s demands not incorporated at the VDC council, were forwarded to
the Illaka-level (administrative region; anywhere from four to five VDCs make up an Ilaka)
Council. The Saptari DDC approved all Bal bhel demands from the Illaka-level council
meeting.

Additionally, the Bal bhela conducted in Saptari is a good example of empowering chil-
dren as a result of their engagement in Bal bhela. The Laligurans child club network of
Kalvanpur VDC in Saptari district was trained conducting Bal bhela and on the importance
of the role of children in local governance. Based on the demands raised by the children
through Bal bhela, the VDC allocated 15 per cent of its capital budget for development
projects related to children. However, during project implementation, the VDC secretary in
consultation with other political representatives, decided to transfer the allocated funds
towards children to potable water and irrigation canal projects. The change of decision
came to the attention of the Laligurans child club. Members of the child club approached
the VDC secretary requesting for the release of funds that was initially budgeted for their
programs. They have also discussed the issue amongst themselves with the leadership of
a female Dalit chairperson of the child club network. Total 15 members (eight boys, seven
girls) visited the Chief District Officer’s (CDO) office with a written complaint. Upon hear-
ing their story, the CDO took immediate action in consultation with the DDC and con-
ducted an investigation on this matter. The issue was resolved within three days time.

This case has shown the empowerment level of child clubs and their determination to
claim their rights. This has also proven to be a strong and effective mechanism to control
the misuse of budgets and ensure effective utilization of funds allocated for children.

38
04
BAL BHELAS DURING EARTHQUAKE
Children were key players during and after the magnitude
7.8 earthquake that devastated Nepal in April 25, 2015.

39
04 BAL BHELAS DURING EARTHQUAKE
About 2,000 children participated in the consultation using participatory tools to voice their current needs
and immediate priorities.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake devastated Nepal in April 25, 2015 taking away many lives and dam-
aging myriads of houses. An aftershock two weeks later with magnitude 7.2 raised the death toll
from the two earthquakes to nearly 9,000 people. Countless number of public institutions like
health facilities and schools were severely damaged. Many children were orphaned from losing
their parents or caretakers, which placed them at high risk of trafficking, violence and harm.
Against the backdrop, there was a pressing need for the greater attention to the protection of
children reducing human-induced vulnerabilities which was at bigger stake after the earthquake.
The post earthquake context was critically important for all stakeholders to keep efforts intact to
mainstream child issues and concerns in time of crisis. Attention to children concerns from the
effects of the earthquake was equally demanding and critical to carry on the efforts that have
been already put through CFLG to promote child protection.

In this context, UNICEF with Save the Children, World Vision, Plan International, organized consul-
tations with children, or Bal bhela with children in the most affected 14 districts covering 28 VDCs
and all 14 district headquarters. About 2,000 children participated in the consultation using par-
ticipatory tools to voice their current needs and immediate priorities. They were also encouraged
to recommend local authorities how they can address their needs. UNICEF in partnership with
Vijaya Development Resource Centre (VDRC-Nepal), implemented the capacity building program
for VDC Secretaries and social mobilizers particularly focused on CFLG and the process of con-
ducting Bal bhela so that they can effectively collect issues from children and incorporate in local
level planning process.

A female student participating in the consultation with children, traces the outline of the body of another participant, who is lying
40 on a
white sheet of paper at Salyantar VDC in Dhading, one of the districts affected by the earthquake© UNICEF Nepal/2015/ NShrestha
 Children participation in Bal bhelas at VDC level showed relatively equal gender partici-

MAJOR FINDINGS pation. The percentage of boys was 51 per cent while girls was 49 per cent. Study also
found that participants from the Muslim community (Harmi VDC, Gorkha) seemed low-
est in number.

Distribution of children participation in Bal bhela / Source: VDRC

Out of the 165 VDCs that have received orientation prior to their local planning process,
nearly 42 per cent have conducted Bal bhelas to listen to the voices of the children on
the aftermath of the earthquake.

Districts No. of Bal bhela con- No. of tool practice fol-

ducted VDCs lowed VDCs

Gorkha 6 2

Dhading 4 -

Makwanpur 10

Nuwkot 5 5

Rasuwa 0 0

Kavre 9 9

Sindhupalchowk 7 5

Sindhuli 12 12

Dolakha 4 4

Ramechhap 5 4

Okaldhunga 7 3

Total 69 53

41
 Children raised the following issues with the participatory tools : Modified H-
MAJOR ISSUES Assessment, body mapping, expressive drawing and visioning exercise.

RAISED BY  Schools are not child friendly

 Toilet facility is unavailable in school
CHILDREN  Child-friendly tap is unavailable in school
 Smoking and alcohol problem in village
 Children do not receive opportunity to participate In W/S and seminars
 Extracurricular activities are not conducted in school
 Child information centers are not provided in VDC
 Drinking water is unavailable
 Few awareness raising programs on child rights
 No playground in school
 Child-friendly park and garden unavailable in VDC
 VDC block grant for children not expanded
 Children deprived from participation in programs that concern them
 Child-focused activities not organized in school
 Low participation of children in meetings
 Child marriage
 Not many disability-friendly schools
 Child violence
 Insufficient education materials
 Additional household chores for children

Modified H-Assessment tool Body mapping tool

What children liked What children disliked

After Earthquake

42
Based on the above issues, children came up with the following solutions (demands) to
address these issues.

 Sports materials purchase in schools

 Capacity building program for children
 Materials supply for drawing competition
 Building library
 Child-friendly VDC learning visit
 Replacement from cottage to permanent house structure
 School building support
 Provision of education materials
 Playground construction
 Awareness programs
 Trek construction to school
 Child-friendly toilets in schools
 Bridge reconstruction
 Playground construction
 Extra postal office service support

Data shows that out of the 50 VDCs in 11 severely affected districts, 22 per cent of the
VDCs have allocated 15 per cent of the VDC block grant to address children’s demands.
The VDCs have also taken the initiative to become a CFLG-adopted local body. 78 per
cent of the VDCs have allocated 10 per cent of the block grant for children’s demand.
Among the 50 VDCs, the VDC councils of all the 50 VDCs have approved in total 74 per
cent budget in children’s demands.

Bal bhela was instrumental in listening to children’s voices in times of post-earthquake

situation. Through this first collaborative effort, UNICEF and its partners were able to ad-
vocate for children’s voices to be reflected into the sectoral and cross-sectoral recom-
mendations of the final PDNA report, which is a major bottom- up policy influencing tool.
The key wins were in the areas of Education, WASH, Social protection, and Disaster Risk
Reduction. For example, recommendations related to temporary learning spaces,
provision of textbooks, learning materials, psychosocial training, trained teachers, and
segregated toilets and sanitation facilities for adolescent girls have been incorporated in
the PDNA’s Education chapter. Similarly, gender issues around privacy and personal hy-
giene for girls, increased work burden and recommendations for toilets, including
separate toilets for girls with proper lighting facilities, have been addressed under its
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) chapter. The Social Protection recovery strategy
recommends the implementation of Child Friendly Local Governance, which would
address the recommendation made by children to be involved in recovery and recon-
struction processes. The recommendations from children will also influence the upcoming
local level annual plans.

43
CONCLUSION
Key lessons learned
Inclusive participation of children to promote the best interests of children is a core compo-
nent of the CFLG strategy. In this regards, Bal bhelas have proved to be a particularly useful
innovation tool and mechanism since it promotes the active participation of children in local
governance in all local body level (ward up to district level). It also encourages multi-sector
convergence, as the views of and issues prioritized by children cover a wide range of sectors
such as health, education, and sanitation. In particularly, the use of the participatory tools al-
lows children to voice their views without being influenced by adults’ decisions or thoughts.
Bal bhelas have created a platform for children to speak up on their concerns related to them
and the solutions to these problems. They can have leverage through this platform and influ-
ence local government planning and budgeting process by having their demands approved by
the VDC and incorporated in the local plans. By doing so, both children and adults are socially
accountable for their commitments. This particularly gives and enhances the ownership of lo-
cal bodies, and their accountability towards children.

Key challenges
In some occasion, it may be a challenge to have Bal bhela due to lack of child clubs in VDCs
and wards. Although quite diverse, some wards are absent from being represented. Lack of
child clubs mean shortage of child club members to be represented, as these members also
perform in governance structures (WCF, HMC, SMC, etc.). Under representation of children in
Bal bhelas may lead to narrowed perspectives and skewed outcomes. In order to mitigate this
situation, it has been emphasized in the Bal bhela guidelines, and social mobilizers trained, on
the importance of having inclusive and equal representation of children from all background.

Another challenge in conducting Bal bhelas is the wide range of facilitation skills of the social
mobilizers. While some may be well-trained, some may lack knowledge and skills in discreetly
conducting the Bal bhela. The roles of social mobilizers is crucial, as the results from the Bal
bhelas can be highly influenced from their methods of facilitation. Depending on their facilita-
tion skills, children can feel comfortable and confident in expressing their opinions, and vice
versa. Ever since the inception of Bal bhela, UNICEF has been continuously investing in capac-
ity building of social mobilizers and frontline workers focusing on the process of conducting
Bal bhela with the full knowledge on CFLG framework in which Bal bhela is placed under.

Lastly, the possible time constraint of VDC Secretaries imply their tendency in being reluctant
to give time in listening to children. VDC Secretaries are often time overburdened with respon-
sibilities to look after several VDCs and thus may not be able to commit as much time as they
would like to.

44
Recommendations
For Bal bhelas to become an anchored component in the local governance system,
areas of improvement can be on the following:

 Capacity building of social mobilizers with skills on child club mapping, as well
as strengthening district wide child club and child club network
 Capacity building of social mobilizers/facilitators need to focus on skills on
child facilitation. The facilitators need to be attentive in knowing how to guide
children in expressing their thoughts and voices using the participatory tools,
and during discussions in Bal bhela event.
 Striving towards inclusive and equal participation is key. It is a strict guideline
written in the Bal bhela manual that equal representation of children from
different social backgrounds (child clubs, ethnicity, disabled, out of school and
disadvantaged children) is mandatory as the collective voices of children
should be representing children from all background.
 Enhancing knowledge of VDC Secretaries in identifying and prioritizing chil-
dren specific and children focused activities is crucial. VDC Secretaries are the
focal point in allocating and utilizing the 10-15 per cent block grant towards
children. Building their skills in understanding the needs of children, and their
rights will help them during planning process.

As Sherry Arnstein stated in “A Ladder of Citizen Participation,” the highest degree of

citizen participation is the model of child-initiated participation, in which the decisions
made by children are shared with adults.” Keeping the balance of involvement from
children, and decision making from adults is critical and the key factor in realizing an
ideal meaningful participation of children in a child friendly local governance structure.

The introduction of this participatory mechanism and systematic consultation process

on listening to the collective voices of children can be applicable in any country that is
working on decentralized planning. This will ensure that the voices of children are
heard and addressed at the local level in a systematic manner owned and led by the
local government holding them accountable.

45
UNICEF Nepal Country Office
UN House, Pulchowk
Kathmandu, Nepal

Tel: 977-15523200
Fax: 977-15527280
www.unicef.org/nepal
[email protected]

www.facebook.com/unicefnepal
www.twitter.com/unicef_nepal
www.instagram.com/unicefnepal
Www.youtube.com/unicefinnepal

46