Over the past few months, partners across the Climate Leadership Action for Indigenous Women in Nepal (CLAN) project have been busy delivering hands-on climate solutions and strengthening local leadership across women’s groups in Nepal. 

Implemented by CIER, Salasan (Canada and Nepal), and the National Indigenous Women Forum (NIWF), with local support from the Indigenous Women’s Upliftment Centre, the project has strengthened Indigenous women’s engagement in climate resilience and advanced local adaptation efforts through small-scale initiatives and training.

A total of 25 small-scale climate initiatives have been established by partnering communities to help advance local adaptation to water scarcity, food security, and biodiversity related issues. With support from project partners, a total of 22,090 climate resilient saplings have been planted across 17 communities to enhance local agricultural opportunities and prevent hazardous landslides. Additional water and livestock management initiatives are set to be implemented by the remaining eight partner communities.

In mid-October, Indigenous Tamang women completed a training on goat-rearing that blended climate adaptation and leadership development skills. A workshop on strengthening collaboration between local government and Indigenous climate leaders was also held to strengthen collaboration between local government and Indigenous climate leaders. Representatives from six Indigenous Women’s Groups shared their progress in climate action, reinforcing a collaborative approach to inclusive, locally led climate solutions.

More recently, partners have conducted monitoring and evaluation visits across participating communities to assess progress on CLAN initiatives, including tree plantation and water management efforts. Representatives from Salasan Nepal, NIWF, and agricultural technicians joined community groups to review progress, offer guidance, and plan next steps, reinforcing not only short-term support, but long-term capacity building and mentorship.

Together, these activities reflect the power of community-led climate action and bring practical solutions and long-term resilience to the middle hills of Nepal.

For more information on the CLAN project and ways to support Indigenous women in climate action, visit CIER’s web page on the CLAN project.