Welcome to Three S Foundation

Three S Foundation is one of the leading organizations working for community development, rural development and poverty alleviation in Nepal. It has introduced an innovative and unique approach particularly appropriate for the rural areas. It launches programs of community development as per the Concept of three S (samuha = group/organization, seep = skills and sano punji = micro-finance).  These three aspects – are practical, useful and essential countries like Nepal and other developing countries.

The Foundation is focused especially on poverty alleviation and cooperatives development programmes in Nepal. It helps the farmers in the marketing linkages for their products. It provides technical, financial and policy level expertise to the needy community.

During the short period of three years, Three S Foundation, has formulated numbers of studies and conducted skill development training programs on rural development and poverty alleviation. As a result, in 2010, Mr. Krishna Bahadur Kunwar, President participated in the Raanan Weitz Project World Competition 2010 jointly organized by Weitz Center for Development Studies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Israel, UN HABITAT, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. And was placed as Third Winner for the project (Integrated Rural Development through Cooperative Lease Farming in Nepal).

Mr. Kunwar is currently associated with the Central Department of Rutal Development in Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur Kathmandu as Visiting Faculty Member. He has authored books on poverty alleviation and rural development.

It is interesting to note that Mr. Kunwar has given emphasized to establish a separate Ministry for Poverty Alleviation in 2002 (page 339, The Himalayan Poverty, Meena Prakashan, Kathmandu).

Also, being worked many years with the Agricultural Development Bank and trained in the regulation mechnism of cooperatives in Germany, Israel, Thailand, Philippines, Foundation could support in the burning issue of second tire regulatory function of the Cooperatives.

In fact, the Foundation had formulated a project on Sustainable Integrated Commercial Agricultural and Entrepreneurship Development through Cooperative Lease Farming in Nepal based on the inspiring concept of Raan Weitz’s Rehovot Approach to integrated rural development (IRD). The Foundation took initiation to implement this Project collaborating with Dhunibesi Agricultural Multi-purpose Cooperative, Naubise – 3, Dhading registered under the Department of Cooperative, Government of Nepal in 2008. The members of the cooperative belonged to the local farmers including marginal and deprived community of 3 Village Development Committees. The project worked through internal resources and there was no foreign investment so far.

Considering the gravity of the project, a governmental agency, National Agricultural Research Development Fund, has approved partial grant for the project (Management of Degraded Land through Cooperative Lease Farming) in August, 2010 for two years. It covers the soil management, irrigation, agriculture production with high value crop and marketing linkage, skill development and institutional development of the local organizations and farmer groups.

In 2011, the Foundation with its joint venture partner NGOs (Bee Group, Nepalganj and Nawa Prabhat Yuwa Sangh, Gulmi) is implementing a Microirrigation Piloting Program in the Western, Mid-Western and Far Western Region under the Irrigation and Water Management Project of Department of Irrigation, Government of Nepal.

In 2012, along with ongoing projects, the Foundation has worked the river bed farming with UNDP/MEDE in two districts.

Keeping in mind the ongoing activities and impact of the project, there have been significant works in mainstreaming inclusion and sustainability into national development policies and partnership between private sector, cooperatives and local farmers. Consequently, the roles of international organizations are highly commendable for promoting inclusive and sustainable initiatives.