1. Increased access to scholarship:
   
Before existence of SAMANATA, trend for sending children to school was obstructed due to lack of awareness abut education to the parents, child marriage, and economic crisis to manage school uniforms, stationary and other discriminatory practices from non-Dalit school teacher in the schools. One of the initiatives taken by Nepal government to increase the number of school children from Dalit community was a provision of scholarship for children below primary level, which was allocated @NRs. 350/student/ year. However, school management committee and school teachers were not serious to provide given scholarship to Dalit children. Once it is identified in 60 working VDCs, SAMANATA started to mobilize its change agents and women groups to claim scholarship from the school. It was done through increasing number of Terai Dalits in school management committee as a chairperson and lobbying to the school teacher and district education office. With several efforts exerted by SAMANATA, now 60% of Terai Dalit children below primary level are accessing scholarship and SAMANATA is still working hard to make it 100% achievement in its program area.


2. School enrolment (EFA campaign):
   
Despite the government's effort to eliminate child illiteracy through various approaches, it is hard to achieve in Dalit community. Structurally, Dalits were forbidden from getting formal education and they were exploited as the service providers to the non-Dalits in society. Therefore, educating self and the children could not become priority for Dalits in Nepal, which put them in the bottom of society as slave. Even today, Dalits in Nepal do not think important to send their children in school rather send them to graze animals and working as child labor in so-called higher caste people and in the urban area to meet their livelihood. Now, situation has been changed once the women groups, child clubs, people's organizations and pressure groups through SAMANATA started to work on their own and started to talk on Terai Dalit issues. These days, most of the children in Terai Dalit community are sent to school and are continuing their education. By the end of December 2009, all the 60-VDCs would be made free from child illiteracy if the trend for sending children remained the same.


3. Child marriage and dowry:
   
Child marriage is a chronic problem in Terai region across the country. Terai Dalits are the major victims of this practice due to ill illiteracy and poor economic condition. It is believed that marrying girl children in their early age reduces the economic burden of the parents. As a result, it makes tender girls more vulnerable to their health due to early pregnancy and also keeps them away from access to education and opportunities in lives.

Due to presence of SAMANATA, awareness to send their children in school and postpone their marriage in alter age has been seen in many places. However, single effort from SAMANATA is not possible to eliminate this age old practice.

Justice to Terai Dalits: The National Census 2001 reports a figure of 3,030,067 or 13 percent Dalit of the total country's population (22.7 million). Terai Dalit population constitutes about one million, which is 33 percent of total Dalit population.

Terai Dalits, along with other Dalit groups, have for centuries been classified by society in general as the lowest caste in society and impure in religious terms, thus making them untouchable. The notion of untouchability has affected all aspects of their lives. A report lists a total of 205 existing practices of caste-based discrimination. Terai Dalits are characterized by low life expectancy of 42 years (national average is 57 percent); the majority is landless, a low per capita income 150 USD (the national average is 300 USD); and low literacy rate of 22 percent (national average is 65 percent). Gender based discrimination against women in Nepal is deep seated in society as a whole and is just as severe within Dalit groups, resulting in Dalit women being the poorest of the poor, suppressed and most vulnerable. The decade long conflict and Terai agitation in Nepal has worsened the situation of all Dalits including Terai Dalits.

Everyday, Terai Dalits men, women and children are discriminated, exploited in various forms, are bitten, looted and sexually and physically assaulted.

All of this has persisted virtually unchecked until now, despite a Code of Common Law 1963 and the Constitution 1990 and the International Conventions on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) 1965 to which Nepal is a party, that prescribe and make unlawful the practice of discrimination on grounds of descent or occupation.

Due to SAMANATA, there have been lots of changes observed in accessing justice from the district administration office, village development committee and local and district police stations.

In particular, Terai Dalits are aware in their rights, organized to claim it, discriminatory practices in public places and schools, increase in wage rate from Rs. 30 to 100, accessing justice from local and district level administration can be easily observed.


4. Social Inclusion:
Social exclusion can be defined as ‘the inadequate realization of social rights’ (EC, 2002). Social exclusion is said to occur when ‘people or areas suffer from a combination of linked problems, such as unemployment, low skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime environments, poor health, family breakdown, discrimination and exploitation. Social exclusion is about more than income. It is about prospects, networks and life chances. It is more harmful to the individual and more damaging to self esteem for society as a whole than material poverty (Tony Blair, 1997).

Terai Dalits are the victims of social exclusion from the time immemorial. Unemployment rate among the Terai Dalits is extremely high mainly because of lack of skill required for the market; exclusion has put them far from resources required for life, it has detached them from life's chances, prospects, networks thus has harmed them to achieve self esteem for society

There are several types of CBOs, political parties and other formal and informal groups and networks in the society. However, Terai Dalits are not considered while making or forming these groups and networks. Therefore, it has increased isolation to the Dalits.

After SAMANATA intervention in the areas, significant changes have been observed in the inclusion status of Dalit men and men in CBOs, political parties and other forms of networks and forums.

Around 10 Terai Dalits men and women have been nominated as chairperson in school management committee in the program VDCs. Similarly, due to greater level interaction with political parties, a Terai Dalit woman has been nominated as constituent assembly members in CA election of April 10, 2008. It is the greater victory of SAMANATA. Similarly, there are significant numbers of men and women are promoted to party decision making positions at local level. Historical Constituent Assembly Election has selected 52 Dalit parliament members in which women's position is also satisfactory. SAMANATA had also played a greater role for the inclusion of Dalits in CA at local and national level.


5. Increased access and control over resources:
   
Before SAMANATA, all the public resource were in the hands of non-Dalits, local landlords and political power holders thus put them in difficulties. Among these resources, public land, public ponds and community forestry were the major natural resources.

Now, the public land and ponds are gradually coming under the control of Terai Dalits. Till now, 7 public fish ponds and one public land are taken by Terai Dalits with greater level facilitation supports from Change Agents, Social Mobilizers and Local Dalit NGOs. All the VDC level political parties, social leaders, Dalit workers and change agents including VDC secretaries were involved in the process of taking these ponds and public land in favor of Terai Dalits.

VDC level

Allocation of VDC budget for Dalits:
Village Development Committee (VDC) is the local government authorities with all development authorities. In absence of local elected bodies in Nepal, VDC secretaries are working as whole sole authorities who can make political and administrative decision both. From early 1998, Nepal Government has allocated NRS One million (EUR 9260 approx.) for the local development. However, at VDC level, where that money goes, no body knows. In paper, VDC secretary used to allocate NRs. 30,000.00 (EUR 277) per year for Dalit empowerment program. Rest of the money used to go in the hands of non-Dalits and VDC secretary itself.

With the presence of SAMANATA and its Change Agents and women groups, asking for whereabouts the money allocated for Dalits began. Now, the situation is reverse and VDC secretary has to proof it investing VDC allocated budget for Terai Dalits in the community. Every SAMANATA VDCs are influenced by this intervention.

District level

Budget allocation of District Development Committee (DDC) for Dalits:
Local Dalit NGO named as Dalit Social Development Centre (DSDC), working as a service contractor for SAMANATA in Kapilvastu, has been able to force DDC to allocate NRs. 51.5 hundred thousands (EUR 47269) for Dalit empowerment program. This budget will be released through District Dalit Coordination Committee (DDCC) upon the proposal received from Local Dalit NGOs and Community Groups.

To make this happen, SAMANATA in coordination with DSDC and DNF District Chapter had organized several rounds of interaction program with DDC and all the political parties in the district. In the first round of meeting, DDC had agreed to allocate budget for Dalit in education, drinking water, health and other development sectors. DSDC had claimed 22% of the DDC budget for Dalits considering 22% Dalit population in the district. Later, DDC had agreed to allocate NRs. 25 hundred thousands (EUR 23148). Later, DDC allocated only ten hundred thousands (EUR 9259).

June 6, 2008 was the final date to announce DDC budget publicly. Knowing this fact, DSDC with three hundreds Terai Dalit women and men locked the DDC Office at 7:45a.m. and remained closed till 6:00 evening. Finally, in the mediation of 12 local NGOs, human rights organizations, political parties, journalists, chief district officer and DSDC representatives, DDC has agreed to allocate NRs. 51.5 hundred thousands, which was announced on June 7th, 2008.

SAMANATA has considered it as the significant achievement of one and half year's intervention in the district.

It happened mainly due to the high commitments from Terai Dalit Community, Change Agents, Social Mobilizers, DSDC, DNF District Chapter-Kapilvastu and entire SAMANATA Team members for their courage to fight against injustice and poverty.