January 31, 2010: The nationwide gewog training program was carried out by the department of local governance, home ministry, under the JICA’s Local Governance and Decentralization Project (LGDP) on January 11. The Integrated Capacity Building Plan, Planning and Prioritization Training was conducted in all 205 Gewogs.

The aim of the training is to effectively plan and prioritize annual grant activities in gewogs which was introduced during the 10th five year plan. The training included participants from the Gewog Tshogde in each gewog which comprised of Gups, Tshogpas, Mangmis and Gedrungs.

The training program falls under the JICA LGDP which currently supports 28 gewogs in three different Dzongkhags. This includes 8 gewogs under Trashiyangtse, 12 gewogs under Tsirang and 8 under Thimphu Dzongkhag which formed the Local Governance and Decentralization Project Phase II.

The first Phase of this project carried out works in all gewogs in 17 Dzongkhags. These Dzongkhags had been identified as JICA project Dzongkhags during the project formulation.

The project is due to be completed October this year, which began in October, 2007.The proposed budget for each gewog, approximately stood at Nu 25,000 to 30,000.

Since the project is still ongoing, no actual figures can be determined for the entire project according to Rinchen Tshering, JICA Consultant, Local Governance and Decentralization Project Phase II, GNH Commission.

 “We seek to aid the poorest Bhutanese villages to become economically self-sufficient, thus bringing pride as well as income to the community. The benefits of alternative income programs are directly related to children attending school and a decline in the illiteracy rate in Bhutan,” says Dr. Tandin Dorji, trainer from the Institute for Management Studies (IMS).

 The project also focuses on the importance of education, particularly for underprivileged children in rural Bhutan.

Dr Tandin Dorji says, education is the best way to help communities and the entire nation break the cycle of poverty and overcome the development crisis.

“There are no infrastructure facilities in our gewog. If there’s a road, it will do well to uplift the economic lifestyle of our people and people of other gewogs who do not have the road system,” says Wangchuck from Naro gewog, Thimphu.

 Dr Tandin Dorji says rural Bhutan might be at the center-stage of all growth in the future, however it continues to suffer from lack of basic infrastructure. Caught in the vicious poverty-cycle, and in the absence of adequate infrastructure, rural Bhutan finds it difficult to undertake activities that can accelerate economic growth, he adds.

Since infrastructure enables growth, SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities and threats) Internal and External analysis is believed to empower rural people with tools, knowledge, strength, and the confidence they need to promote growth and self-sufficiency.

“We had no clue as to what SWOT analysis was. After going through the training, we are able to trace the opportunities we have to bring about developmental activities in our gewog,” says Nim Dorji, Tshogpa of Naro gewog.

Investments in roads, tele-communications, power supply, drinking water facilities, schools and health care facilities have a positive effect on the quality of life in rural areas.

These facilities have been recognized as the basic necessity towards rural development by the department of local governance, under JICA’s Local Governance and Decentralization Project.

According to Rinchen Tshering, JICA consultant, the main goal is to effectively plan and prioritize the annual grant activities in the gewogs.

The trainers for the Gewog Training are provided by the Gross National Happiness Commission. Administrative officers are the crucial part of the training program.