Evaluation of the South-Eastern Nepal Hotspot to Reduce the Prevalence of Bonded Labour

The Institute of Development Studies (IDS), in partnership with ActionAid Nepal (AAN), has been carrying out a programme of research, learning, and evaluation in relation to the Freedom Fund’s ‘hotspot’ in South-Eastern Nepal. The hotspot programme was established in 2015, and at the time it was the first coordination action to specifically target a form of inter-generational bonded labour in agricultural and domestic work, known as HarawaCharawa. The main objectives of the programme are: (1) sustained liberation of HarawaCharawa community members, (2) wider social mobilisation and government action against Harawa-Charawa bonded labour, and (3) increasing civil society’s capacity. The objective of this evaluation is to provide an overall, independent assessment of the hotspot, particularly in regard to the relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency of the hotspot model in reducing bonded labour in the area, and the sustainability of the hotspot model. The findings in this report primarily draw on 55 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders internal and external to the programme, plus a review of key programme documents. The findings also reflect a larger body of research conducted by IDS starting from 2014, including: the participatory collection and analysis of 152 life stories; participatory prevalence statistics based on 1,660 randomly selected households across 52 hamlets in programme areas; a systemic action research programme with five action research groups, in which community members analysed and developed solutions to their problems; and a desk review of key programme documents.