March 27, 2006

LMS Launches a New Leadership Development Program (LDP) in Nepal

In collaboration with its principal counterpart, the National Health Training Center (NHTC), LMS initiated a new program—Results-Oriented Leadership Development Program (ROLDeP)—a name coined by Nepali participants. With support and participation from ADRA's Nepal country office, a Leadership Dialogue Workshop was held in Kathmandu during which central and District-level representatives were introduced to the LDP and worked to create a shared vision of strong health programs in the context of decentralization. The LMS, NHTC, and ADRA team then conducted Leadership Dialogues in two districts: Banke and Rupendehi. Workshop participants included senior leaders in the districts from all sectors and NGOs. The workshop in Rupendehi was facilitated entirely by Nepali colleagues from the NCTC, ICA (local consulting firm), and MSH/Nepal. LMS' lead facilitator served as a coach at this second district-level workshop. Dates and participants for the ensuing leadership development workshops in these two districts were agreed upon, beginning May and ending in September 2006. Vision statements created by the districts made it clear that creating a healthy district requires all sectors to work together, therefore participants at the LDP workshops will come from health, water and sanitation, women in development, education, and NGO sectors, and the local government councils. A Leadership Dialogue in the third focus district for the project, Jhapa, is scheduled for the week of March 27 and will be organized and led by the new Nepali facilitator team. Through this process, LMS has formed a local team, out of previously total strangers, who will implement ROLDeP with coaching support from LMS/Cambridge.