Organization - National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN)

The main goal of the organization is to contribute towards creating an equitable, egalitarian, prosperous and inclusive Nepalese society by empowering indigenous peoples through policy advocacy, training and implementing different programs to enhance their capabilities. NFDIN acts as a bridge between the state and indigenous people so as to make them feel included. NFDIN main objectives are:

• To work for the overall development of the indigenous nationalities by formulating and implementing programs relating to the social, educational, economic and cultural development and elevation of the indigenous nationalities.
• To preserve and promote the numerous languages, scripts, cultures, arts and histories of the indigenous people.
• To preserve and promote the traditional knowledge, skills, technologies and special know how of the Janajaties and to guide and provide assistance in its vocational use.
• To create a conducive atmosphere for the Janajaties to participate in the overall national development of the country by winning their hearts and minds and assuring them of the State’s sincerity, and endeavoring to build a harmonious relationship between different indigenous groups, castes, tribes and religious communities of Nepal, and

To provide assistance in the making of an equitable society through the social, economic, religious and cultural enhancement of the Janajaties.

In year 2002, NFDIN was registered under the NFDIN Act-2002 by Government of Nepal to work for the welfare of Indigenous Nationalities for their overall development. According to census 2011, there are 125 distinct languages spoken and 123 different ethnic groups in Nepal. NFDIN Act 2002 has identified 59 indigenous groups in a country which constitute 35.4% out of the total population of nearly 26.5 million. In lack of proper information, deprived and marginalized communities and groups including indigenous nationalities are still not able to benefit from nation’s inclusion policy.

NFDIN’s major goal is to ensure the satisfaction of present and future generations and the availability of better quality of life for all indigenous people of Nepal without any discrimination. NFDIN has tried to draw attention on several important issues of indigenous people working along with Government of Nepal and indigenous people’s organization to preserve, promote and improve the livelihood as an integral part of their economic and social development.

In contrast, Government has put up less effort on protecting, preserving and providing equity on social justice to deprived communities including indigenous people of Nepal. Even so we are still hopeful that we still have a long way to go and only through a joint effort will we be able to reach our fundamental goal.

The major activities of NFDIN are:

1. Formulate and implement the necessary programs affecting the promotion and preservation of the languages, literature, history, art, cultures, traditional skills and long tested indigenous technologies of the indigenous nationalities;
2. Study and research the languages, scripts, literatures, history, arts, traditions and cultures of the indigenous nationalities and help sustain them;
3. Protect as intellectual property rights of the concerned indigenous nationalities, their technologies, skills and traditional knowledge;
4. Publish the histories and literatures of the indigenous nationalities and other works considered important;
5. With the assistance of other bodies concerned with language and literature, make perpetration to publish dictionaries of different indigenous languages;
6. Establish archives and museums that would give the true identities of the languages, cultures, histories, traditions and other identities closely associated with indigenous nationalities;
7. Establish schools that would teach the language of indigenous communities, at least up to the primary level;
8. Allow interested foreign scholars to study and research the languages, cultures, histories, literatures, arts, traditional technologies of the indigenous groups (with permission to study being subject to prior approval from the Government of Nepal):
9. Collect, manage and disseminate information important to the indigenous communities;
10. Undertake special programs aimed at enhancing the economic and social status of the poor and the marginalized groups among the indigenous nationalities;
11. Establish friendly relations with international associations with similar objectives as well as exchange relevant information beneficial to both parties;
12. Provide consultancy services on the issues of indigenous nationalities; and
13. Prepare material for broadcasting notices, news and other programs in the different languages of the indigenous nationalities.