May 5, 2005
The Nepal Development Marketplace 2005 concluded today after a day-long event in Patan Durbar Square in Kathmandu. Twenty winners, who will receive a grant award of up to 1.4 million Nepalese Rupees (US$20,000), were announced. These social entrepreneurs will use the seed money awarded today to test their innovative ideas and partnerships on how to improve basic service delivery in conflict-affected areas of Nepal.
The Marketplace was a six-month-long process created to generate fresh thinking about the delivery of basic services to the poor, living in conflict-affected areas in the country. Forty innovative ideas and inventive partnerships from across Nepal made it to the final round. The finalists presented their projects at kiosks set around Durbar Square in Patan. A select group of 36 independent jurors from different sectors personally interviewed all 40 finalists and, based on strict criteria and deliberations, came up with the final list of 20 winners. The remaining 20 finalists also received a grant of 20,000 Nepalese Rupees (US$300).
The event also included a Knowledge Forum, which was open to the public and generated a lot of interesting debate. The forum presented an opportunity for participants to network among themselves and exchange their ideas and views on development.
The Nepal Development Marketplace 2005, locally branded as the “Lau Na Aba Ta Kehi Garau” contest, is a collaborative effort sponsored by the World Bank, the Nepal Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF), Kantipur Publications Pvt. Ltd., the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) Resource Centre, and the Society of Economic Journalists, Nepal (SEJON).
 Official Nepal Development Marketplace Website
20 Winning Entries
40 Finalists' Proposals
Jury Profiles
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