Institute for Indigenous Affairs and Development

Advancing Indigenous Knowledge, Rights, and Community-Led Development

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Building Resilience of Indigenous Communities for a Sustainable Future

IIAD strengthens the resilience of Indigenous communities by valuing their deep-rooted wisdom, cultural practices, and close relationship with land and ecosystems. By recognizing the community as a living classroom, it promotes intergenerational learning where elders, traditions, and local environments guide sustainable practices. Through research, documentation, and safeguards compliance, it ensures that development initiatives respect Indigenous rights, dignity, and self-determination. This integrated effort supports climate adaptation, sustainable livelihoods, and inclusive development, enabling Indigenous communities to lead their own pathways toward a resilient and sustainable future.

Promote Indigenous Enterprises

IIAD promotes Indigenous entrepreneurship by strengthening community-led enterprises rooted in traditional knowledge, cultural values, and sustainable resource management. We support Indigenous entrepreneurs through skills development, business incubation, market linkages, and value addition to traditional products, enabling communities to build resilient and dignified livelihoods. Our approach combines ancestral wisdom with innovation to create enterprises that are economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and culturally meaningful. By empowering women, youth, and local producers, we contribute to inclusive economic development while safeguarding Indigenous identity and self-determination

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Community as Curriculum & Indigenous Knowledge Documentation

Indigenous Peoples of Nepal carry millennia of living knowledge in their forests, their rituals, their governance systems, their seeds. These stories are the wisdom that forms the foundation of everything we learn and teach. IIAD documents and revitalize traditional knowledge, languages, customary governance systems, ecological practices, and cultural heritage. Through participatory research, oral history recording, community mapping, and Indigenous Knowledge Centres, we ensure that knowledge is transmitted across generations with the free, prior, and informed consent of knowledge holders.

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Indigenous Peoples Safeguards Compliance

IIAD prepares safeguards compliance of program or projects to foster full respect for Indigenous Peoples’ identity, dignity, human rights, livelihood systems, and cultural uniqueness as defined by the indigenous peoples themselves so that they receive culturally appropriate social and economic benefits, are not harmed by the projects, and can participate actively in projects that affect them. Develop Safeguard compliance to project or program based activities that may affect Indigenous Peoples, and/or their rights, lands, territories, resources, traditional livelihoods and cultures. Identify potential impacts of the activities on their communities, lands, territories, resources, livelihoods and cultures.

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Institute for Indigenous Affairs and Development

Institute for Indigenous Affairs and Development (IIAD) established in 2021, brings forward an innovative, sustainable, and institutional approach to support the indigenous people of Nepal to address indigenous affairs and solve the issues faced, through impact-driven projects and nurturing local knowledge, culture, and innovation in different districts of Nepal. Institute for Indigenous Affairs and Development aims to empower indigenous people and community members through Community Development, Education and Training, Subsistence Entrepreneurship, and Research and Policy Development.

  • Developing Indigenous Peoples Safeguards Compliance
  • Deliver Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) curriculum and implementation
  • Indigenous Youth Led Research and Indigenous Peoples Policy Analysis
  • Indigenous Lab: a safe spaces for communities to vision and create their futures
  • Online Training Courses and Certifications
  • Sustainable Development Programs for Indigenous communities
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Watch Video: Indigenous Knowledge, Education & Chepang Community ।। Biswash Chepang – EDUCATION PLUS Ep-35

Collaborated Partner

We are proud to work hand-in-hand with local and international partners who share our mission of empowering Indigenous communities. Together, we foster inclusive development, preserve cultural heritage, and support grassroots change across Nepal.

Thank you to our incredible collaborators who help bring our vision to life

We Take Action. To Make Better Changes

Through community development, education, and research, IIAD supports cultural preservation and self-determination.

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Indigenous community members trained

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Sponsored children

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Sustainable enterprises supported

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Supported by SEBS and Pranaya Raj Achayra
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Strategic Priority Areas

Our key actions and activities focus on advancing the rights and well-being of Indigenous communities through a range of impactful initiatives. We support the development and implementation of Indigenous Peoples Safeguards Compliance and deliver comprehensive Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) curriculum and processes. Our work includes rigorous research and policy analysis on Indigenous issues, with a strong emphasis on youth-led Indigenous research. We drive sustainable development programs tailored for Indigenous communities and implement Community-Based Monitoring and Information Systems (CBMIS) to enhance local data ownership and decision-making. Through our Indigenous Lab, we provide safe and creative spaces for communities to envision and shape their futures. Additionally, we offer accessible online training courses and certifications to build capacity and empower Indigenous leaders and advocates.

Chepang Indigenous Knowledge Centre

Chepang Indigenous Knowledge Centre

An Indigenous Chepang Knowledge Centre is a community-driven hub established to protect, promote, and revitalize Indigenous knowledge systems, languages, and cultural heritage.

Indigenous Enterprises and Green Skills

Indigenous Enterprises and Green Skills

We identify and support local villagers to establish their enterprises, creating subsistence marketplaces through social entrepreneurship and startups, leading communities towards sustainability.

Indigenous Knowledge Documentation

Indigenous Knowledge Documentation

Documenting, revitalizing, and promoting Indigenous Knowledge as a living system that is deeply rooted in the cultures, languages, customary governance, and relationships of Indigenous Peoples with their lands and territories.

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Our Campaign

The Institute for Indigenous Affairs and Development (IIAD) champions a sustainable, impact-driven approach to uplift Nepal’s Indigenous communities.

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Indigenous led Community Development

An initiative towards sustainable village

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One Chepang Child Sponsorship

Dedicated to supporting the education and well-being of children from the Chepang community, this program provides access to quality education, essential supplies, and opportunities for personal development.

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Indigenous Enterprises

Promoting Indigenous Traditional skills and knowledge

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Indigenous Research

Contributing to evidence based policy advocacy through grassroot research

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Become Our Volunteer

Join our mission to empower Indigenous communities. Whether it’s participating in community outreach, assisting in workshops, or helping with administrative tasks, your contribution is invaluable.

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Institute for Indigenous Affairs and Development (IIAD)

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Contact Info

  • Buddhanagar, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • +977 9860128786
  • indigenous.iiad@gmail.com

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