INTRODUCTION 

Starting as a humble initiative in 1994 by local youths and social workers from the western Chitwan, Friends for Peacebuilding and Development (Fri PAD) has now significantly expanded to become one of fastest growing and respected Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Nepal. Working among underprivileged communities of urban and rural Nepal, Fri PAD implements integrated community development programmes at the grassroots' level and advocates, lobbies, and networks at the local, regional and national level to promote sustainable development, social justice, and sustainable peace among poor and disadvantaged urban and rural communities. Fri PAD has been celebrating its twenty fifth anniversary devoting itself for the sustainable community development, peace, and social justice. Fri PAD is a politically non-partisan, non-governmental and non-profit making national organization. It has been established in 1994 to serve the people who are languished by poverty, ignorance and various forms of discrimination. Particularly, the organization has been working for the disadvantaged and minority groups in cooperation and collaboration with different governmental and non- governmental organization since its inception.

It is relatively adult organization in comparison to contemporary community based organizations; however, it emerges as pioneer in approaches of peacebuilding and sustainable community development. The fundamental belief of this organization is that whatever violence and tension exists in the society, it is because of the discrimination made among human being based upon race, ethnicity, caste, religion, culture, language and sex as well. Therefore, Fri PAD has given particular attention on the issues of social inclusion and good governance. It has achieved measurable performance in the sector of health and sanitation, safe drinking water, natural resource management, environmental conservation, gender equity and social inclusion, socio­economic transformation, social justice and food security.