Dammar Rai is an experienced development professional, trainer, researcher and program manager with a long career in participatory development, indigenous peoples’ rights, local governance, rural development and organizational capacity building.
He has served as a Program Advisor to the NGO-Federation of Nepalese Indigenous Nationalities (NGO-FONIN) since August 2007. His responsibilities have included advising on program sustainability, supporting effective program implementation, strengthening the capacity of Indigenous Nationalities and developing concept papers and funding proposals.
He previously worked as a Project Manager with the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact Foundation in Thailand, managing programs related to women’s leadership, human rights, indigenous knowledge and biodiversity. He also worked as a Network Manager with the Nepal Participatory Action Network, District Project Coordinator for the Rural Health Development Project supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and Chief Planning Officer in the National Committee for Development of Nationalities.
His earlier professional experience includes assignments with the Association of District Development Committees of Nepal, Service Centre for Sustainable Development, SNV-Mechi Program, Karnali-Bheri Integrated Rural Development Project, SEARCH/Nepal, Lutheran World Service, the National Population Commission and the Rasuwa-Nuwakot Integrated Project. He also worked as an aide to Dr. Harka Gurung during Nepal’s Migration Task Force.
Mr. Rai holds a Master of Public Administration with First Class honours and a Diploma in Public Administration from Tribhuvan University. He was also listed as a provisional PhD candidate in Management through the Distance Learning Program of Queensland University, Australia. He speaks Lohorung, Nepali, Hindi and English.
Throughout his career, he has designed and conducted training in participatory rural appraisal, strategic planning, sustainable livelihoods, leadership development, social mobilization, human rights, gender and development, NGO management and decentralized planning. He has also prepared training manuals, project reports and studies, including work on the Melamchi Water Supply Project, participatory planning and the socioeconomic condition of the Lohorung Rai community.
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