Nepal’s central Tarai districts of Mahottari and Sarlahi are witnessing a rapid mobilization of youth in the villages where their proactive role is sought to foster social cohesion and peace at the community level with the support provided by UNDP’s Livelihood Recovery for Peace Project (LRP). Under its Youth for Social Cohesion and Peace component LRP has mobilized 59 local youth clubs and youth focused NGOs and has delivered grant assistance worth 14 million rupees, each of them getting their share of Nrs. 2,36,355 to carry out village greening programme, peace dialogues and other building activities, tutorial support to the children of vulnerable, excluded and economically disadvantaged (VEED) communities and institutional development.   
Youth involvement in peace related activities has been helpful to give a message to the society that youth can contribute more when they take to creative activities than party politics. Chairman of Shree Anand Samaj Kalyan, Shiv Shanker Ray from Halkhori ward no 5 of Mahottari has a story to tell how he joined the youth club to live up to the dream of his relative who got killed in the course of armed conflict in 2001. “The best tribute to my late brother would be to continue the work of social service he had initiated in the village. We renamed and reinvigorated the same youth club and started working,” said he. The youth leader said the grant he received from UNDP/LRP has come out like millions of rupees to add gear to the club activities.
The youth club is now providing free after-school-tutorial classes to 125 children of (VEED) communities.  Two of the three teachers recruited by the club are Dalits. Arjun Ram from Chamaar community (termed as Dalit) had this to say, “I felt over the moon when the club selected me for the job. I am asked to teach for one hour in the evening but I am giving two hours instead because I feel rewarded to teach young ones and get paid.” There is no furniture so children bring their own rags to sit down and study. Nevertheless, the club has managed to buy a small generator for lighting and give the best result. Children from the VEED community have been regular after joining the tutorial classes. 
Stimulating youth in creative activities has been a good lesson learnt to add building blocks to peace and ensure enhanced public participation in the LRP supported activities. Youth orientation and trainings provided by LRP have further stimulated youth to look for their increasing role to further contribute to promote peace and social cohesion at the community level.