Bridging the Gap

Here at ACENet, we've noticed a gap in understanding between those doing good things on the ground, and those working to encourage development activity.

We've seen grassroots community environmental projects that are focused on local need and doing great stuff. Inevitably they desire, and would benefit from, greater political support and funding, but find it hard to see, or express the relevance of their work to the broad agendas that appear to interest funders, policy-makers and those who implement policy.

Similarly we see, particularly at more local policy implementation level, situations where there is a desire to promote action that supports broad, sometimes global, agenda, but no clear image of how this can be done.

There is an Understanding Gap - we've set out to bridge it.

We've identified four broad agenda points of significant interest at the moment - our Themes...

• Climate Change Adaptation
• Sustainable Land-Use
• Improved Health and Well-being
• Good Governance

...and we've taken a set of case studies from across Africa (and one frome the UK!) and interpreted each in the context of the Themes. In addition, we've identified how each contributes to the UN Millenium Development Goals.

In doing this, we hope that we can support others to look at their own work and plans in a creative way and see how positive local action is helping to address global needs.

This is a dynamic project - we invite comment and contribution from anyone interested and see this as the foundation of a broader network.

Case Study: Green Gyms – working for healthy people, community and environment, UK

Individual, community and environmental wellbeing are intrinsically linked. Physical and mental health help to promote personal wellbeing, without which individuals are less likely to contribute to the health of society and their community, and a healthy environment further enhances personal wellbeing. Physical and mental illness, injury, obesity and other problems affecting individuals can help to undermine community health and environmental quality.

Research suggests that outdoor, nature-based activity has positive benefits not only on physical, but mental health too ensuring benefit for a wide range of participants including the elderly and those with mental illnesses such as depression, as well as the physically unwell and recovering.

BTCV’s ‘Green Gyms’ give individuals the opportunity to improve personal physical and mental health and fitness through regular practical outdoors environmental work. Groups meet throughout the UK usually on a weekly basis and are open to all to join. Participants take part in guided activities designed to improve the physical environment. Typical activities include tree planting, repairing and maintaining nature trails or other maintenance work in protected areas. Individuals are encouraged to work at their own pace. All groups have a relaxed atmosphere and there is a strong social element to the sessions. Sessions generally last half a day and healthy refreshments are provided for participants.

Recruitment of participants takes place through public advertising, and where possible by working with local health professionals such as doctors and therapists to provide a route for referral onto the project to complement other treatment.

Personal benefits are often translated into greater engagement by the individual with community and society and increased awareness of the impact of environmental health on community. There are direct environmental benefits from the practical aspects of Green Gym activities.

Theme linkage

Improved health and wellbeing

Promotes improved physical health in participants; promotes improved mental health in participants; contributes to individuals’ sense of community; cost effective delivery compared to medication and hospital-based therapy.

Climate change adaptation

Work activities directly contribute to conserving environmental quality. Strengthened society increases community resilience.

Contact BTCV for more information

Case study: Sustainable Energy Sources in Schools, Uganda

Many schools in Uganda have energy needs in the form of wood fuel for cooking and kerosene for lighting. Since the introduction of free primary education in 2003 which resulted in a 73% increase in students in the first year alone, demand for energy has risen significantly. This has led to increased depletion of natural forests as more trees are felled to provide charcoal and fire wood.

The full potential of schools to meet the demand for education is restricted by the cost of kerosene for lighting to extend operating hours.

To address these issues, UEEF encouraged school communities to grow their own trees in school woodlots. Students were trained to raise trees in their own nurseries and in basic tree-planting, aftercare and management skills.

In parallel UEEF by attracting funding partners, was able to introduce institutional wood-saving stoves to replace extremely inefficient ‘three-stones’ cooking methods, and solar energy systems to provide classroom lighting.

Woodlots are providing schools with a more sustainable source of fuel, and the stoves have helped reduce the overall amount of firewood used for cooking. Schools have made direct savings from these efficiency improvements and have used savings to improve their teaching and facilities and the school environment.

Schools have been able to offer greater flexibility and accessibility through night-classes made possible as a result of light provided by the solar energy systems.

Theme Linkages

Sustainable land use

Reduced volume of firewood use through more efficient stoves; reduced utilisation of natural forest resources through school woodlot development; reduced reliance on fossil fuels by use of solar power technologies for lighting.

Improved health and wellbeing

Fuel efficient stoves significantly reduce impacts of smoke inhalation.

Climate change adaptation

Reduced reliance on polluting fossil fuels and firewood.

Contribution to Millenium Development Goals (MDGs)

Target 2a: Ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling

Target 7b: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss

Contact  Ugandan Environmental Education Foundation for  more information

Case study: Civil Society and Local Government engagement, Uganda

Uganda is implementing a 10-year Local Government Sector Investment Plan (LGSIP), covering the period 2006-2016. The LGSIP is an elaborate framework for planning, prioritising, coordinating and implementing strategic interventions supporting the national decentralisation policy. Government authorities however, have traditionally tended to work in isolation with minimal consultation with civil society.

To bridge this gap, the Ugandan Environmental Education Foundation (UEEF) organised and conducted a series of informal and formal stakeholder workshops. These workshops formed the initial stage of a public participation process integrated into the local government authorities’ project. The main aim of these workshops was to mobilise inclusion of national non-government organisations (NGOs) and encourage local government authorities and civil society to work closer together in the implementation of the LGSIP.

The workshops yielded some immediate constructive outcomes: establishment of an environment advocacy coalition spearheading advocacy issues in the environment and natural resources sector within the LGSIP; and a monitoring and evaluation tool developed to help coalition members undertake effective monitoring and evaluation of the LGSIP.

The Local Government Authority supported civic participation in the consultation process and announced that it would ensure application of workshops recommendations to improve implementation of LGSIP.

The positive working relationship developed as a result supports a model for future cooperation assisting local government authorities to apply principles of good governance including participation by all, transparency, responsiveness; equity and inclusiveness; effectiveness and efficiency; and accountability.

Theme Linkages

Good governance

Increased civil participation in key decision-making processes; developed mechanism for monitoring and evaluation of local government actions; promoted responsiveness, transparency and accountability of local government actions.

Contribution to Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Target 7a: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes; reverse loss of environmental resources.

Contact Ugandan Environmental Education Foundation for more information

Case Study: East African Civil Society lobby to improve Management of Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria and its surroundings produce much of the goods and services that the East Africa Community relies on for their livelihoods. However, the Lake experiences intense pressure from human activities, including the unsustainable exploitation of fish and other life supporting resources, pollution from industrial, agriculture and human waste, and land degradation. Early attempts to create an institutional structure to address these problems failed to harmonise natural resource use, investment and development policies. This contributed to conflicts in use of the Lake's resources, duplication of efforts and lack of coordination for development efforts on this trans-boundary resource.

A bill before the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) to establish a new structure, the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), was intended to rectify this. The proposed structure was identified by civil society organisations to be compromised in a number of ways including: by a lack of representation by sectors previously identified in the 2003 Protocol for Sustainable Development in the Lake Victoria Basin; in the definition of the make-up of governing structures.

A network partnership of civil society organisations, The East African Sustainability Watch, representing organisations from the three countries that border Lake Victoria used its collective authority and provided a coordinated response, submitting amendments to the bill to the EALA.

As a result of this organised lobbying, the second reading of the bill included many of the suggested amendments. These included significant changes to LVBC governance in the form of an improved Governing Board, and significantly, an Advisory Consultative Committee comprised of representatives from business associations, corporations, organized groups and civic organizations with an interest in the Lake Victoria basin. The Committee will also be a conduit to channel concerns, complaints and suggestions from groups and individuals on matters relating to the management of Lake Victoria.

Theme Linkages

Good governance

The economy within the Lake Victoria Basin will operate in an ethical, accountable and appropriately regulated environment, a channel exists for local and individual voices to influence shared resource management.

Sustainable Land Use

Better integration of interests and policies affecting sustainable land and resource use

Improved health and wellbeing

Improved household food security through promotion of sustainable agricultural and land use practices including irrigation; improvement in public health with specific reference to sanitation and waste management.

Contribution to Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

 Target 7a: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources

Target 8a: Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system

Contact Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development for more information

Case study: Safe drinking water for rural communities, Katleho ‘Moho Association, Lesotho



Communal standpipe

 The majority of people in Semonkong area are without access to safe drinking water. These people, mainly women and girls, have to walk a long distance to collect water from unprotected streams, springs and earth dams. Diarrhoeal diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and dysentery are common within this community, particularly in children under the age of five years.

To address this, Katleho.Moho Association (KMA) constructed gravity-fed water supply systems to provide safe drinking water in three villages. In parallel KMA provided health education on clean water, sanitation and hygiene practices through community gatherings. In addition, formal training workshops on basic leadership skills and managing maintenance and repair of the systems were also held.

Communities provided in-kind contribution to meet unskilled labour needs supporting construction activities throughout the project such as trench digging to lay pipes and stone cutting. Each community also established a fund for future system maintenances and repairs.

Upon completion distances required to carry water were significantly reduced particularly benefitting women and girls. Health centres reported reduced incidences of diarrhoeal disease outbreak. Improved access to water created other livelihood supporting opportunities enabling irrigation for homestead gardening.

Theme linkages

Climate change adaptation

 Protection of springs sources and use of pipes throughout the systems reduced contamination from intense rainfall events and soil erosion.

Improved health and wellbeing

Drinking safe water and hygienic practices reduced diarrhoeal diseases outbreaks. Getting water at considerable distance prevented health effects of women carrying heavy loads of water over long distances.

Good governance

Department of Rural Water Supply recorded completed system as government achievement to its water policy.

Contribution to Millenium Development Goals (MDGs)

Target 7c: Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation

Target 4a: Reduce by two thirds the mortality rate among children under five

Contact Katleho 'Moho Association for more information

Case study: Farmers Seed Fairs, Katleho ‘Moho Association, Lesotho

Ex-situ conservation

In Lesotho individual farmers had limited varieties of specific crops and were thus more vulnerable to crop failure. Some farmers were using less nutritious varieties exacerbating existing malnutrition problems.

Katleho ‘Moho Association (KMA) together with farmers organised a series of seed fairs in three selected districts in Lesotho. Smallholder farmers displayed and traded a wide range of cereal, legume and vegetable seeds. People from government departments, local councils, non-government organisations, traders and media also participated. Follow-up surveys were used to assess increases in income and crop diversity in smallholder farms.

Individual farmers found from the seed fairs that there was a greater variety of seed available than previously known, and that some varieties they thought were extinct, were still in fact available. In addition, farmers were able to share experience of farming techniques and identified wider market opportunities.

Theme linkages

Climate change adaptation

Increased genetic diversity reducing risk of crop failure under increased environmental stress.

Improved health and wellbeing

Greater food security, increased productivity and improved nutrition reduce cases of malnutrition, hunger and mortality rates, particularly child mortality.

Good governance

Promoted cooperation and integrated farmers experience into government research and policy development.

Contribution to Millenium Development Goals (MDGs)

Target 1c: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

Target 7a: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources

Target 4a: Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate

Contact Katleho 'Moho Association for more information