Maseru, 13 July 2022
ReNOKA launches ICM small grants to Community-Based Organisation in 6 Priority Sub-Catchments.
ReNOKA, in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Lesotho awarded grants to nine (9) community-based organisations (CBOs) to implement specialised and niche watershed management activities in the six Priority Sub-Catchments in Khubelu, Hlotse, Likhetla, Makhalaneng, Maletsunyane and Senqunyane.
Eco Culture, SMARDT, Grow, LANFE, Good Sherperd Sisters, Limomonane Trust, Lebone Social Entrepreneurship and Leadership Initiative (Leseli), Women and Girls Matter and Community of Women Living with HIV in Lesotho are the awarded CBOs and to act as “Agents of Change” in ICM. Grant recipients were selected on criteria based on relevance of the project to integrated catchment management, the extend of innovation and learning, and organization background.
The process of engaging the CBOs included; issuing of an expression of interest, undertaking an information dissemination session, evaluation of application, undertaking due diligence of selected NGOs and finally, contracting them.
Content and Relationship Manager, Tebby Schoeman at Limomonane Trust expressed the excitement for the funding under the ReNOKA programme and stated “as an organisation, we are passionate about agroforestry and empowerment of rural communities for alternative livelihoods. This funding is going to assist us to further capacitate our rural farmers with skills through the Farmers Learning Centre we are going to establish. We are also looking forward to planting trees for Likhetla communities, which we hope in the next few years will have not only rehabilitated the farmlands, but also produce and add value to fruits which will in turn improve their livelihoods through commercialisation and of course create a vibrant value chain to the farmlands.”
To date, CRS has provided capacity building for 9 CBOs on the following key competency areas;
- Procurement of goods and services
- Financial reporting
- Monitoring and evaluation
Furthermore, it is anticipated that, in the next reporting period, trainings on (i) Natural Resources Management and (ii) Innovation will be provided to the CBOs so that they become ambassadors of the ReNoka movement, delivering high quality ICM programming.
