Project Detail

Economic Empowerment of Women through Alleviating the Water Hyacinth From Kagera River Project, Bukoba Rural District,

The project purpose is to empower women economically through building their capacity in the production of water hyacinth products collected from Kagera River. The project will cover two wads of Kassambya and Minziro in Bukoba Rural district with the concentration in the Kagera River which has been choked by the water hyacinth and its banks being degraded by the encroaching farmers. The group will address both river basin conservation as well as women economic empowerment through conservation. There is high siltation and high use of agro-chemicals resulting from agriculture; water hyacinth causes poor water navigation, dangers from crocodiles hiding in the water hyacinth. The project will conduct community capacity building to conserve and protect the environment and resources of Kagera river, mobilize and support communities to harvest water hyacinth, establish multipurpose tree woodlots, facilitate exposure visits to other areas advanced in natural resources conservation, support widows and girls to build their economic capacity and improve their income through production of water hyacinth materials and providing them vocational training skills.

Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Kassambya Gugumaji Group

Country:

Tanzania

Area Of Work:

International Waters

Operational Phase:

Phase 3

Grant Amount:

US$ 23,502.00

Co-Financing Cash:

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 10,800.00

Project Number:

TAN/NBI-NTEAP/06/05

Start Date:

7/2006

End Date:

12/2008

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples

All community members are participating in the project

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

Emphasis on water hyacinth harvesting and producing products out of them and multipurpose trees production and training to the youth groups (girls) will earn project beneficiaries the necessary income which will be used to improve the community livelihood,

Notable Community Participation

Problem identification and project planning, Participate in the baseline study, Mobilization of locally available materials and transportation of materials Establishment of tree nurseries and replacement of trees/ filling the gaps in the reserved forest, Transportation of participants to the training workshops, Construction of fuel efficient energy stoves and rainwater tanks, Project Monitoring and Evaluation,

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

Promotion of trees planting in the Kagera river basin, protection of water banks from farmers encroachment and water hyacinth harvesting activities though done at a low scale but they all have a global environment impact,

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

The project benefits include Improved income for the women group realized by selling water weed products, increased women knowledge of embroidery and other economic production skills, reduced pressure to the Minziro forests and Kagera River, increased cross-border relationships among the CBOs working in the microgrants program, increased availability of firewood and charcoal for domestic use at households level, reduced amount of water hyacinth entering Lake Victoria from Kagera river and reduced rate of siltation and amount of agro-chemical disposed to Kagera river, increased vegetation cover as a result of established woodlots. The above benefits indicate how the project ideas have incorporated innovative financial mechanisms.

Gender Focus

The project facilitates vocational skills training to the girls and also trains women to produce products out of the water hyacinth. The project activities focus on the gilrs and women only.

Project sustainability

The project will create community awareness towards the activities conducted by the project, The project approach of sensitizing communities to establish woodlots will ensure sustainability because the community will be harvesting timber and charcoal from their woodlots, Sale of tree seedlings to the community at a subsidized price will also ensure sustainability because the realized income from the sale of tree seedlings will be used to support other relevant matters, The project will facilitate formulation or enforcement of forestry conservation by laws which will serve the forests from fire, encroachment by cattle keepers and illegal tree harvesting for timber and charcoal, The produced fruits, firewood and timber from the woodlots will continue to generate income that will continuously be used in tree farm replacement, farm extension and households poverty deduction. Community committees will be formulated to take responsibility of managing of the Project. Therefore, appropriateness of the Project will be assured by the continuous use of participatory methodologies and self assessment as well as joint stakeholder review.

Capacity - Building Component

Training of project field volunteers on project monitoring, management and report writing, Prevention of bush fire and land degradation prevention, Forestry management and tree nursery management, Watershed management, soil erosion and land management skills, Production of fuel efficient stoves to the women groups,

Project Results

Improved income for the women group realized by selling water weed products, increased women knowledge of embroidery and other economic production skills,
reduced pressure to the Minziro forests and Kagera River,
increased cross-border relationships among the CBOs working in the microgrants program,
increased availability of firewood and charcoal for domestic use at households level,
reduced amount of water hyacinth entering Lake Victoria from Kagera river and
reduced rate of siltation and amount of agro-chemical disposed to Kagera river,
increased vegetation cover as a result of established woodlots.

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Indicators

Biophysical

Number of innovations or new technologies developed / applied 1

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