Environmental issues are cross gender issues. Therefore, the participation of a well balanced group of people will help a lot in sustaining the noble idea of environmental conservation awareness.
Indeed, non-GEF grants may be available to us. We shall therefore, keep scouting for sponsorship of follow-up as well as duplication programs of this valuable a-forestation endeavor.
Policy Influence
The Director of Programmes for Moremogolo is a legislator and has already started engaging other policy makers in discussing strategy, reviewing plays as well as attending our program implementation. Through lobbying and tabling of motions, Moremogolo Director of Programmes shall influence policy formulation. Two successive Vice-Presidents of Botswana have visited our premises, reviewed our projects and pledged support to them. They donated to their implementation. More than two cabinet ministers have visited us in less than two years and have also been appreciative of our programs and have pledged to continue tabling motions that are pro-a-forestation to complement the already attractive environmental conservation and employment creation legislation.
Project sustainability
The area we chose is in close proximity to our daily operation. Since the same area is earmarked for other projects including campaign against malnutrition and HIV/AIDS, we shall take opportunities to visit and view the trees we planted and the audience we presented to. We will also device a means of finding financing for the follow up phase. We will raise the money through donor agencies interested in supporting the program. Besides, we have resident representatives of the projects appointed in collaboration with village gate keepers and local authorities.
Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods
The change agents (youth groups) taking part will be helped to sustain themselves even after the completion of the project. They will be paid honoraria at the end of the project for motivation. At this stage, Botswana National Youth Council and the Department of Culture and Youth will also train the groups in leadership and business skills so that they can be self-sustaining. For the firewood business people, their businesses will be more secure when they know the advantages of rehabilitating the land and using dry firewood. Proper land management through Community Based Natural Resources Management projects means sustainable livelihoods for all stakeholders.
Inovative Financial Mechanisms
The consultation meetings and the theatrical plays will also be used to bring the communities? attention to the existing policies on environmental conservation. More focus will be geared towards the Community Based Natural Resources Management as an important alternative to deforestation. Communities will be encouraged where possible form CBNRM projects to save guard against desertification and land degradation. We hope the consultations will influence policy makers such as VDCs to encourage people of the part-taking villages to set up CBNRM projects.
Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment
The major tool of promoting public awareness of global environment shall be the plays that will be performed in the four areas targeted. The disadvantages of deforestation and land degradation shall be clearly pronounced in the theatrical plays. The plays will also provide the advantages of a-forestation and proper land management. The plays will be performed in the Kgotlas where people are expected to turn in large numbers.
Capacity - Building Component
Theatre skills workshops have been planned to empower the youth of the targeted areas with the appropriate technical capabilities. Participants in these workshops will be empowered with acting, dance and music skills to incorporate in their future theatre productions. The workshops will also provide an opportunity to give up-dated information on environmental concerns in Kgalagadi district and Ngwaketse West Constituency. These workshops will be held in each of the four villages involved in the project.
Notable Community Participation
There shall be four consultations with the community gatekeepers of all villages involved in the project. The purpose of the meeting will be to mobilise community gatekeepers to have a meaningful participation in the project. The Village Development Committees (VDCs) are very important to this project because they serve as the parliament for their local communities. They are the policy makers at the community level. If properly educated, they can influence their communities to set up Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) project, one of the main issues to be discussed during the consultation meetings.
Replication of project activities
This project is a resounding success representing, challenges overcome, new opportunities unearthed as well as reinforced conviction. As such, the success achieved during implementation of this project is worth duplicating with slight modifications to suit the rest of the remaining districts. In fact, we intend to paint the entire Botswana green with the brush of tree planting and sustainable firewood income generating Entrepreneurship Edutainment through overcoming the language barrier.
Linkages gef projects
We currently have linkages with spirit of Africa Cheetah conservation to ensure collaborative effort, avoid duplication, as well as enhance efficiency by providing back up and knowledge and skills transfer.
Our services are available to all large GEF projects where they need the Overcoming the Language Barrier Edutainment method.
Planning gef grant
We shall scale up to a medium-sized GEF grant to cover at least two districts at a time. The value of this project cannot be overemphasized.
Project Results
1. To promote profitable use of the desert, 30 minute theatrical plays on dangers of deforestation and land degradation were performed to the audience of over 800 community members from four target areas.
2. To empower the people of the Kgalagadi Desert with horticultural skills as well as reverse the process of desertification, Moremogolo demonstrated tree planting to the entire audience and monitored the planting of 800 trees by attendants being 40 trees planted in each of the 20 villages.
3. To empower the people of the Kgalagadi economically, we trained four theatre groups made up of 60 youth to develop and perform plays on anti-desertification as well as the entire community on responsible use of trees and sustainable firewood based income generation.
1. Knowledge Acquisition
Amongst all the information disseminated to our target audience, the following are key points:
a. Never to cut life trees and dry them for firewood
b. Plant as many trees in as much a vast area as possible.
c. Conserving resources guarantees sustainability
2. Skills Development
The skills that the people of the Kgalagadi developed include:
a. Tree Planting and
b. Performing Arts
3. Attitudinal Change
Deforestation was identified as a problem because of indiscriminate cutting down of trees. But, the many ?we never knew? expressions, remorseful faces and vows to keep talking to those who did not attend the performances were common among attendants.
Long-term benefits:
1. A-forestation
The 800 trees planted during this project are a significant milestone towards rehabilitation of the devastated wilderness of the Kgalagadi.
2. Sustainable Firewood Income Generation
Our audience leant that the more trees we have the more firewood we can produce. Hence for the firewood business to be sustainable we need a sustainable tree propagation program which we launched during our project implementation.
3. Sustainable Natural Resource Management
Knowledge and skills imparted, attitudes changed as well as repeated watching of DVDs distributed, guarantees a permanent paradigm shift from indiscriminate cutting of trees to responsible management of the Kgalagadi fauna.
