-

-

Capacity building for climate change is highlighted in the UN Framework to Combat Climate Change (UNFCCC) which was used as a framework to develop Lesotho National Adaptation Programme of Action on Climate Change (NAPA). NAPA refers to both capacity building and conservation of degraded lands as adaptation options, both of which this project will address.

Capacity building for climate change is highlighted in the UN Framework to Combat Climate Change (UNFCCC) which was used as a framework to develop Lesotho National Adaptation Programme of Action on Climate Change (NAPA). NAPA refers to both capacity building and conservation of degraded lands as adaptation options, both of which this project will address. Through our close working relationship with Lesotho Council of NGOs, we are involved in discussions about climate change mitigation strategies. We will be able to use our partners there, for example, Lesotho Forestry Association, and Ex-Miners Association to work together on the programme, for example inviting organisations to present at teacher workshops. Our environment clubs will be registered with the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture, and the programme will work alongside the clubs already established by the Ministry. Teacher workshops ? Held 4 times a year, to build on the teachers? knowledge of issues surrounding climate change, and mitigation techniques. These workshops will work with the same teachers throughout the year, so that by the end of the project each school will have two teachers who are knowledgeable in issues around Climate Change.

Education is one of the most sustainable ways to encourage behavioural changes to mitigate the impacts of climate change, and indeed climate chance itself. By training young people, their new found knowledge will be beneficial for over 50 years after the project, and as it is passed to their children, the impact will continue further into the future.

Indigenous and fruit trees, once they have been cared for, for a couple of years, will require very little care, and will continue to produce benefits for the local population. We will teach the schools in one environment club session, how to bud and prune the fruit trees to ensure they get maximum benefit, and once they have these skills, they will be able to prune each year, without any assistance from Lesotho Durham Link. We will also show them how to make cuttings and root the cuttings to produce new trees which they will be able to plant or sell. Many of the activities will teach skills which will be beneficial to the participants for many years after the project?s completion. Once learners realise the benefit to themselves of being members of environment clubs, they will be requested to pay a small membership fee which will enable the club to continue running activities.

Running regular activities with environment clubs. Each environment club will have one activity each month for 10 months of the year, teaching about climate change and taking part in mitigation activities. This will train the students in the clubs who will then be encouraged to educate their peers. Celebration of World Environment Day each year. All environment clubs and their members will be invited to celebrate World Environment Day, each year of the project as a chance to come together, to run competitions on the impact of each environment club at its school and to present what the children have learnt to each other and external visitors. This will motivate the children to continue working hard on issues of climate change.

Stakeholders in the schools have been involved in the project planning as the concept of environment clubs was suggested by the teachers of the schools. We have been working with the schools which we are intending to involve in the project and through informal discussions with the teachers as well as feedback from activities in the previous project, have been able to identify areas where we as Lesotho Durham Link are best able to support the schools in their efforts for environmental protection and climate change awareness. The chief and Community counsellor at Mathebe approached Lesotho Durham Link (LDL) requesting assistance with tree planting, and pledging their support of the programme. All the stakeholders involved in the project will have a significant role to play within the project?s implementation. In the primary schools, LDL will be working as a team with the principal and selected teachers of the schools to implement the activities as a unit. As activities will sometimes take place on the school campus, the school will be able to take ownership of the environment club and its activities and the programme will be flexible enough to cater for each schools individual requests. Through the students and school participating financially to the project, they will ensure that the project receives their full cooperation. The tree planting at Mathebe will only be successful with complete cooperation from the community members. The chief and community counsellor will be requested to select youth to send to the trainings, to ensure that those with the most potential are trained. The whole community will be involved in the tree planting, thereby taking ownership of the trees. All stake holders will be regularly asked for their opinion on the effectiveness of the project and its activities throughout the project?s lifespan. With the tree planting, reliance is on the chief and community counsellor to inform us of the trees? survival. Evaluation forms will be completed with the students and teachers taking part in the environment club programme, which will be used as qualitative data for monitoring and evaluation as well as tests at the end of all the trainings to provide quantitative figures on how many at each training have successfully understood and therefore can be categorised as ?successfully trained?.

The developed educational materials have been approved by the National Curriculum Development Centre and the Lesotho Durham Link has received approval to work with schools. The work initiated will continue even with new schools.

The project addresses two priority areas of action laid out Leostho?s National Adaptation Programme of Action for Climate Change (NAPA), that of capacity building and reclamation of degraded land and will work in partnership with stakeholders and beneficiaries. The project also contributes to achieving SGP OP5 Immediate Objective 5: Support the conservation and enhancement of carbon stocks through sustainable management and climate proofing of land use, land use change and forestry.

The project understands that to be successful, particularly the tree planting, we need the support of men and women in the community. The women in the community are responsible for collecting fuel for cooking, and they have a great influence on the youth. To ensure their cooperation, we will emphasise that the tree planting can be done by everyone, for those women who are unable to participate in the tree planting, we will ask them to prepare a meal for all involved in the tree planting for everyone to share once the planting is finished. This will ensure that those women also feel a part of the project, and therefore will be more likely to support its development. In the schools, we will not single out boys or girls to take part in the project, but it will be open to everyone. This will teach the participants at a young age that it does not matter whether you are male or female, that everyone has a role to play to mitigate the effects of climate change.