The project focused on building capacities of the community and the GEF SGP grantees to successfully develop, implement, report and monitor GEF SGP projects. Its main part consisted of a wide promotional campaign. 36 volunteers from five district centers of NGO ?For Clean Environment? (?Za Chyste Dovkillya?) participated in preparation and conduct of ecological events. In order to fulfill its capacity development component, the project managed to establish 45 new partnerships with other NGOs, educational institutions and local authorities. It also created four new jobs to support implementation of the project. The most significant activities were highlighted by the media and the project itself developed eight issues of the All-Ukrainian newspaper ?Environment and Development? which covers ecological topics. It also created its own promotional materials to raise public awareness on the GEF SGP activities.
As part of nature protection activities the project engaged 86 people, including schoolchildren, public activists and local authorities, to participate in the cleaning of 3 km coast of Nobel Lake, Rivne region. 65 people also took part in the environmental workshop during a festival in Nobel village.
All in all, the project team organized 11 ecological lessons on biodiversity conservation in universities and schools of the region. 76 students took part in the workshop aimed at raising of environmental consciousness among students of Rivne city and 147 participants joined five ecological lessons ?It is our duty to keep environment clean?. As part of scientific activities, the project facilitated an academic conference on eco-friendly production, participated in preparation for the National Ecological Forum, arranged visits of 16 Ukrainian ecologists to Lithuania and took part in the GEF SGP Knowledge Fair.
Furthermore, the consultants monitored 29 GEF SGP projects and gave professional recommendation to the grantees. As a result, the project informed and enhanced knowledge of more than 24 500 people. It also managed to reduce more than 2 tonnes of CO2 emissions due to awareness-raising activities on global environmental challenges.