Project Detail

Transforming Lives Through Renewable Energy Iniative and Youth Enpowerment in Majesty Gardens

The Community Renewal Programme (CRP) has been conceptualised by the Government of Jamaica on the premise that security, justice and community economic well-being are pre-requisites for the sustainable development of Jamaica?s communities and for the country as a whole. Further, all citizens regardless of socio-economic background must be free to make their own choices, take responsibility for their own actions and be afforded equal opportunities for self-development to make a meaningful contribution to nation building. The goal of the CRP is to empower residents to achieve their fullest potential and contribute to the attainment of a secure, cohesive and just Jamaican society as outlined in Goals 1 and 2 of Vision 2030 Jamaica. Vision 2030 identifies ?gradual intervention in targeted communities that are most vulnerable and among population segments such as young males? (Outcome 5, Security and Safety, p. 106) as a major component of the long term solution. This is supported by National Strategy 5-1: Strengthen the capacity of communities to participate in creating a safe and secure society. It also corresponds with recommendations contained in the National Security Strategy and Community Safety Strategy (CSS) and the recommendations of the JCF Strategic Review completed in 2008.

The CRP, therefore, is a platform for the coordination of development initiatives aimed at reversing the negative socio-economic trends in communities which contribute to their marginalization from the Jamaican society; the exclusion of their residents in the economy and society; and focus on 100 volatile and vulnerable communities in the 5 most crime-affected parishes (these parishes account for over 80% crime and 70% of Jamaica?s murder rate).Targeted communities were selected based on the following vulnerability and volatility criteria.
Majesty Gardens is the pilot community under the CRP. The Majesty Gardens Renewal Intervention is a multi-agency effort aimed at re-asserting the legitimate role of the state in the community and elevating the standard of living of its residents.

The community of Majesty Gardens has an estimated population of 3,168 persons, 65.4% of which is below the age of 30. There are approximately 880 households with an average of 4.0 persons per household in a space of 1,500 km2 with 56% headed by females (SDC survey - January 2009). The community is faced with poverty and high levels of unemployment. Over 80% of the population does not pay for electricity. The community is also highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change such as flooding and drought due to poor infrastructure (i.e. inadequate sanitary conveniences, poor drainage, and improper waste disposal). These social issues have severely impacted the quality of life for these residents, especially their livelihoods.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Environmental Health Foundation

Country:

Jamaica

Area Of Work:

Climate Change Mitigation

Operational Phase:

OP5 – Y4 (Jul 14 – Jun 15)

Grant Amount:

US$ 50,000.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 10,834.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 167,136.00

Project Number:

JAM/SGP/OP5/Y4/CORE/CC/14/01

Start Date:

8/2014

End Date:

3/2016

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

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Project Characteristics and Results

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

As part of the Capacity building initiative, participants would be required to attend workshops, training sessions and participate in an apprenticeship programme. Results from these sessions would be captured using both video and still shots. At the end of the project it is expected that a brochure in booklet form would be produced to capture knowledge gained from the project and also highlight the achievements of the project.

Gender Focus

Gender issues will be a major focus of the project as it relates to building community resilience. Women, being the main transmitters of behaviour and information within households, will be central to the success of the project as well as the important role that children and young people can play in advancing climate change adaptation and mitigation. Climate change is expected to impact everyone in some way or the other. The impacts can affect men and women differently due to socio-cultural, demographic and economic factors. In many cases, research has shown that women are more vulnerable to, and hence more impacted by disasters than men. Initiatives aimed at building community adaptive capacity and resilience to climate change must therefore be gender sensitive. This will ensure that the needs and concerns of men, women and children are addressed equitably. However, the intention of the project is to target everyone; specifically the women?s group and the men?s group. As it pertains to Majesty Gardens, substantive participation of women in consultation sessions has been important and valuable as approximately 65%-70% women use SAS. This can be supported by the percentage of households headed by females in Majesty Gardens which accounts for approximately 56%.

Policy Impact

In keeping with the national outcomes 10 & 15 under goals 3 & 4 of Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan, the project will create an energy efficient, solar powered SAS that will be used as a multi-purpose facility offering essential services (including training and building awareness in RE/EE) to the community. This will contribute to the reduction in electricity cost and the overall national dependency on imported oil. The primary objective therefore of the project is to reduce the electricity cost of the SAS by up to 70% over the project period as well as to build awareness among community members of the benefits of renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Planning gef grant

No plans to scale up to a medium-sized GEF grant

Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples

Not applicable to this community.

Project sustainability

The Action Plan provides a strategic road-map for how the Saint Andrew Settlement and community can change their behavior to reduce energy consumption as well as expand the penetration of renewable energy in the community. The measures outlined in the Action Plan could contribute to the sustainability of these types of initiatives in the community if implemented. To implement these measures the Saint Andrew Settlement, through engagement with the community and support from key stakeholders, donor agencies and government could work together to make these are reality. This Action Plan serves to guide further interventions (at the community level) and policies (at the macro level) toward a cohesive, regularized and energy efficient community. Additionally, the Saint Andrew Parish Church (SAPC), the entity responsible for the management of SAS, has fully welcomed the project and will be providing support to SAS in the maintenance of the equipment. Also, PowerGen Limited, the entity that designed and installed the solar energy system, has been providing monitoring and maintenance services of the equipment, as they too have an interest in ensuring that the system works optimally and that SAS?s carbon footprint continues to decline. Finally, with respect to sustained energy conservation ? a major focus of the project - the Energy Wardens (community members who were identified and trained by the Team in promoting energy efficiency and conservation), have committed to continuing this task, in an effort to contribute to the sustainability of the project.

Notable Community Participation

The EHF has been implementing a project entitled ?Reviving and Renewing Majesty Gardens, St. Andrew, through Proper Parenting, Nutrition, Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Management and Environmental Management in Majesty Gardens? as part of the CRP. As a result, EHF has had consultations with the community and has sought community input and buy-in for the design and implementation of this proposed project. The SAS has committed to giving their support to the project and is excited about the possibility of being a pilot for renewable energy and energy efficiency. The buy-in from the community encompasses several groups and organizations inclusive of the Community Development Commission, Community Based Organizations such as the St. Andrew Settlement operated by the St. Andrew Parish Church, Women?s Group, Men?s Group, and Youth Group. EHF emphasizes community ownership from the project implementation phase which is essential to the success of the project.

Linkages gef projects

The GEF/SGP created a linkage between the EHF and the Jamaica Maritime Institute Trust Fund (JMITF), which is another GEF/SGP grant beneficiary. This partnership allowed the project scope to be scaled up and value added as follows: * The JMITF provided additional training, at no extra cost, for eighteen (18) community members (including females and youths) in LED Array Assembly. *The JMITF, in collaboration with the Caribbean Maritime Institute, provided technical expertise and guidance on the solar energy system installed (through vetting bids from potential suppliers, selecting the most suitable supplier, and auditing the installation).

Planning non gef grant

The members of the community would like to scale up this project with the help of local and national government organizations.

Capacity - Building Component

The members of the team are not familiar with the procurement process necessary to acquire and install the Solar system, the Computers and IT equipment. To address this capacity need, members of the staff are scheduled to meet with UNDP's IT and Procurement personnel to better understand the procurement process. It is expected that the UNDP would share their guidelines and procedures with the team and allow for a question and answer segment to ensure all concerns are addressed. The staff and community members would also be exposed to various training sessions, for example, a certified training in Renewable Energy/Renewable Efficiency would be conducted where residents are expected to receive a certification in Basic Solar PV Design and Installation.

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

The replication mechanism will be implemented as indicated above where the renewable energy is a vital instrument in sustainable climate change mitigation strategies. This project will form the basis for replication in the other ninety nine (99) Community Renewal Programmes and communities as it has been highly endorsed by the Planning Institute of Jamaica and is aligned with Vision 2030. An Apprenticeship programme would also be introduced to enable participants of the certification course in Basic Solar PV Design and Installation to have the opportunity to develop this skill into a career.

Replication of project activities

This project was implemented in the community of Majesty Gardens and was officially designated as the pilot community for interventions under the Community Renewal Programme (CRP) of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). This project was the first of its kind in the community, focusing on climate change mitigation through the adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency and was implemented based on the vulnerability of the community. The project forms part of the first phase of programmes under the CRP and will be monitored by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (through its CRP). Already, the CRP programme team has indicated their desire to have it scaled-up and/or replicated in other communities across Jamaica that are under the CRP. Replication has already began, in another vulnerable CRP community.

Policy Influence

Though the project has not influenced policy at the national level, the group along with key stakeholders and community members were able to draft an Action Plan which will be reviewed by the CRP Secretariat of the Planning Institute of Jamaica; the government?s national planning agency. After review, revision and approval by the CRP, the Plan will be shared with the Government, private sector, key stakeholders and the community for further consultations. It is expected that input and approval by the CRP will strengthen and better align the Plan with national goals, which will allow greater stakeholder involvement and investment toward bringing the programmes of the Plan to fruition. In addition to the Action Plan, which will provide a guide for the way forward, it should be noted that the project activities have in fact contributed to the achievement of some components of Jamaica?s Vision 2030 National Plan, specifically goal# 10 (Energy Security and Efficiency, and diversification of the country?s energy sources, to include renewables).

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

To reach as broad a target market as possible, flyers would be produced, printed and distributed in the community for each sensitization strategy, workshops and other project related events. In addition, a banner would be designed and produced to be used at all events. As this is a community based event, the usual strategy of "word of mouth" would also be used to promote public awareness.

Project Results

This project was a very successful one and is now recognised as a best practice.

Climate Change Mitigation/Carbon Emission Reduction/Energy Cost Savings:
The team, designed and installed a 10kW solar energy system that resulted in a reduction in carbon emissions of over four (4) tonnes to date (March 30, 2016); seventy six percent (76%) reduction in energy bills of the Saint Andrew Settlement (hub of the Majesty Gardens community) and a corresponding 76% reduction in energy demanded from fossil fuels (against a target of 70%). Energy bills, which once exceeded J$100,000/month (US$1,000) were reduced to under J$30,000/month (US$300). Distributed and installed, at SAS and within the wider community, two hundred and thirty three (233) LED lights (against a target of 68), which led to a reduction in carbon emissions of approximate 0.0018 tonnes per month. Essential services (including early childhood education and healthcare) provided by SAS to over
3,000 residents is no longer threatened, as the sustainability and viability of SAS has been greatly
improved through more affordable energy.

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Awareness:
One hundred and seventy two (172) residents are more aware of the importance of energy efficiency and conservation through five (5) behaviour change workshops and two (2) sensitization sessions held. They were also introduced to career options in renewable energy, which could enhance their livelihoods.
Six (6) residents (3 males, 3 females) trained and certified in Basic Solar PV Design and Installation, an industry experiencing growth. Due to the certification these residents now hold, their employability is now improved. Further, the project provided practical work experience for four (4) of the candidates.
We established a working group comprised of seven (7) Energy Wardens and six (6) Data Gathering
personnel (residents of the community) who actively sensitize community members about energy
efficiency and promote energy conservation practices.

Knowledge Products Developed:
A 30-minute documentary on the project was produced, to be aired regionally. This is expected to encourage other communities to engage in similar projects. One photo story, capturing project implementation and achievements, was produced and showed at project close-out ceremony. One brochure (in booklet form) capturing the objectives and achievements of the project was
produced and is to be printed and distributed.

Action Plan:
Hosted workshop with community members where their aspirations for the future of the community were ascertained and recorded. This information was then used to inform the Action Plan, which was presented at the Project Close-Out Ceremony in April 2016.This document is a strategic road map that serves to guide further interventions (at the community level) and policies (at the macro level) toward a cohesive, regularized and energy efficient community.

Environmental Impact/Climate Change Mitigation:
A reduction in carbon emission of over four and a half tonnes (4.58T) was realized as a result of the installation of the 10kW solar energy system, consisting of forty (40) 250W solar voltaic (PV) panels. This 4.58T was the total emissions avoided between installation in June 2015 and the current date (April 29, 2016), which is equivalent to 394 trees. The system was specially designed to be expandable (in the future) to the entire community, thereby allowing residents to be powered solely by solar energy. An additional reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 0.0018 tonnes per month has been seen due to the installation of three hundred and eighty two (382) LED lights (against a target of 68) at the Saint
Andrew Settlement and within households throughout the wider community. There are no known adverse
environmental impacts of the project.

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Indicators

Empowerment

Number of women participated / involved in SGP project 100

Empowerment

Number of value added labels/certifications/quality standards received or achieved 6

Empowerment

Number and type of support linkages established with national government institutions 1

Livehood

Total monetary value (US dollars) of clean energy services provided to project participants and / or community as a whole (in the climate change focal area) 1000

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