PROJECT TITLE: BUILDING RESILIENCE OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES BY INTEGRATING TRADITIONAL MEDICINE KNOWLEDGE INTO ONE HEALTH APPROACH AND SUPPORTING CONSERVATION OF INDIGENOUS PLANT SPECIES IN TAITAHILLS ECOSYSTEMS AND ADJACENT RANGELANDS THROUGH GRASSROOTS INITIATIVES.

Project Rationale and Approach:

The project aims to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable communities, particularly indigenous people and local communities.
It emphasizes the importance of innovation and the "One Health approach" to mitigate the effects of the pandemic.
The Taita Hills region is highlighted for its biodiversity significance and importance to local communities' livelihoods.
Organizational Background and Capacity:

Wumweri Ghodu CBO is introduced as a community-led organization focused on land rights and conservation efforts.
The organization has undertaken various projects related to land rights, environmental management, and COVID-19 response with support from local and international partners.
Capacity assessment is outlined across four domains: leadership, management and operations, networking and partnerships, and service delivery and monitoring.
Project Linkage to National Policies and Legislative Frameworks:

The project aligns with national policies and frameworks, contributing to local and national efforts to strengthen pandemic response and conservation efforts.

Project Rationale:
The project aims to utilize traditional medicinal knowledge and promote the conservation of biodiversity to address current and future health threats, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Serious threats to the Taita Hills biodiversity are identified, necessitating interventions to bridge gaps in knowledge and conservation efforts.
Project Objectives and Expected Results:

Objectives include sensitizing communities on the One Health approach, documenting traditional medicinal knowledge, establishing nurseries of indigenous plant species, and promoting traditional medicine education and marketing.

Expected results include reaching communities with health messages, documenting traditional medicinal knowledge, establishing nurseries, training community members, promoting traditional medicine uptake, and restoring degraded land.

Overall, the proposal aims to empower local communities in the Taita Hills to respond to health challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic through innovative approaches rooted in traditional knowledge and biodiversity conservation.