I. The first progress report was recieved on 15 May 2006, a bound book with five photos depicting carried out activities and other related documents. Details are as follows:

Activities carried out:

1. Building technical capacity of target and neighbouring population through training , dissemination and outreach
2. Installation for demonstration and use of the following units:
- Two solar dryer, two solar lighting system
- Four units of biogas pit
3. Compiling data & information of communities to be used as a baseline
4. Conducting open forum to confirm and share insight of community members

Results and indicators:

1.Target community demonstrating increased capacity and familiarity with biogas and solar technology
2. Acquired compiled database on livelihood for future reference
3. Community members being able to express vision on appropriate model of developments

Project Communication: The project was disseminated to agencies responsible for community development such as TAO, district officers. In addition, project activities were recorded and disseminated in communication materials of Pong District. The one from the target village (Baan Don Ngern) on biogas, solar dryer and lighting was graded as number 1.

II. During 18-20 October 2006, leaders of the project participated in the mid-course evaluation. The observation is as follows:

Baan(village) Busai, one of the target village of an OP2, year-4 project, was a venue of the workshop where 45 attendants from 13 projects of OP3 year 2, NSC members, NC and PA gathered together to meet. Literally, these 13 projects were dubbed among SGP Thailand as GEF SGP Class 7/1 with project number starting from THA-05-01 to THA-05-13.

Workshop AT-A-Glance

As the venue was situated in target area of a back project THA-02-18 and adjacent to that of THA-04-22 which had been launching activities to reverse land degradation in watershed area of Lower Mekhong ecosystems, participants had learnt and shared experience with leaders of the two projects during field visits and briefing session. That was the first day.

First session of the following morning saw the NC occupying the floor confirming strategy of GEF SGP: Environment Protection , Community Empowerment, and Poverty Reduction. Then the floor was handed over to participants to conduct the session on sharing and discussion. Each project was given 30 minutes to relate background, activities undertaken and immediate results, problems/issues as well as questions and answers. The session was able to effectively cover 10 projects. That was the second day.

The morning of third day was given to the three remaining projects to cover their stories, to the NSC for observation and suggestion , to the NC to remind the grantees of what to do next according to the MOAs and finally to the grantees to collectively plan activities to strengthen this fledgling SGP environmental network and friendship. At the end, the chairperson , vice-chairperson and coordinator of Thailand GEF SGP class 7/1 emerged to take up coordinating role for all 13 projects. That was the final day of the workshop.

Each grantee was capable of articulating details of undertaken activities and their immediate results to the audiences. Project results were rated as promising. Some even gained recognition and financial supports by other stakeholders. Community members of two projects were able to increase their technical capacity in biogas technology. At an average, three projects were ahead of their proposed timeline , three a little bit behind, and seven just on time.

Nine projects presented through Power Points and audio-visual equipment, even though they are of Community ?Based Organization and not a national, tighter organization. There were four projects who accomplished their jobs by sets of photos and detailed documents.

III. The second progress report was received on 25 November 2006, with following details:

Activities carried out:

1. Building technical capacity of one group of target population(aging group) through seminars on water power and human power for paddy milling , and solar energy for food processing
2. Installation for demonstration and use of the following units:
- ten units of biogas pit in communities
- one unit for expansion community school
3. Conducting training on the production of natural compost, non-chemical pesticide and putting into practice
4. Promoting biological diversity in water course and paddy fields

Results and indicators:

1. Evinced increased awareness of members of the aging group witnessed through active participation, collective planning and collective labouring
2.All biogas pits functioning successfully , providing ample amount of cooking gas for the ten families resulting in nearly none of the canned gas purchase from the market
3. There were 33 community members participating in the training
4. Established of a centre for promoting biological diversity in agricultural ecosystems
5. Experience and lessons learnt being occasionally shared and discussed among the three groups of project members: housewife group, integrated cow-raising group, and aging group

Project Communication:

After completion of the ten biogas pits, the project was visited by the followings:

1. staff members of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, Pong Branch visited the projects and said that would disseminate the success to the Bank?s customers
2.staff members of Pong District Community Development Office
3. staff members of Community Development Study of Rahabhat University Phranakhorn


IV. On October 20, 2007, the NC and three members of NSC paid a monitoring visit to the project. The findings and observation are as follows:

The first interaction took place in the premises of Baan Don Ngern Community Schools. The visiting team was briefed about project activities and their associated results. Five community schools in the location were participating in project at certain extents. The schools and community were quoted as working together quite closely. The demonstration of renewable energy in Baan Don Ngern School were one biogas pit supplying cooking gas to the school kitchen when required and the first solar cooker fabricated by a group of students under supervision of school staff.

Walking through premises of five project members in Baan (village) Don Ngern of 200 families or so, four out of completed ten biogas facilities were witnessed with satisfactory functioning. Average increased technical capacity of project members was evident, with four or five members capable of retraining and supervising a new construction if required. The success of biogas facilities had prompted additional financial support from the government?s Small Medium Loan Scheme for other 26 pits and Self-Sufficiency Scheme for other 30. The 26 pits were completed while the 30 were in their planning stage. In addition to the biogas, one demonstration unit of water wheel run by a small stream from nearby highland watershed was seen lifting and carrying water to garden of one project member, and one installation of large mortar for pounding paddy to separate the grains from the chaffs using manual energy. It was said the installation of the mortar followed the initiative and desire of the aged group in the village to revive traditional practice.

As majority of community members are farmers who grow paddy /corns and raising cows/hogs, there seemed to be ample supply of manure to refill the pits. A brief conversation, one member ,who did not possess neither cows nor hogs but wanted to try this type of renewable energy , filled his pit by collecting the manure from his neighbours for free. All pits under GEF SGP support had been functioning for nearly a year. However, one major proposed activities -water pumping by renewable energy - was not completed yet due to some unforeseen circumstance. After consultation with the visiting team, project leaders agreed to modify the activity and would complete the activity as soon as possible.

Having a cultural group? Thai Lue? as their ancestor, community members were able to demonstrate communal traditional activities which the visiting team regarded as a favourable quality and a social capital required in a development process, even though the interaction time was very brief.

The project would undergo participatory evaluation upon completion with other 12- SGP supported projects during November 7-9, 2007.

V. Note: on a participatory evaluation upon completion:

GEF Small Grants Programme: Evaluation upon Completion Workshop At-a-Glance

Country: Thailand
Project Number: THA-05-01 to THA-05-13
Date of Workshop: November 7- 9, 2007
Location: Boy Scout Camp, Khao Khitchakut District, Chanthaburi

1. BACKGROUND OF THE WORKSHOP

Specified in the Country Programme Strategy and long encouraged by Thailand GEF SGP, the workshop aimed to strengthen the participatory evaluation process, build capacity of target communities, and contribute to the formation of a strong network of GEF SGP grantees. The 3-day workshop provided an opportunity for these 13 projects?all nearing completion after 24 months?to present overall results, problems/issues and their solutions, to share lessons learned and to forge partnerships for sustainability.

2. WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS

The Chanthaburi Boy Scout Camp in Khao Khitchakut District, the venue for the workshop, hosted 45 participants from 11 projects of OP3 Year One, a GEF SGP team (composed of a NSC member, the National Coordinator, and Programme Assistants), and a few other major stakeholders. The 11 projects were dubbed ?GEF SGP Class 7/1,? and assigned a project number between THA-05-01 and THA-05-13. In addition, four members from THA-06-02?a project of OP3 Year Two or ?GEF SGP Class 8/1??were present to share experiences. The participants showed great geographical diversity; they had traveled from Nan, Tak, Loei, Mahasarakharm, Kanchanaburi, Ayudhaya, Phayao, Nakhornsithammarat, Songkhla and Pattani Provinces.

3. Workshop At-a-Glance

Beginning in the afternoon of November 7th, several project members began preparing dissemination materials. Photos depicting project activities were posted in the meeting hall; brochures, completion reports, instruction manuals and project products were also available.

To allow all parties to arrive and set up, the exhibition did not commence until the morning of the second day. November 8th began with the official opening ceremony, in which the chief of district officers of Khao Khitchakut District presided and gave an encouraging keynote speech. Following the chief, the GEF SGP National Coordinator delivered his welcoming remarks by reviewing the history of GEF SGP and how he felt about this get-together. After the official opening, the chief spent almost half-an-hour visiting and conversing with project members at their respective dissemination stations in the hall. Also in attendance were other district officers, including staff from local schools and the Provincial Corrective Department, which was a major stakeholder of the host grantee (THA-05-13). The chief, when requested to give his reaction regarding what he had seen and heard, offered relevant and enthusiastic feedback.

The sharing of project summaries and results then began. Throughout the day, ten projects were presented, eight of which used PowerPoint and audio-visual equipment, (an impressive feat considering the limited resources and IT skills of most community-based organizations). Three projects relied upon sets of photos and detailed documents. The remaining session of the day was spent on a site visit to the host grantee?s project.

On the third day, the National Coordinator and his team took the floor to explain the future plan of GEF Phase 4, during which the grantees would work to upscale their current activities, and build and solidify their network. Advice on using interactive online mapping to strengthen the network was also given.

It will be interesting to follow how this group would proceed with their future plans. It is notable that during the workshop, the term global warming was often heard, even from two projects whose activities did not directly address this issue.

VI. The completion report was received on 27 November 2007, six-page write up with other related document (knowledge products)

Date of Participatory Evaluation: 20 October 2007
Number of Beneficiaries/ Participating personnel:
Women: 458
Men: 422
Children: 179
Number of persons trained/ attending seminars, joining study tours:
Women: 335
Men: 278
Children: 85
Expense:
Total: Baht: 684,750
Amount received from SGP: Baht: 582,476.34
Amount received from other : Baht: 498,000
Amount contributed by grantee/community: Baht: 303,600

Undertaken activities:

1. Installation for demonstration and use of the following units:
one water wheel , one manual traditional rice mill, two solar dryer, one solar lighting system, and eleven units of biogas pits
2. Building technical capacity of target and neighbouring population through training , dissemination and outreach
3. Conducting training on the production of natural compost, non-chemical pesticide and putting into practice
4.Promoting biological diversity in water course and paddy fields
5. Compiling data & information of communities to be used as a baseline
6. Conducting open forum to confirm and share insight of community members

Descriptive results:
1. The installed units operating satisfactorily , especially the biogas -contributing to tremendously avoiding canned gas and reducing fire-wood consumption
2. Emergence of a learning centre and one local curriculum
3. Substantial reduction off expense on chemical substances
4. Evinced increase in biological diversity in paddy fields and natural water course
5.Community members being able to express vision on appropriate model of developments
6. Surrounding communities replicating the environmentally-friendly practice

Some output/impact:

Community member from Tambol Sa-iab, Song District, Phrae Province and Sikha Asia Foundation learnt about the biogas project and replicated in their locality. In September 2007, the project leader was appointed a chairperson of Natural Resources and Environment Protection Volunteer of Phayao Province. On top of this benefits, two other government programme had further supported additional 57 pits.

Short-term, direct benefits:

The evident benefit involved the use of biogas from cow manure. The activity on biogas not only made a good use of cow manure but also got rid of the offensive smell ? a hidden conflict in community was solved to a certain extent. Some other benefits have been seen through the built up of community technical capacity and the effort to retain and apply local approaches in livelihood activities.

Long term benefits:

This seemed to involved knowledge on energy and its effect upon global warming which the project had been instilled into youth groups within the village and surrounding ones. As to community members, biogas is not any more the new technology but the thing that they had experience with-giving a sense of self ?confidence for other type of renewable technology.