As a fairly novel project there were hardly documented experiences to draw from within the region. As such, the pioneering of a project design can serve as a strength. This means that BAP would blaze a new trail and can draw lessons for replication of the project.
Generally, knowledge management is planned to be executed throughout the project tenure at specific milestones and for particular purposes. Specifically, knowledge sharing of the scope, expectations and progress of the project will occur through orientation sessions, information sharing of community profile and findings of observations and perceptions surveys with the community (pamphlets); Through media, community and stakeholder engagements to report on milestone achievements via project update blasts, imagery and video clips of community experiences and perceptions of the project, all to be uploaded and shared on a digital portal to be installed on www.belizeplanners.org and on www.facebook.com/Belize-Association-Of-Planners; and a Final project report on lessons learned and experiences shared.
Capacity - Building Component
One of the objectives of this project is to build the capacity of the targeted communities, to be stewards of transforming their communities into urban hubs of prosperity and social well being, while contributing to the health and integrity of the Landscape/Seascape.
Notable Community Participation
The activity - Strengthen individual capacity to implement and participate in the community resilience strengthening strategies and actions at the landscape/seascape level; In this particular activity, there will be an emphasis on gender equity and vulnerable populations and groupings, including the youth, the poor, the elderly, people living with HIV Aids, persons with diverse abilities
Project sustainability
The evaluation of this project reveals that the achievement of all the targets and overall objectives were challenged by a number of constraints including the restrictions of the SARS-Covid 2 pandemic, lack of funding, and limited community involvement in the larger sub-communities. These constraints will also impact on the sustainability of this project. Despite these challenges, the following achievements provide strong opportunities for the sustainability of this project: i. The buy-in of the Community Climate Change Resilience Strategy and Action Plans of two (2) Community Working Groups (CWGs) and their commitment to proceed with capacity building which is intended to lead to the registration of these groups as an NGO. ii. The participation of members of the three (3) CWGs in B!P?s 2nd Governance Summit held on July 22nd, 2020 on ?Increasing Civil Society Capacity for Governance and Decision-making which links to Objective 3:-To build capacity of target communities to be stewards of their own transformation and which is a climate action of their strategy and action plan. This summit produced tools to facilitate organizational capacity development.
iii. The evaluation report of the UWI Capacity Building Training on Community Advocacy which lends to an interest by the participants in continued training. iv. Ongoing discussion with the CWGs for a virtual consultation with the community on the Climate Change Resilience Strategy and Action Plan in the 1st quarter of 2021. v. BAP has submitted an application to the Inter-American Development Foundation (IAF) to fund a project titled ?Urban Community Ambassadors Project for Peace and Prosperity? to build capacities of youth, women and civil society leaders in these communities to unite across groups and issues and use data, technology and grassroots movements to grow their influence to improve governance accountability and service delivery. This is linked to bridge financing for the project, strategies and action plan, and for catalyst projects.
vi. BAP is in discussion with UNICEF on a project titled ?Urban Women?s Rights Ambassador Programme? (UWRAP), the goal of which is to strengthen the capacity of grassroots CSOs in urban communities to participate in social accountability with the state, to support the usage of data as an advocacy tool to address family violence, and to improve networking and mobilizing amongst grassroots CSOs, to have a stronger leadership role within existing spaces, such as BNN. vii. BAP was invited by the National (Virtual) Structured Dialogue to update Belize's Country Programme for engagement with the GCF to participate in a three (3) days session on how to access the fund, and to submit a project idea for funding, which we did.
This project intends to pilot urban climate smart planning, design and development for climate change mitigation and adaptation and sustainable development co-benefits in at risk and underserved urban communities. It incorporates the entire draft budgets for the strategies and action plans of the three communities, with a scope for expanding to additional at risk and underserved communities. viii. In addition, BAP has entered into an agreement with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center and the National Climate Change Office for the execution of ?Enabling Gender Responsive Disaster Recovery, Climate and Environmental Resilience in the Caribbean? the EnGenDER Project which is upscaling this project. The goal is to use data to identify social barriers impeding climate change adaptation efforts in 2 communities in southern Belize.
While there are no guarantees that grant applications will be approved, at a minimum, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that there is a possibility that the project is progressing toward achieving additional objectives. BAP concurs that issues of the pandemic, funding, and sustained community engagement still stand as a challenge that compromise project progress and delivering all the objectives and plans to continually build strategies to address these challenges.
Gender Focus
The project is anchored in the principle of ?leave no one behind?. This demands accounting for each person in the community. Thus the project takes into consideration gender issues in developing the physical, environmental and socio-economic and demographic sensitivity situational profile and in analyzing observations and perceptions of community resilience issues, concerns and needs.
Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment
This project has an objective directly linked to increasing awareness: To increase awareness, knowledge and understanding of the threats and opportunities of the impacts of climate change to urban populations, buildings and infrastructure, and to urban and marine ecosystems and of the landscape/seascape connectivity.
Project Results
Mobilization and solidification of actors critical to the success of the project
1. Community mobilizers were selected from each of the 3 target communities to assist in conducting surveys and acting as gatekeepers for BAP. They were responsible for reaching out to community members and assisting in organizing and facilitating meetings. meetings
2. In the process of choosing community mobilizers, persons with natural leadership qualities were recognized within the community. Those persons were selected and utilized for effective mobilization of community members. Strong leadership skills were identified among 3 or 4 persons in the Mayflower area. These persons were able to mobilize resources and young men to get community members to work together.
3. BAP utilized the existing leadership structures in each community to identify and work along with key individuals who served as gatekeepers into these communities. Community members expressed that they became more aware of issues related to their area. 4. Mobilization and solidification of actors critical to the success of the project. This includes developing partnerships initiated with the governmental and non-governmental organizations, academia, private sector and civil society organizations, all of whom have contributed to, or were beneficiaries of the project. These organizations are as follows: Belize Assembly for Persons with Diverse Abilities, United Belizeans for Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM), Helpage Belize, Belize City Council, National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), BELTRAIDE, Belize Audubon Society, Cisco Construction Ltd, Calvary Temple School, New York University Capstone Project, Florida State University, SocaMoca Carnival Band, St. John?s Junior College, British High Commission, Belize Red Cross, and Mattie Roter Women?s Outreach Organization.
Conduct building footprint and socio-economic and physical and environmental analysis
1. Drone imagery was utilized in order to collect data on the physical, geographical, and environmental landscape including neighborhood boundary lines, spatial density, waterways, land density, green spaces, and recreational areas among others.
2. Awareness of the value and importance of drone technology was developed among community members. Layers of spatial data that were extracted from drone imagery such as building footprints (land use, condition, density and number of floors), drains, and culverts, that link spatial data with demographics for analysis in order to determine extent of exposure to climate risk. This was also presented at the community meetings which enabled community members to have a better understanding of the spatial layout of their communities.
3. Data was collected from the Statistical Institute of Belize to do trend analysis. This external data showed figures on employment, income levels, and levels of educational attainment, age, sex, foreign born, ethnicity and status of union, which made it possible to better understand the demographics of persons living in the communities, and create strategies to uplift the community.
Conduct a survey of community observations on climate change issues and concerns, and their perceptions of connectivity to the Landscape/ Seascape
1. At least twelve active persons from all the communities were identified by BAP to act as gatekeepers to their communities.
2. Community mobilizers report that they and several members that they interviewed in their target communities are pleased to be engaged in a consultative process in which, for the first time, they get the opportunity to express to an agency their concerns about the needs of their area.
3. Depending on the responsiveness of the community, the surveys that were conducted in each community provided varying numbers of completed survey questionnaires from which disaggregated data was derived.
4. In the Mayflower Area, mobilizers reported that they were able to reach about 80 percent of persons in the community by going house to house and explain the project?s agenda and objectives. Residents were able to be engaged from the beginning and their opinions were noted and taken into consideration. In the Jane Usher Blvd Area, this percentage of persons being engaged was notably lower due to some challenges. The number of responses to the survey from the ?Between the Canals? area was also limited.
5. Through various community meetings and visits by community mobilizers, cleanup activities, about 400 families were introduced to the project. 6. Following the surveys, an analysis was presented to people for them to understand the most pressing needs and concerns in their communities. 7. The surveys revealed various needs that were identified by members of the communities.
These include:
a. Infrastructure needs such as waste disposal containers, disability accessible bus stop, renovation of basketball courts, build or improve parks and playgrounds and other recreational areas, proper drainage for flood mitigation, cleaning of abandoned lots, renovation of derelict buildings and establishment.
b. Socio-economic development needs such as job and skills training for youths, single mothers, and other targeted vulnerable populations, training in basic literacy
