Goal
To promote institutional and financial sustainability of civil society organization through innovative, inclusive and scalable initiatives for sound biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, governance and sustainable livelihoods in the local communities.
This project will build synergies and co-benefits between biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation and adaptation relevant to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), including and through the newly-formed Platform on Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples (LCIPs) approved by the COP24 in Katowice, Poland, in December 2018.
1.5.2 Objectives
The project seeks to:
• Build competencies of CSOs in project identification, project proposal writing, project management, monitoring and evaluation and resource mobilization.
• Build CSO capacity in digital technology and virtual reality that will support CSO’s communication and advocacy and civil engagement platforms that will allow them to participate in decision-making.
• Empower CSOs in the Black Volta Basin to migrate from village savings using the metal boxes to digital smart savings.
1.5.3 Expected Outputs
a) 50 CSOs trained in project identification, project proposal writing, project management, communication, knowledge management, monitoring and evaluation in the forest and savannah landscapes;
b) Capacities of pilot 50 CSOs built in digital technology and virtual reality that supports communication and advocacy and civil engagement in decision-making process.
c) 200 village savings groups support to migrate from village savings using the box to digital smart saving.
1.5.4 Planned Activities
OUTPUT 1 – 50 CSOs trained in project identification, project proposal writing, project management, communication, knowledge management, monitoring and evaluation in the forest and savannah landscapes.
This output seeks to ensure long term institutional and financial capability of the CSOs in Ghana, especially the Black Volta Basin (BVB) landscape. The training strategy and plans would be developed with local stakeholders. It will undertake needs assessment of CSO to understand their capacity and institutional sustainability of CSOs. The output will also seek to institutionalize the landscapes in a culturally, socio-economically and technically appropriate and feasible manner, based on consultations and safeguards. This is aimed at mainstreaming the BLACK VOLTA BASIN landscape strategy and approaches in appropriate production and conservation policies and plans, includes local development plans, agriculture/forestry/fisheries/tourism and other sector policies and strategies, and protected areas (co-management, ICCA, OECM, and others)
The project will conduct national assessment and consultations as follows:
a) Consultations and awareness raising among key stakeholders including national and local CSO,.
b) Assessment and identification of possible and favourable institutionalization /mainstreaming of CSOs, including sustainable financing opportunities and mechanisms
c) Building CSOs competencies in Counselling (build relationships, consulting, coaching); Organizing/executing (planning, making it happen); Performing and creating (craft e.g. writing, design, presentation); analyzing/ interpreting (research, listening) and supporting/guiding (vision and standards, ethics, developing others)
The planned activities to ensure the achievement of the project objectives will include:
1.1 Review the capacities of CSOs in the BVB in order to: a) to document best practices and lessons learned; b) identify efforts they made to institutionalize their organizations culturally, socio-economically and technically, c) based on the consultations identify and analyze variables that can build the CSOs and design a fit for all capacity building programme for the CSOs.
1.2 .Design project formulation programme covering a) improved knowledge in project design and management; b) insight into project proposal techniques; c) how to undertake Multi-stakeholder Partnership analysis, SWOT analysis, Problem and Objective Tree Analysis; d) how to develop winnable project proposal
1.3 Undertake series of face to face and virtual training in project formulation and budgeting.
1.4 Build capacities of civil society communication professionals in knowledge, skills and competencies;
1.5 Train the CSO as civil society professionals in awareness raising and advocacy with special reference to media relations
1.6 Build capacities of CSOs in gender and youth mainstreaming in project planning, implementation and management.
1.7 Train the CSOs in how to conduct Policy dialogue among stakeholders, including identifying key follow (Identification and mapping of stakeholders: development and printing of policy; holding Round table discussions with policymakers, advocates, other nongovernmental stakeholders, other politicians, and beneficiaries; Policy dialogues and stakeholder consultations)
1.8 Develop modalities for civil society organizations (CSOs) management and networking, as well as working with the private sector.
Output 2: Capacities of pilot 50 CSOs built in the use of digital technology and virtual reality that supports communication and advocacy and civil engagement in decision-making process.
Digital transformation is providing new ways to exercise the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression, as well as new ways to restrict those rights. The implications of digital transformation for CSOs is fundamental freedoms and civic space are particularly relevant in the context of environmental management, public health and other national emergencies, which governments deploy digital surveillance tools to track and monitor populations. This output will explored the use of digital analytics in online communities seeking social change through a literature analysis. Second, we defined the elements and capacities of civic tech communities through the analysis of conceptual relatives and a systematic review of current research efforts. Lastly, we designed a conceptual model that is able to reliably provide us with a comprehensive understanding of how data analytics can help the civic tech communities achieve their goals, connect with the audience and employ more effective methods of communication.
The planned activities for this component are:
2.1 Identify a conceptual model for the use of digital data analytics in building capacities of online communities.
2.2 Conduct system analysis of the digital landscape to under the opportunities and challenges/risks
2.3 Support selected CSOs as civic community managers in data-driven decision-making
2.4 Initiate digital inclusion programme (i.e. ‘leaving no one behind’ in the digital era) towards a digital space that is free, open and inclusive, including by supporting legal frameworks that protect Internet rights and digital freedoms of all people; digital infrastructure programmes; and digital literacy policies and training programmes for marginalized civil society groups.
2.5 Support programmes that strengthen the CSO, Press and community-level media in particular, as an agenda integrator locally, and as a fundamental pillar of civic space cohesion.
Output 3: 200 village savings groups’ support to migrate from village savings using the box to digital smart saving.
Healthy propensities to save coupled with low formal saving in the focus of this output. It is a distinct opportunity for affordable, flexible, and accessible digital savings accounts. Women, low-income, and rural segments would especially benefit from accessible digital savings options. Most the digital savings accounts reviewed here are low cost, marked by low or no maintenance fees and minimum balance requirements, and offer flexible withdrawal policies. Low-cost account features, such as low maintenance fees and minimum balance requirements, are likely important for digital savings uptake among low-income segments. Most of the documented accounts also have flexible withdrawal options, while few stipulate withdrawal limits. In most cases, providers’ decisions to offer low-cost account accounts for certain customer segments appear market driven.
The planned activities are:
3.1 Complete negotiations and sign agreement with digital mobile savings (Vodafone and MTN Momo) on the introduction of digital savings in the rural areas under the village saving system.
3.2 Identify all village saving operators within the landscape and other landscape SGP has worked
3.3 Train them on the digital training system
3.4 Register interested members
3.5 Initiate the digital saving system using the same village saving concept.