Regional Project for the Organisation and Consolidation of Multisectoral Actors for Sustainable Development (PROCAD)
The specific objective of the AVD Chad delegation - ZONAL is to significantly increase communication on sustainable development issues in order to provide local communities with the knowledge and tools necessary to integrate the network of sustainable development actors in the context of their respective regions.
Overview of the project
The project addresses the environmental problems associated with the exploitation of natural resources. The exploitation of natural resources is often a complex process in which damage is caused to local communities and the environment. The forms of exploitation of natural resources are multiple and concern several sectors of activity: agriculture, mining, energy, livestock, water, fishing and crafts. It should be emphasized that natural resources constitute the means of existence of rural communities, and the only source of the country’s socio-economic emergence. It is in the spirit of developing a general awareness among individuals, at all levels, that ZONAL has set up the environmental education and sustainable development programme in Chad. The PROCAD project is one of the actions of this programme and constitutes a tool for popularising the universal principles defined in the high-level summits, at the national level.
Specific objective:
To raise awareness, train and accompany grassroots communities in order to develop individual environmental awareness, for the mobilisation and commitment of each citizen, and to modify their habits in terms of behaviour and consumption.
Expected results :
- Awareness is developed among communities in Chad
- Communities are mobilised to implement good practices
- Environmental governance is promoted in Chad
Planned (and ongoing) activities:
- Sensitisation of communities and other operators against bad practices, environmental damage and climate change and its consequences
- Setting up of a framework for consultation between CSOs and regional delegations, development and adoption of a regulation
- Training of grassroots community organisations (CBOs) in natural resource management, good practices and sustainable innovation models
- Supporting grassroots community organisations in financing and implementing sustainable development micro-projects
- Support to communes in communal planning, mobilisation of subsidies and implementation of territorial projects
Stakeholders:
- The project is initiated and implemented by the NGO ZONAL, with funding from the European Union; the Ministry of Economy, Development Planning and International Cooperation is the contracting authority.
- At the grassroots level, civil society organisations and grassroots community organisations are the final beneficiaries.
Monitoring and evaluation system; the project is evaluated at 3 levels:
- The ZONAL evaluation committee evaluates the project internally.
- PASOC, which is the entity designated by the European Union, and
- The Permanent Secretariat of NGOs and Humanitarian Affairs (SPONGAH), designated by the Ministry, are the external evaluators
Impact of the project :
- The project has medium and long term impacts: any temporarily damaged terrestrial ecosystem can be restored after 5 years, with a considerable decrease in the level of pollution of soil, water and air by persistent organic pollutants.
- Importantly, this project can be replicated and could be carried out in other regions or countries, thus promoting environmental protection and the achievement of the SDGs.
Project budget:
The overall project budget is 122,600,000 FCFA (186,890 Euros).
The project aims to develop individual and collective awareness about climate change and its consequences among communities, and to build the capacity of local actors, especially women and youth, to improve their participation in the governance of sustainable development.
Ongoing research
12/04/2020 - 04/04/2023
Quantitatively, the project is reaching a significant number of communities in its current pilot phase:
- Communications to raise awareness reached mainly 20 communes where some 2281895 inhabitants live, of which 52.7% are women.
- The training session benefited 52 CSOs and CBOs who were represented by their executive board members. Then, each representative organised a restitution to his or her base, which has an average of 20 members. In total, 1040 people benefited directly from the training.
- Currently, 11 micro-projects are financed with a total of 48 million FCFA (73,171 Euros) by the European Union. The 11 CSOs and CBOs that are beneficiaries of these grants are accompanied by the ZONAL team in the implementation of the projects in the 20 communes.
The project has impacts on important points about the issue of environmental protection:
- Individual awareness is developed in the region about the actual phenomenon of climate change
- The causes of climate change and the overriding factors are identified at the regional level, in the local environment
- A general framework of legislation for the exploitation of local natural resources is being revised and will be implemented in the region
- A pedagogical model for environmental education is developed and made available to the educational institutional framework
- A practical guide is developed on good agricultural practices in favour of the environment and understood by the farmers
- A women’s network is established for gender involvement in environmental protection;
- Young people have learned about the culture of green entrepreneurship and are developing pilot micro-projects in the region;
- The environmental and social management plan of the cement plant and gold miners is being audited and will be revised in line with the current environmental standard.
- CSOs and CBOs in the project area are trained in climate change, sustainable development, environmental governance, local governance, peace building and peaceful cohabitation, women’s empowerment and the fight against gender-based violence and the protection of children’s rights. Following this training, the CBOs received small grants and are supported by the ZONAL team in the implementation of their micro-projects.
The European Union has provided 56,000,000 FCFA (85,366 Euros) for the 16-month pilot phase, and we are currently seeking 66,600,000 FCFA (10,524 Euros.)
organisation
Our team is currently involved in 2 programmes:
- The environmental education and sustainable development programme
- The programme of mobilisation of local actors for the implementation of priority OODs in Chad
In programme 1, we organise training and awareness sessions on the environment. We organise meetings with the delegations of the environment, agriculture, mines, and geology in collaboration with the communes. We carry out visits to mining and agricultural sites and organise communications on good agricultural practices, the consequences of deforestation and climate change. Since March 2021, we have been carrying out awareness-raising activities on the environmental and health risks of the increasingly massive use of pesticides and their consequences. This action has 3 objectives:
- To identify the places where hazardous waste is dumped and the points of sale of phytosanitary products in urban areas
- To draw up a communal plan to regulate the sale of phytosanitary products and the management of waste associated with pesticides in the communes of Pala and Moundou, and
- To carry out a plea to the communal authorities for legislation on pesticides in urban environments.
In programme 2, we provide training and support to grassroots community organisations in the implementation of sustainable development micro-projects. Between February and March 2021, we organised a training session for grassroots community organisations (CBOs) working in 6 areas related to the priority SDGs:
- Sustainable development
- Environmental governance
- Local governance
- Peace building and peaceful cohabitation
- Women’s empowerment and the fight against gender-based violence, and
- Protection of children’s rights. A common module was taught on sustainable development project design and management practices
In the same programme, the NGO ZONAL provides technical support to the communes in terms of communal planning with regard to the principles of sustainable development and the mobilisation of funds for local development.
The project is facilitated by the involvement of the 20 communes in the region, which provide frameworks for meeting and communicating with CSOs, CBOs, and by the various regional delegations representing ministries from different sectors working with natural resource projects.