QUARTERLY REPORT:
October - December 2001
DOCUMENT 41
JANUARY 2002
Community
Partnerships for
Sustainable
Resource
Management in
Malawi
QUARTERLY REPORT:
October - December 2001
Prepared by:
Development Alternatives, Inc. COMPASS
7250 Woodmont Ave., Suite 200 Phekani House
Bethesda, MD 20814 Glyn Jones Road
USA Private Bag 263
Blantyre
Tel: 301-718-8699 Malawi
Fax: 301-718-7968
e-mail: Telephone & Fax: 622-800
Internet: http://www.COMPASS-Malawi.com
In association with:
Development Management Associates USAID Contract: 690-C-00-99-00116-00
Lilongwe Activity: 612-0248
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction 1
2. Background 3
3. The COMPASS Approach 3
4. Approach to COMPASS Quarterly Reporting 4
5. COMPASS Inception and Implementation 5
6.1 Targeted Result 1: Effective CBNRM Administration and Technical Services
Capacity Established 7
6.2 Targeted Result 2: Efficient Liaison, Communication and Information Exchange Mechanisms Established 11
6.3 Targeted Result 3: Improve Community Mobilization Skills within Government,
NGOs and Community Groups 13
6.4 Targeted Result 4: Process of Policy and Legislative Reform in Favor of CBNRM Supported 17
6.5 Target Result 5: Small Grant Management Services to Finance Special CBNRM Opportunities Established 19
7. Summary 21
List of Tables and Annexes
Table 1: Training and Workshops 24
Table 2: Key Meetings 32
Table 3: Short-term Technical Assistance 36
Table 4: COMPASS Small Grants 38
Table 5: COMPASS Publications 41
ACRONYMS
AEECP Advocacy, Environmental Education and Communication Programme
ATF Advocacy Task Force
BERDO Bwanje Environmental Rehabilitation and Development Organisation
BLCF Business Linkage Challenge Fund
BT Blantyre
BVC Beach Village Committee
CABUNGO Capacity Building Unit for NGOs
CBNRM Community-based Natural Resource Management
CBO Community-based Organization
CLIN Contract Line Item Number
COMPASS Community Partnerships for Sustainable Resource Management
CSC Christian Services Committee
CTO Cognizant Technical Officer
CURE Coordination Unit for Rehabilitation of the Environment
DAI Development Alternatives, Incorporated
DANIDA Danish International Development Agency
DMA Development Management Associates
DNPW Department of National Parks & Wildlife
EAD Environmental Affairs Department
EDETA Enterprise Development and Training Agency
EDO Environmental District Officer
ELDP Evangelical Lutheran Development Programme
EPA Extension Planning Area
FECO Forum for Environmental Communicators
FY Financial Year
GIS Geographical Information Systems
GOM Government of Malawi
IEF International Eye Foundation
IUCN The World Conservation Union
LEA Local Education Authority
LOMADEF Lipangwe Organic Manure Demonstration Farm
M&E Monitoring and Evaluation
MAFE Malawi Agroforestry Extension Project
MAVOTI Mabulabo Voluntary Transformation Initiatives
MEET Malawi Environmental Endowment Trust
MK Malawi kwacha
MP Member of Parliament
NCE National Council on the Environment
NDI National Democratic Institute
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
NICE National Initiative for Civic Education
NRBE Natural Resource Based Enterprise
NRC Natural Resource Committee
NRM Natural Resource Management
OD Organizational Development
PCANR Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources
PCE Parliamentary Committee on the Environment
RTC Residential Training Centre
RUFA Rural Foundation for Afforestation
SADC Southern African Development Community
SO Strategic Objective
SR Sub-Result
STTA Short-term Technical Assistance
TA Traditional Authority
TAMIS Technical and Administrative Management Information System
TR Targeted Result
UK United Kingdom
USAID United States Agency for International Development
VNRC Village Natural resources Committee
VNRMC Village Natural Resource Management Committee
WESM Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi
WICO Wood Industries Corporation
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COMPASS Quarterly Report: October 1st to December 31st 2001
1. Introduction
This quarterly report for COMPASS covers the fourth three-month implementation period following approval of the third COMPASS annual workplan by USAID/Malawi in December 2000. The third workplan covers the period January 1st 2001 to December 31st 2001: this quarterly report covers the period October 1st 2001 to December 31st 2001.
COMPASS is funded through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is being implemented by Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI) based in Bethesda, Maryland, and Development Management Associates (DMA) based on Lilongwe, Malawi. The core team of professionals that will steer the COMPASS effort include the following long-term staff:
¨ Andrew Watson, the Chief of Party and a natural resource management specialist;
¨ Anax Umphawi, the Deputy Chief of Party and a specialist in the design and implementation of monitoring systems;
¨ Nobel Moyo, an expert in community mobilization; and
¨ Mesheck Kapila, an information management specialist[1].
COMPASS' support staff comprises the following team members: Lizzie Ndhlovu, administrative assistant and office manager; Elliams Banda, bookkeeper and accountant; and two drivers - Adamson Nkhoma and Hastings Magola. Since mid-January 2000, COMPASS has engaged the services of an intern from the Malawi Polytechnic - Themba Kalua - who has been helping maintain our reference catalog and small-grant management database. During the period October to December 2001, Mr. Kalua worked one day-a-week. As of April 2nd 2001, COMPASS has employed a Small Grants Field Officer to increase the Team’s ability to provide timely technical and administrative support to grantees.
The COMPASS offices are located in Blantyre. COMPASS works with local NGOs, donor programs, government agencies and the private sector to develop overall strategy and site-specific activities that will support and promote community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) in Malawi.
The tenth quarter of full implementation of COMPASS has seen progress in several areas:
¨ The Strategic Plan for CBNRM was approved by the National Council for the Environment on November 14th 2001 (TR1);
¨ The CBNRM Working Group met and established succinct goals and objectives for CBNRM in Malawi (TR1);
¨ The Working Group and other partners received training in developing monitoring systems and a draft monitoring plan for CBNRM in Malawi was developed (TR1);
¨ The new and revised COMPASS web-site was further improved and direct links to the COMPASS TAMIS have been integrated into the public site (TR2);
¨ Four training courses were held for community groups and government and NGO field staff (TR3 and TR5);
¨ Two exchange visits were organized with community groups from Nsipe (Ntcheu District) visiting groups near Blantyre and communities with bee-keeping projects in Nkhotakota and Lilongwe visiting bee-keepers near Monkey Bay (TR3 and TR5);
¨ CABUNGO completed the first phase of its Organization Development efforts and action plans and agreements have been developed by the beneficiaries (TR3);
¨ COMPASS evaluation of the impact of COMPASS training efforts has been completed (TR3);
¨ Broad consensus on cost-sharing principles has been achieved among COMPASS among partner organizations (TR3);
¨ The Advocacy Task Force met twice during the quarter and has developed the terms of reference for organizing a national forum on land policy reform during the first quarter of 2002 (TR4);
¨ The Parliamentary Committee on Environment has been replaced by the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources[2] (TR4);
¨ Eight small grant projects were completed. $45,168.00 (MK2,858,951.00) was disbursed making the total disbursement to date of $340,475.00 (MK 22,026,459.00) for the 36 grant activities. 23 grant activities have been completed to date: 13 grants are still active (TR5);
¨ The evaluation of the performance of COMPASS grantees during 2001 has been launched (TR5); and
¨ A two-day forum for the Lake Chilwa Fisheries Association and boat committees was organized at which roles and responsibilities, and the working arrangements were examined to help to achieve the objectives of the community-policing project (TR5).
The COMPASS Performance Milestone Plan[3] identified seven milestones during this reporting period. Five of these were accomplished during the quarter: the CBNRM Working Group met (TR1); the CBNRM best-practice database was updated and expanded (this was accomplished in the second quarter of 2001) (TR3); demand-driven training (TR3) and exchange visits were organized (TR3); and the Advocacy Task Force met (TR4).
Two of the Performance Milestones scheduled for the fourth quarter were not fully accomplished. First, the screening of new grant proposals was not undertaken but this is scheduled for January 17th 2002 (TR5). Second, the evaluation of grantee performance is underway but the document has yet to be completed (TR5).
Of the two performance milestones for the third quarter that were not met, both were accomplished. First, agreements on cost-sharing guidelines and procedures were successfully implemented (TR3). Second, the Advocacy Task Force met in October to compensate for the lack of a meeting in the third quarter and then met once more during the quarter (in November) (TR4).
Of the two Performance Milestones delayed from the second quarter, one was accomplished and one remains outstanding. The evaluation of the impact of COMPASS training efforts on beneficiaries scheduled for the second quarter and postponed until the fourth quarter has been completed and the draft document will be circulated during the first quarter of 2002 (TR3). The CBNRM Working Group has not implemented the proposed M&E plan for CBNRM because the draft plan developed in November 2001 awaits review and approval. We anticipate that this will take place during the first quarter of 2002
One Performance Milestone that was not achieved in the first quarter, the provision of training in Monitoring and Evaluation and establishment of a national system for monitoring the performance and impact of CBNRM, has now been accomplished.
At this time, just three of the 31 Performance Milestones for 2001 remaining outstanding: implementation of the CBNRM monitoring plan (TR1), review of new grant proposals (TR5) and the 2001 grantee evaluation (TR5). We anticipate completion of all of these during the first quarter of 2002.
2. Background
In 1996, recognizing the importance of addressing environmental problems, the Government of Malawi approved a comprehensive national environmental policy that places emphasis on the management of natural resources by communities. Additionally, the President of Malawi signed into law the nation’s first Environmental Management Act that, among other things, provides the requisite architecture for an on-going program of sectoral policy, institutional and legislative reform in favor of the environment.
In March 1997, USAID assisted the Environmental Affairs Department (EAD) of the Malawi Government by organizing a workshop to facilitate participation in developing a “Results Framework” for a national CBNRM strategy. Building on the National Environmental Action Plan, the framework outlines elements of a strategy for mobilizing communities into effective NRM institutions. This planning was expected to continue under the guidance of a CBNRM National Steering Committee and Secretariat to be established in 1998. However, this was stalled for almost three years. The COMPASS Team is supporting and expanding this strategic planning process by building commitment to community based natural resource management and helping strengthen the institutional framework in which CBNRM programs are designed, implemented, monitored and evaluated in Malawi.
COMPASS will address USAID Strategic Objective Number 6 (SO6)[4]: Sustainable increases in rural income. This and the other Strategic Objectives are designed to achieve USAID/Malawi’s goal of broad-based sustainable economic growth. USAID/Malawi's Strategic Plan for the period 2001 to 2005 will have a goal of increasing food security and reducing poverty through broad-based economic growth. COMPASS will complement two other USAID/Malawi-supported NRM initiatives to address environmental issues, as follows:
Malawi Environmental Endowment Trust (MEET) – that will create a Malawian organization capable of funding environmental initiatives on a sustainable basis through management of an investment portfolio initially capitalized by donor organizations and others.
Malawi Agroforestry Extension Project (MAFE) – that supports efforts to test, refine and disseminate information about improved agroforestry practices in Malawi that help improve agricultural productivity and reduce depletion of natural resources.
3. The COMPASS Approach
The COMPASS team works toward accomplishing predetermined goals in five discrete thematic areas that are defined as Targeted Results (TR). Each TR has a set of Sub-Results (SR) and for each SR a set of tasks and/or actions that have been identified and will be implemented to achieve the SR and the overall TR. The TRs are as follows:
TR1 Building Malawian Capacity Amongst NGOs and Government to Administer CBNRM Initiatives and Provide the Necessary Technical Support to Practitioners;
TR2 Establishing Efficient Liaison and Information Exchange Among CBNRM Programs in Malawi and Neighboring Countries;
TR3 Improving Community Mobilization Skills Within the Public and NGO Sectors;
TR4 Supporting Policy and Legislative Reform That Assists Improved Resource Management at the Village Level; and
TR5 Providing Small Grants to CBNRM Practitioners and Promoters.
The COMPASS annual workplans for 1999 and 2000 include tables that describe the way in which we intend to measure progress toward achieving our objectives in each of these areas. In addition, we have identified annual targets in terms of our performance and the impact we expect to achieve. Overall, we anticipate that if COMPASS’ approach and basic assumptions are correct, and provided implementation progresses as expected, after five years the capacity to administer and implement CBNRM programs will have improved. Moreover, COMPASS and its partner organizations will have effected a marked improvement in the way natural resources are managed and in the quality and availability of resources. We have identified the following targets for gauging the overarching impact of COMPASS and related CBNRM activities in Malawi[5]:
¨ 400 communities adopting CBNRM practices as a result of COMPASS activities;
¨ 40% of customary land under improved natural resource management in COMPASS target Districts;
¨ 60% of beneficiaries of COMPASS small grants are female;
¨ 80% of grant projects are sustained one year after the end of the COMPASS grant period;
¨ $250,000 in supplemental income generated by grants for Income Generating Activities; and
¨ 60% of grants demonstrating positive environmental and social impact.
4. Approach to COMPASS Quarterly Reporting
This quarterly report will review progress with respect to each Targeted Result. For each of these, we have summarized those activities that were successful as well as those that did not go as smoothly as was hoped. These assessments summarize our own performance with regard to our targets and goals outlined in the first three COMPASS workplans. In addition, we have also attempted to evaluate external forces that will influence our ability to accomplish our objectives. We have categorized these as "opportunities" that we can build on to achieve greater success and "threats" that will have to be addressed in order to remove possible hindrances to realizing our goals in a timely and effective manner.