General

Freetown slums are in a deplorable state with many areas devoid of piped water and any form of improved sanitation. Most houses are made of temporary building materials and settlements are vulnerable to flooding. Cholera is a recurrent hazard. Comic Relief funded a previous slum project (2008 – 2012) supporting communities in three slums to improve their quality of life. However, the need to make additional improvements within these settlements and to help others, still exists. This follow-on project intends to support young people, petty traders (particularly women) and other disadvantaged people living in 8 slums in Freetown. The project will provide vocational training and apprenticeships, affordable micro-credit loans and improvement of literacy, business and money management skills. It will also improve access to basic services, including water and improved drainage and provide hygiene training. The capacity of local community based organisations (CBOs) will be strengthened and support provided to improve advocacy skills, enhancing their ability to hold government to account. As a result there will be a healthier environment and increased incomes, especially for women, young people and other marginalised groups, leading to a better quality of life in the slums. In addition the project will promote advocacy relating to streamlining of land tenure systems and seek to influence planning and national housing policy.

General

After decades of civil war, people in much of northern Uganda are returning home. Many are widows or orphans, with no experience of farming from a life in refugee camps. While small scale farming may feed the family, it is not enough to make significant income without help. This project works with groups of women and orphans to come together growing sunflower for sale, alongside their traditional crops. It also ensures that land ownership is defined, and works to link the groups to markets, increasing income for education, health and care for those with HIV/AIDS. The project is run through a well established Ugandan organisation. While the main programme focuses on enterprise, the climate element will allow expansion to cover wider environmental understanding and significantly reduce the risks of climate change. By increasing the range of products the project will increase the potential for profit, and also reduce vulnerability. A range of tree crops will be introduced to fix nitrogen, retain rain and reduce erosion, increase flowers for bees and provide organic inputs. Each of the 600 families will be provided with goats – these will be primarily for manure; and with bees for honey and pollination. Training and equipment will be provided, and as these replicate, offspring will be passed to other project members. A full time environmental officer will train and support a team of village level volunteers to provide support and information. This will be backed up with radio programmes and an information centre, from which community information days will be run. These inputs will support the farmers to use organic and non-destructive farming methods, and to reduce their vulnerability to unpredictable and extreme weather. Additional climate funding for this project will enable the UK and African partners to implement less vulnerable rural development projects. In this case, it will ensure that new farmers – returning from refugee camps – will learn how to adapt their farming to reduce risks. This is particularly important as their current project focuses on one crop. Additional funding will bring livestock and bees into the project, and help them (and their communities) to grow a range of new crops better able to withstand unpredictable weather.