General

In 2020-21, Siemenpuu supported the drafting of the biocultural community protocol (BCP) of the Sengwer indigenous people of Kenya as part of a joint project of the organizations of two other hunter-gatherer peoples of Kenya (the Ogiek and the Yiaku). With this support, the basis for the continued work related to the legal, cultural and livelihood foundations of the Sengwer were strengthened. This Sengwer Indigenous Peoples Programme?s (SIPP) project promotes BCP?s use as a tool to protect the interests and rights of the Sengwers of the Embobut and Kapolet forests. In the project, training based on the biocultural protocol of the Sengwer community is given for Sengwer advocacy work, defending land rights and protecting and restoring forests ? also considering the challenges brought by climate change. The training target groups are the representatives of the communities as well as key local level and sectoral government representatives in the project areas. Community representatives are identified and trained to carry out campaign and advocacy work related to human and land rights and climate issues at the county, state and UN level. The project will establish 8 nurseries for both local and non-native tree species with nutritional, economic or agro-forestry potential. The project aims to plant 40,000 trees for restoring natural forests or to utilize the trees in the households. In order to prepare the basis for this work, GIS mapping is carried out on local forest areas and their restoration needs. In addition, information is collected on the effects of climate change in Sengwer communities and their prerequisites for tackling the climate change challenges. The direct beneficiaries of the project are estimated to be around 2,000, of which 500 are women and 400 are children. Indirect beneficiaries are estimated to be around 50,000. They are people in the project areas who benefit from the improved condition of the forests, the climate change mitigation and resilience measures and increased flow of water downstream. It is estimated that there are approximately 33,000 Sengwers in Kenya.

General

CSSP project will build on progress and learning from the 2017-2021 Child Sensitive Social Protection (CSSP) pilot and seeks to establish and strengthen CSSP systems in Somaliland to contribute to improved and inclusive human capital development for children, with and without disabilities. The project will continue to target Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Hargeisa and expand to non-IDP households in Berbera. Project will enable the most vulnerable children and their families to access a child benefit, complemented with strengthened child and gender sensitivity of the grant through cash plus approaches. The cash plus interventions focus on enhancing behaviour change for parents and caregivers to support achievement of responsive caregiving leading to improved nutrition, education, and overall well-being of children through a CSSP parenting package. In addition, a life skills package will be rolled out with children. The project will continue to work with the Ministry of Employment, Social Affairs and Family (MESAF) in implementation of the child benefit, while simultaneously helping to strengthen the government?s capacity to be able to finance and lead it, in line with the new social protection policy that is currently under development. government led child sensitive social protection schemes. SC will work with local partner, Horn of Africa Voluntary Youth Committees, the central government, local municipalities of Berbera and Hargeisa, and other partners in establishing transparency and accountability mechanisms (community score cards, public hearings, grievance redressal mechanisms) to help the Child benefit beneficiary families access basic services such as health & nutrition, education, and WASH. This will also form the basis for project?s advocacy efforts with actors, including newly elected local councillors/municipalities to lobby for IDPs? land ownership, availability of public services to children and increased government and international investment in CSSP.

General

Twerwaneho Listeners? Club is a legally registered human rights organization with over 1000 members operating as a company limited by guarantee without share capital. In 2006, a group of local human rights activists started a radio talk show ?Twerwaneho? meaning let?s defend our rights, on local radios, Voice of Tooro and Life FM aimed at awakening people to debate issues of governance and human rights. Through advocating for human rights on radio and community sensitization, the organization has become one of the leading advocates of human rights in Uganda. The organization programs have stimulated debate on land rights and lately corporate accountability with the in-creasing operations of multinational corporations across the region. Through litigation and advocacy, the organization has supported hundreds of people in many communities recover the land and access to/utilization of natural resources. www.tlc-uganda.org