Climate Change Resilient Communities
It is essential that the communities of Cabo Delgado know the effects of climate change and how to respond to, so that they become stronger in the front of the threats of a more and more unpredictable climate. That is because extreme natural events, which are becoming increasingly intense and frequent, endanger not only the population, but also Mozambique's natural heritage and biodiversity.
The project has three main areas of intervention.
Protection and conservation of mangroves.
Mangroves are essential allies to protect coastlines from cyclones, however over the years they have too often been sacrificed to make space for agricultural land, new housing and wood production. To restore mangrove forests, the project involves communities, especially schools and young people, in recreational and educational activities to understand more about these precious ecosystems and their importance for biodiversity. Together with the University of Lurio, we promote different production activities, like beekeeping and aquaculture, that guarantee a future economic stability for the population, while preserving the local ecosystem.
Supporting the economic growth of the province.
We do this through productive diversification based on a new sustainable agroforestry system. With the help of local technicians, we study and identify damaged areas that have lost fertility, biodiversity and the capacity to retain water, to restore their biological balance and make them productive again. Local farmers and producers take part in training classes to develop their business and financial skills. We share with them good practices in the natural resource management that impede soil degradation and biodiversity loss.
Improving sanitation and hygiene practices and water facilities, which have been severely damaged by cyclones in the last years.
This is the area in which Oikos is directly involved. We want to ensure equitable access to water and sanitation services in the Mecufi District. We do that through the construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure for water and sanitation supply systems, working both at the community level and in primary schools. An awareness-raising campaign on waterborne diseases, good hygienic and nutritional practices and proper conservation of water is associated to our intervention in schools and communities.
Sustainable rangeland management is not only crucial for protecting the biodiversity of the northern Tanzanian savannas, it can also be a driver of social inclusion. This is why we have worked to strengthen the participation of pastoral communities in “scenario planning” processes at village, district, and regional levels. This approach is a valuable tool for understanding the impacts of climate change and planning effective adaptation strategies. Special attention is given to women, who play a key role in sustaining families yet still face significant discrimination and exclusion from community life.
Through workshops and engagement with local authorities, we have encouraged community involvement and highlighted the importance of participatory water resource management.
In Tanzania, climate change is bringing longer and more frequent droughts, leading to severe water shortages and changing the way communities live. To help people adapt to these new realities, we have focused on improving water supply in 13 villages. Working alongside our partner RUWASA, we installed 11 new water distribution points, laid 1.5 km of new distribution lines, built 3 handwashing facilities, and provided 50 tap-fitted buckets in Longido. These interventions now ensure daily access to clean water for 13,779 people.
In Monduli, we rehabilitated 2.5 km of the main pipeline from the Engaruka tank and built 4 handwashing stations in key community spaces such as schools and health dispensaries. We also delivered training and technical support to members of Community-Based Water Supply Organizations (CBWSOs) and, together with RUWASA, developed a first draft of national guidelines. The project also finalized the registration of 5 multi-village CBWSOs, ensuring the sustainable management of water resources in 16 villages.
All our initiatives are reinforced by awareness-raising activities targeting both community members and local media. We believe that when facing the threats of a changing climate, knowledge is the first step towards action.
The Shouf Biosphere Reserve is the largest protected area in Lebanon and of the Middle East’s entire Mediterranean area. Here, the lack of water resources due to climate change is a serious problem: according to studies conducted by our partner Al-Shouf Cedar Society in 2017 and 2018, annual precipitation decreased by 43% on average over the last 30 years, while the average monthly temperature is increasing: +1°C in January and February, and even +4°C in August. This leads to a reduction of 6 to 8% of the total volume of water resources, including those for agricultural irrigation. The risk is therefore a significant reduction in production with obvious consequences for the income of the local population.
In this context, it is necessary to urgently intervene to limit the negative effects of climate change, to promote a sustainable adaptation solution and, at the same time, to revive the local economy, which is mainly based on agricultural production. We do this through the introduction of a smart technology for the irrigation of small plots of land in Mrusti Municipality, within the Shouf Biosphere Reserve. This solution consists of an automated irrigation system that analyzes data from a local weather station, satellite images and sensors inserted into the ground to measure the degree of humidity and temperature. The different data collected are translated into an algorithm that allows to calibrate the amount of water, avoiding waste and thus allowing farmers to irrigate lands for longer periods.
The first step for adopting this technology is the collection of information on selected lands, with the active participation of local farmers. This phase will be followed by the restructuring of the existing irrigation infrastructure and the installation of the irrigation system. Technical and practical trainings will allow farmers and local government technicians to learn how the system works.
A wide communication campaign will promote the benefits of the technology, through informative materials, video tutorials, participation in local and national fairs. Workshops will be organized at national level to disseminate good practices and lessons learned, with technical recommendations for future use. The exchange of knowledge between technical operators, research institutes, universities and farmers' associations is therefore essential. So that everyone can contribute to respond effectively to the threats of a changing climate, with innovative and replicable solutions.
KISIMA: The sources of Manyara
‘Kisima’ in Swahili means ‘source’ and contains the names of the territories where our work is focused: Kiteto and Simanjiro, in the Manyara Region. Here the services related to water supply are limited, because the institutional support is weak, the management committees (CBWSO) have rather scarce capacities and the operating and maintenance costs are high.
With the Maisha Bora programme, we have been working for the last four years in the Manyara Region to improve the water supply. However, in the districts of Kiteto and Simanjiro access to water is still a critical issue, also due to the salinization of water, which makes the supply of fresh water even more difficult.
To ensure fair and sustainable access to water for all, we are strengthening the existing water system through the restoration of malfunctioning systems and the replacement of diesel pumps with solar energy solutions, a greener and cheaper alternative. In parallel, we offer training and support to technicians and civil servants so that they can provide more effective water and sanitation services. A desalination plant, designed by our partner ‘Idrodepurazione’’, will be installed in the Kabaya hospital, while a water analysis laboratory will be set up in Orkusumet.
With a view to future sustainability, we are working to make the population independent in the management of the water network. We do this by strengthening the 46 existing CBWSOs – local community organizations for water and sanitation management – and supporting the creation of 40 other CBWSOs from scratch, also promoting women’s participation in decision-making processes. Indeed, adequate training allows you to create specialized figures in the maintenance and management of the water system, with a positive impact on the local economy.
Particular attention is paid to the hygienic-sanitary conditions of the youngest: in the school of the two Districts we will build 59 latrines accessible to the disabled. In addition to the infrastructural interventions, we are, as always, supporting awareness-raising activities on correct hygienic practices. With the objective to reduce the spread of disease and ensure greater school attendance, especially for girls.
In order to tackle malnutrition we are creating 45 keyhole gardens: a domestic vegetable garden model promoted by FAO which enables the cultivation of vegetable crops where soil is impoverished and water is scarse. The lack of vitamins and proteins in diet is a very widespread problem, which we try to reduce also through an awareness campaign mainly addressing mothers, demonstrating the importance of a varied and balanced diet. Just by spending a very limited amount of money all the families of Ibo could have a vegetable garden to improve their diet: the team of young people we are training today on the construction of keyhole gardens, in fact, will be able to provide a service to their community.
In order to improve the sanitary conditions in the area and reduce the consequent spreading of diseases, we are building 150 dry toilets - with limited use of water - in collaboration with the inhabitants of the archipelago. We are also restoring the rain water collection systems in the schools of the Matemo island. Understanding the importance of adopting basic sanitary rules, such as washing hands and using toilets in the correct way is fundamental: theatre helps us delivering this message since it is an effective mean to reach students and families and talk about crucial social topics often omitted from public discussion.
When water is a truly common good
The name Makilenga carries a story of participation: it comes from the initials of the most important rural areas which, through the support of Istituto Oikos and the Meru District, were involved in a participation process that led to the creation of 24 village committees for water management, elected by 54 sub-villages. These 24 committees chose 2 people who would participate in the COWSO Assembly - Community Owned Water Supply Organisation - named Makilenga.
The Assembly nominated 11 members that constituted Makilenga management board, which nowadays has an operation unit for the day-to-day management of the aqueduct consisting of 10 employees among whom a manager, an accountant as well as technicians.
Across the whole area we have created access to springs and built wells, providing 700,000 litres of water a day, building 262 km of new piping, 280 new public water points, 7 new tanks (in addition to 5 restored) and 10 plants for rain water collection in schools and hospitals .
Through these operations local population’s access to water significantly increased, soaring from 30% to 90%.
A long and thorough awareness raising campaign launched by Istituto Oikos and the Meru District was fundamental to encourage the community to use water responsibly, helping them to understand the importance of paying for the distribution system and taking active part in the life of Makilenga. This led to another extraordinary achievement: the majority of the population decided to give its contribution to the public water utility by paying a tariff based on real consumption, thus accessing favourable prices and avoiding waste.
Makilenga is a regular business registered in the Meru District and in its first year of activity has reached a turnover of 40,000 Euros: this is not only a pretty encouraging result, considering the low price applied to the service to make it accessible for everyone, but also the evidence of the sustainability of this operation, even in the long term.
The Makilenga experience has become a best practice in Tanzania, a country where the existing policy requires the management and maintenance service of rural water plants to be run by the so called COWSOs. What makes this concept unique is that it’s a multi-village COWSO, which brings together several small water committees in one common organisation.
The result is a much more efficient management system when compared to organisations made only of one or two villages, as shown by several studies run in Tanzania, among which a research led by Oikos in the Arusha Region. Nowadays Makilenga is a successful social business that guarantees a basic service and constant sustainability through time. The 44 board members are very motivated and actively engaged in the plant management and maintenance, keen to expand the distribution network, monitor water quality and check that no illegal act such as abusive connection to the water system takes place.
The present challenge is to establish partnerships and find resources to replicate this winning and sustainable model in other regions of Tanzania, so as to generate impact on a national scale. This is an important sign that participatory and sustainable initiatives can really produce lasting and stable changes, and make the difference for many people.