Due to some unfortunate technical challenges our web pages were down for some time. Now the pages are published again and we will be updating them as we can. Thank you for your patience and welcome back to follow the work of GLM Finland, GLM Zambia and GLM Swaziland!
On the 5th June 2014, the world celebrated the World Environment Day under the slogan “Raise Your Voice, Not Emissions”. In Swaziland, the Ministry of Tourism and Environment Affairs with the Swaziland and Environment Authority and various NGOs, including GLM Swaziland, gathered together to make sure that environmental issues are addressed also in Swaziland during this global celebration. The event took place at Siteki Town in the Lubombo region.
Our aim as GLM was to raise awareness of our organisation, its vision and activities among the people present at the event. The event also provided an opportunity for networking with other NGOs. The activities that GLM spread information about included the construction and use of dry sanitation, treatment and re-use of grey water at the household level as well as solid waste disposal with emphasis on reduce, reuse and recycle (3Rs).
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released its fifth report on the impacts of climate change. The report is based on multi-disciplinary research on adaptation and mitigation options in different regions. GLM is particularly interested in the situation in southern Africa where the organisation operates.
Impacts will be worse in Africa than in many other regions of the world. The rise in mean temperatures will be faster than the global average increase. In all seasons, minimum and maximum temperatures will rise from 3 to 6 degree during this century. Extreme heat waves follow El Niño events, which means drought. Changes in precipitation are more difficult to forecast because of the lack of measuring it in the past, but decrease is possible, especially in the areas which are already dry.
Changes in the climate will have drastic impacts on the daily life in Africa. The small-scale farmers who GLM works with have already experienced this, since their livelihoods depend largely on agriculture and livestock. IPCC forecasts shorter growing seasons, negative effects on yields as well as changes in vegetation and pests. Agriculture in Zambia is focused on growing maize which may suffer up to 30% losses in yields after 2050. Farmers, therefore, need to start to diversifying their crops in order to ensure food security in the future. Cassava, for example, is resilient to higher temperatures.
Many countries have developed adaptation programmes, but implementation has been slow. The multi-disciplinary nature of climate change and variations in the impacts within each country have been a challenge. Many NGOs have taken responsibility for training local communities. GLM currently supports eight villages in Zambia and two in Swaziland. Our work provides villagers the opportunity to plan their future in a sustainable way. Agroforestry and diversification of livelihood sources are examples of ways to secure life.
A dry sanitation and waste management project to be implemented in Mbabane between 2014-2016 has received funding from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. The project will be jointly implemented by the Global Dry Toilet Association of Finland, Turku University of Applied Sciences, GLM Swaziland, University of Swaziland (UNISWA) and the City Council of Mbabane. The project builds on the long-term cooperation between the Turku University of Applied Sciences with Swaziland partners focusing on environmental issues in the capital Mbabane.
The project is implemented in the communities of Malagwane, Mangwane and Mnyamatsini. It aims to improve the state of the environment in the project areas by developing their sanitation and waste management. Young people, in particular, will be trained on environmental health, dry sanitation, construction of dry toilets, composting, gardening, utilisation of grey water as well as waste management, reuse and recycling. Their capacity will also be strengthened in various other areas including participatory group work, management and leadership. The young people will form a group in their region which will function as an information-sharing channel in the community and also start small-scale businesses on the basis of the acquired knowledge and skills.
In addition to the youth, the project will specifically target local authorities and media. Local authorities will be disseminated information on the opportunities of dry sanitation as an alternative form of sanitation as well as on sustainable waste management. The training will be based on previous sanitation and waste management projects in Msunduza, enabling the replication of solutions, such as a community recycling centre established in Msunduze, in other regions. Sanitation, in particular, poses challenges to development, which is, however, not openly talked about in Swaziland. The project will also bring together media representatives to discuss the topic and to share information about this sensitive issue in various media.
The local partners each play a specific role in the project. GLM Swaziland is responsible for field work, for example, while the University of Swaziland will provide local academic expertise on the topic and enable utilisation of students in the project. As a local authority, the City Council of Mbabane monitors project implementation as well as acts as an expert and network connection to project stakeholders, such as other authorities. This project will provide GLM Swaziland with invaluable experience of a larger-scale initiative, expertise from the other partners as well as visibility as an organisation in a rather limited civil society.
GLM Swaziland’s first project on capacity building has started smoothly. In February, GLM organised several
workshops on organisational leadership and management skills in the urban community of Msunduza and in the rural areas of Dlangeni. Training of trainers has kicked off in Dlangeni, and another series of workshops shall be organised in both communities later in May and June, with the support of Mr. Mutamba from Zambia, one of the founders of GLM. These workshops will focus more on practical skills such as project proposal writing and fundraising.
The next project proposal is currently being drafted. A baseline study team has carried out surveys in several communities around Mbabane, scoping out fertile ground for a new sanitation and waste management project. The project is planned together with the Global Dry Toilet Association of Finland and the local university.
Green Living Movement Swaziland in partnership with Green Living Movement Finland has received funding from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland for the years 2013 and 2014 for a project called ‘Organisational Capacity Building for Environmental Education and Community Development’.
The project will strengthen the organisational capacity of GLM Swaziland and impart knowledge on environmental issues to the local communities of Dlangeni and Msunduza. The project involves conducting training in areas such as waste management, sustainable natural resources management and safe sanitation practices.
GLM Swaziland strives to become an influential NGO actor that can link the local people and local authority towards sustainable development.
Mrs. Futhie Shabangu – a member of GLM Swaziland
