A four-day familiarization session meant for successful Sustainable and Thriving Environments for West African Regional Development (STEWARD) Phase III grantees which include: CARE, Actors for Rural Development (AUDER), Manatron Inc; Fauna & Flora International (FFI), Bioclimatic Research Development International Ltd. and Media Impact, has ended past February, 2012 at the Hill Valley Hotel in Freetown.
The aforementioned organizations will be implementing projects in the STEWARD Priority Zones (PZs) with the various USAID and US Forest Service reporting, branding and program implementation strategies.
The grants awarded will be used to implement projects in Natural Resource Management (NRM), Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), climate change adaptation, policy and environmental education; all geared towards meeting the diverse needs and interests of communities through the provision of improved livelihood options.
The workshop was attended by a host of experts from the USAID West African Mission based in Ghana, US Forest Service Headquarters in Washington and STEWARD program staff from Freetown and STEWARD’s Priority Zones.
The objectives of the seminar among others were to review the background of STEWARD program, share the expectations of USAID, US Forest Service, and partners in the achievement of STEWARD phase III goals.
Moreover, it opened discussions and clarifications on key requirements of the program; plan how the STEWARD team will work together, focusing on how tasks of individual partners interrelate and contribute to the whole process of implementation and identify next steps, and timelines for finalizing work plans and budgets.
Amidst presentations on outlined objectives, discussions and responses to questions, the workshop ended with a statement of understanding of, and compliance with all lessons learnt during the four-day engagement.
Participants expressed their desire to work together while supporting USAID and the STEWARD program in achieving the goal of community-led natural resource management and rural poverty alleviation.
STEWARD Phase III is a USAID-funded four-year program implemented by the US Forest Service, International Programs through a grant process involving third party organisations. It seeks to promote and strengthen activities in support of natural resource management, WASH, climate change adaptation and environmental education. STEWARD interventions are focused primarily around priority trans-boundary protected areas (PZs) of Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Ivory Coast. The program ends in 2015.
By Poindexter Sama
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