AGFUND PRIZE 2002
The Committee of AGFUND Prize has approved the prize subjects of the three categories for year 2002. These subjects deal with basic developmental issues that play vital role in the field of sustainable human development in developing communities: ž
- FIRST CATEGORY : ( Management of water resources ) Allocated for projects implemented by UN, international and regional organizations.
- SECOND CATEGORY : ( Rehabilitation and social integration of people with special needs ) Allocated for projects implemented by non-governmental organizations.
- THIRD CATEGORY : ( Pioneering initiatives in the field of rehabilitation and training for self-reliance ) Allocated for projects founded sponsored and/or implemented by individuals.
THE FIRST WINNER:
“IMPROVED MANUAL IRRIGATION COMPONENT OF THE PRIVATE IRRIGATION PROMOTION PILOT PROJECT (PPIP)”
The first category prize is allocated for projects implemented by UN, international or regional organizations. It is consisted of a financial reward of US$ 150,000.00, a certificate of recognition and a trophy. Its subject for the year 2002 was (Management of water resources).
The “Improved Manual Irrigation Component of the Private Irrigation Promotion Pilot Project (PPIP) has been selected as the winner amongst 18 projects competed for the prize under the first category. The project is implemented in Niger by Enterprise Works Worldwide and nominated for the Prize by USAID, with its Headquarters in Washington , DC.
Recently the UNDP ranked Niger as the second least developed country in the world. It suffers from recurring droughts, and rain fed agriculture is always at risk due to low and highly variable precipitation.
The Improved Manual Irrigation Component project was designed to provide low-cost locally manufactured technologies suitable for manual irrigation of gardens less than 0.5 hectare, and to address the major constrains to increased production and improved revenues for market gardeners, in three essential areas; water source development, water lifting and on-farm water distribution. The project has tested 12 water source development technologies, 27 manual water-lifting technologies and 8 water distribution technologies. Then it was to select technologies best adapted to local conditions. Craftsmen were then trained in equipment production and maintenance. The project adapted innovative low-cost technologies for water pumping and well drilling and devoted particular attention to technologies acceptable by women.
As a pilot project the activities were concentrated in four regions in the Republic of Niger with high potential for small-scale irrigation; Tillaberi, Dosso, Maradi and Zinder.
The primary objective of the project was to increase the income of small-scale market gardeners cultivating less than 0.5 hectare, while creating a local capacity for the manufacture of manual irrigation pumps and installation of low-cost tube wells to be sold to small gardeners.
The manufacturing of pumps in local workshops is an important factor in ensuring sustainability. The workshops were trained to manufacture pumps using only local available materials to ensure there is not a dependence on specially imported items.
The most limiting factor to increase production is the time and effort required for lifting water from shallow wells using traditional techniques. The introduction of these simple, low-cost pumps has reduced the time and energy required for irrigation and allowed gardeners to increase their production. The project has therefore, made significant stride in improving the incomes of poor farmers. The average garden size was increased and investment in pumps manufacturing and tube well installation has also increased (in less than 5 years, 14 local manufacturers sold over 1200 pumps and 12 teams of private well drillers installed almost 800 wells).
It is worth mentioning that increasing incomes from irrigated agriculture is reducing the need for villagers to migrate to coastal countries during the dry season in search of work. This factor allows families to be together and reduce a lot of social problems related to such migration.
THE SECOND WINNER :
“CAMBODIA TRUST REHABILITATION PROJECT”
The Second category prize is allocated for projects implemented by non-governmental organizations. It is consisted of a financial reward of US$ 100,000.00, a certificate of recognition and a trophy. Its subject for the year 2002 was (Rehabilitation and social integration of people with special needs).
The CAMBODIA TRUST REHABILITATION PROJECT, has been selected as the winner amongst 73 projects competed for the prize under the second category. The project is implemented in Cambodia by The Cambodia Trust and nominated for the prize by Disability Action Council, Cambodia.
Having recently emerged from thirty years of conflict, Cambodia is considered to be one of the poorest countries in the world. The conflict has destroyed the economy and the healthcare systems and left the country with large numbers of landmines. The number of the disabled population in the country is estimated at 40,000 landmine amputees and a further 50,000 disabled by polio and other diseases.
According to reports by the WHO, ILO and UNESCO, disabled people are the poorest of the poor and are the most marginalized population in Cambodia . The situation is made worse because the majority of disabled people are under 30 years old, at an age where they should be productive and independent. Since the largest number of landmines buried in countryside, the majority of the disabled people live in the rural areas. They are further disadvantaged by discrimination, poverty and lack of job opportunities.
The Cambodia Trust was founded in 1989, initially focusing on providing artificial limbs for Landmine victims in Cambodia. The project began in response to an emergency, opening rehabilitation clinics in the capital city, Phnom Penh, and subsequently expanded its activities to reach other cities. Then these clinics have evolved into full rehabilitation centres offering braces, wheelchairs, physiotherapy, outreach and community work with disabled people.
The project's objective is to enable people with disability to take part in the normal life of the community and to restore mobility, dignity and self-sufficiency, so that disabled people, who are currently excluded from Cambodian society, can participate as equal members of the community. It concentrates mainly on women and adults to get access to skill acquisition and training for work, and on children to be able to attend school. The project is currently expanding this work by finding partner NGOs who would like to improve the inclusion of disabled people in their poverty reduction schemes. The project is developing a training course for these NGOs to help raise awareness of disabled people's issues and rights.
The project has greatly influenced the life of the disabled people and erased the society's negative opinion towards the disabled people, particularly they became self-reliant and active participants in social activities.
THE THIRD WINNER :
“THE MEN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD PROJECT (MSR)”
The Third category prize is allocated for projects initiated, sponsored and/ or implemented by individuals. It is consisted of a financial reward of US$ 50,000.00, a certificate of recognition and a trophy. Its subject for the year 2002 was (Pioneering initiatives in the field of training and rehabilitation for self-reliance).
THE MEN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD PROJECT (MSR), has been selected as the winner amongst 31 projects competed for the prize under the third category. The project is implemented in South Africa upon the initiative and effort of Mr. Charles Maisel and nominated for the Prize by the Catholic Welfare and Development.
“The Men on the Side of the Road” are those unemployed people who stand on the side of the road daily waiting to be picked for casual work.
There are more than 180 sites in South Africa where 20000 unemployed people stand on the side of the road and wait for daily jobs.
The project aims at helping those who stand on the side of the road to participate in their own economic development, through small business skills, technical skills, and entrepreneurship skills for self-reliance. It also aims at advocating them and working on their inclusion in the Department of Labour job training programmes.
The Beneficiaries of the project are the unemployed people, between 16—60 years of age, who stand on the side of the road daily for prospected employees.
The project was founded upon the initiative and efforts of Mr. Charles Maisel, on the basis of the fact that, those people are totally ignored by unions, government, and NGO's. The South African government works mostly on a macro-economic level such as foreign investment to deal with job creation. However on the micro-economic level there is very little job creation. This is visibly seen by “People who stand on the side of the road” everyday. The project was, therefore, founded to help the men on the side of the road in their daily straggle for living. It provides them with rehabilitation and training programs as well as access to drinking water, toilets and shelter to protect them from sunshine, cold and rain they are exposed to in different seasons of the year.
In addition to the aforementioned programs and services the projects provide its targeted group with labour law information and information about how to have their rights.
Many social welfare and development interventions dismiss men as the problem, while Men on the Side of the Road, clearly identifies the men as part of the solution. Considering that the majority of the men on the roadside are sole breadwinners of families, when success is achieved major spin-off is accrued to families and the community.
This initiative is considered to be pioneering and hits a raw nerve in social development, as civil society has not come to terms with this phenomenon nationally.
|
