Community Based Organizations: The heart of community development, phase II

CBO Program: Strengthening of committed and innovative local communities, phase II

Based on the positive experiences made during the pilot phase of the CBO program (see
Community Based Organizations: The heart of community development) sahee decided to extend the CBO program for at least another two years. A conclusion from the first phase was that it is key to work close together with the groups in order to be able to understand the local conditions, to build trust and to communicate regularly. Another lesson learnt during the monitoring visit in August 2014 was that capacity building in the respective fields of implementation (agriculture) as well as business, marketing, record keeping etc. is key for the success and sustainability of the projects. As a consequence sahee decided to employ a local project facilitator in order to be able to monitor the groups closer and to strengthen the capacity building component of the CBO program. He assists the CBOs in writing a project application, provides or organizes the capacity building and monitors the groups funded within sahee's CBO program.

Current projects:
Sahee first strengthens the group's institutional capacities, hence their ability to get organized, to establish rules and regulations and to make sure all members follow those rules. Also, they are prepared for managing a project, to mature a business idea, and to calculate a budget. This part of the capacity building is provided by our local project facilitator. Special, technical knowledge in the area of gardening, piggery or poultry on the other hand is imparted by experts of the Swazi Ministry of Agriculture. It is their generous contribution to the CBO program.
All projects have the same aim to develop a profit-oriented business in order to support vulnerable members of their communities (mostly orphans and widows).

a) Mphaphane Savings and Credit Cooperative: started operating in 2004 as a saving group under the supervision of ACAT a partner organization of sahee. The group consists of 75 community members. They have been very successful in the saving business so that they became more ambitious and started a sale-business for agricultural goods in a rented shed. With the benefits from the business they started a garden to support the orphans of the community. When they started to build their own shed they reached their capacity limits and did not succeed in finishing the roof. Hence, sahee helps this group to finish the construction (financial help) and provides assistance in sustaining the business and in providing inputs regarding the charity garden.
b) Sicu Semvelo Savings and Credit Cooperatives: The group has five members with unusual backgrounds for a CBO (policemen, social worker and teacher). Their concern on which they act as a group is the high crime rate and drug consumption among the community youth as well as teen pregnancy and school dropouts. They have started to address those issues in 2011 (crime prevention workshops, food aid for orphans) financed by a self initiated poultry business. They were not able to sustain the business though due to lack of business management skills. Sahee provides capacity building in the relevant fields and the finances for kick starting the business again.

Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries of the CBO projects are the group members on the one hand and the most vulnerable of the communities, mostly orphans and widows, on the other hand.

Project costs and assistance by sahee

The entire project costs are CHF 60’000.–. The project is fully financed by sahee.

Budget of CHF 60'000 for two years. The CBOs are supported by the assistance of the local project facilitator and by direct funding through sahee (max. CHF 5000.- per project) for the implementation of the group's project.

Duration of assistance

1st of January 2015 to 31st of December 2016

Local counterpart

Verschiedene CBOs



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Project overview
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Meeting with a CBO in order to get to know the group and the project better

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A common garden is one of the most favored ways to support the CBO and the community

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Indigenous poultry business