Updates
A quarterly newsletter of Practical Action Eastern Africa
Aug - Dec 2012
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In this issue…
• Catalyzing Civil Society action • Help more children reach to deliver sustainable Energy their 5th birthday for All • Briquetting entrepreneurs • Doha Climate talks • ENERGIA Kenya Network gets registered
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Word from the Regional Director
s we bid 2012 good bye, I wish to join my regional team in saying that it has been a good year. New projects have been initiated, new staff have joined the family, even as we have bid farewell to others. One of the most exciting things for us is the finalization of the 2012-2017 Strategic Plan. Influenced by the current global agenda, we will now deliver our programmes through three Goals areas namely, Universal Access to Energy, Food Agriculture and Disaster Risk Reduction and Urban Services Management: Water, Sanitation Hygiene and Waste Management – to which we have mainstreamed Markets, Gender and Climate Change. Practical Action Consulting and Practical Answers will continue to provide an effective platform for generating, replicating and sharing knowledge. Through these programmes, we will contribute to a “people with knowledge, skills and opportunities to access equitable, affordable technologies and services for their wellbeing”. Charity begins at home – so we have taken time to build the capacities of our staff through different trainings to ensure that everyone is clear on what needs to be done and how. The joint workshops have also contributed to enhanced team work. In the next couple of years we want to be “known for being innovatively inspiring, competently driven and assertively results-oriented so that we can deliver the best technologically-centred programme, with the greatest impacts on the lives of poor people in Eastern Africa”.
Catalyzing Civil Society action to deliver Sustainable Energy For All
Lydiah Muchiri & Eve Odete
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he UN Sustainable Energy for All Initiative is a global force catalyzing the efforts of various stakeholders towards achieving Energy for All by 2030. The initiative has set targets around Universal Energy Access, renewables and energy efficiency. Currently, the focus is towards national change in countries which have signed up to the initiative. In each of these, there is a commitment to carrying out a ‘Gaps Analysis’ and then devising a ‘National Implementation Plan’. SE4ALL Initiative is now entering its second year, and, for the first time, it has a focus on national level engagement. The 62 countries that have opted to participate are expected to have developed a ‘National SE4ALL Implementation Plan’, by September 2013. The plans will provide a Road Map on how energy access is to delivered over the next decade and beyond. It is crucial that; a) Civil society are engaged in shaping and implementing the Plans; and b) Poor men and women’s energy needs are seen as a priority Practical Action and Hivos have been engaging with the SE4ALL initiative both globally and nationally, mainly focusing around the goal of Universal Energy Access.
We are not oblivious to the challenges that face not only Practical Action but other Civil Society organizations in the region. Our new strategy gives us direction on how we can provide leadership on agendas such as “Sustainable Energy for All”, innovative ways of meeting the water sanitation and waste management needs of poor residents and building the resilience of the communities we serve. In the next five years, we see our regional office engaging more with the public and private sector for increased impact. To share the innovative technologies and best practices we hope to establish presence in other countries in the region. It is not enough to implement projects, it is important to contribute to pro poor policy development – Practical Action intends to build its capacity to ensure that that the voice of the poor is amplified. In this issue, we focus quite a bit on the energy agenda. We are at the center of the SE4All initiative in the region and I hope that you learn something and that you are able to identify a role that you can play to make it a reality. Finally, I wish you all Happy Holidays, a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2013. - Grace Mukasa
The National workshop
SCODE, Hivos and Practical Action organised a twoday workshop on 13th and 14th December 2012, that brought together over 35 representatives of Civil Society organizations working in energy access in the Country. Through the workshop, the participants were able to; a) Share insight on the current status of SE4ALL at international, regional and national level a) Analyse the policy environment at national level, identifying allies and opponents b) formulate and agree joint objectives, actions and process to influence the National Implementation Plan c) Generate a series of recommendations to share with the new SE4ALL National Secretariat to encourage meaningful civil society engagement
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d) Develop plan of activities to increase civil society awareness and engagement with the issue of energy access e) Plan further national coordination
Key outcomes of the workshop
i. Participants formed a National Advocacy Platform to engage with the Kenya government and other stakeholders around the National Implementation Plan.
ii. A declaration (dubbed the Waterbuck Declaration) stating the key issues civil society organisations would like to see included in the implementation plan.
The Waterbuck Declaration
Kenya Civil Society Declaration on SE4ALL
We, Civil Society Organisations working in Kenya, having met in Nakuru, Kenya from 13 -14th December 2012: Reaffirm the urgent need to scale up the wide range of sustainable energy programmes in the country to contribute to meeting the enormous challenge of widening access to modern energy services for the unreached and underserved, with special emphasis on women and children, to truly transform the energy access in Kenya. Recognise the UN Sustainable Energy for All Initiative as a global force for catalysing the efforts of various stakeholders around achieving Energy for All by 2030: setting targets around Universal Energy Access, Renewables and Energy Efficiency. In this regard, we applaud the commitment of the government of Kenya to carry out a ‘Gaps Analysis’ and subsequently develop a ‘National Implementation Plan’ in line with the Sustainable Energy for All initiative. Recognise the various broader regional and global energy access initiatives such as the East Africa community regional access strategy; Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves; Rio+ 20 Conference and the 2012 International year for Sustainable Energy for All. We also acknowledge efforts of the broader Climate adaptation and mitigation community, and the associated policy processes such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Recognise that achievement of Universal Energy Access will require more supportive policies, increased financing, and greater participation of CSOs at national, regional and international levels. We are committed to translating these national and global objectives to widen access to modern energy services to tangible action on the ground, in partnership with all stakeholders, locally, nationally, regionally and internationally. We call on the Government of Kenya to: Increase their support to the development and effective implementation of energy policies and regulations and provide financing for pro-poor sustainable energy, and commit to implementation plans that include: Targets, including numbers of people, and the quantity /quality of energy, for households, enterprises/productive uses and community services (at least health, education, water pumping, street lighting and local government) in the following areas: · Electricity ( both on or off-grid sources) · Clean cooking (consideration of fuels, stoves and Indoor Air Pollution) · Mechanical Power – particularly relevant for agro production/ processing, and smallscale manufacturing Develop milestones towards achievement of energy access, efficiency and renewable targets that can be monitored by all, including civil society. Continue to champion the cause of gender mainstreaming in the planning and implementation of SE4ALL initiatives. Devise clear strategies and plans to ensure universal access to energy for households, enterprises and community services. Develop a plan for finance, investments, subsidies and incentives that will support the achievement of universal energy access addressing the needs of energy suppliers and consumers and adequately reflecting the need for decentralised options. This should include the division of financing between grid and off-grid that will be required to achieve the targets. Review subsidies; supporting renewable energy and energy access and efficiency for the poor in addition to fossil fuels use. Include support to decentralized and renewable energy entrepreneurs including production, operation and maintenance and job creation. Develop a plan for building the capacity of a range of energy actors including the government, private sector, civil society, including small enterprises, households/ users, academia. Develop and implement a plan for multistakeholder monitoring and evaluation, and use of tracking systems are essential in the implementation of the SE4ALL initiative, Hold consultations with private sector and civil society as part of the strategy for how the plan will be rolled out with civil society being recognised as central to design and delivery of sustainable energy for all. Plan to integrate with other sectors and policies such as environment, agriculture, natural resource management, health. We call upon member states of the East African Community and the African Union to: Devise innovative means to finance energy projects and create a conducive environment to attract investment from both private and private/public partnerships to the energy sector. We call upon international development partners to: Develop finance mechanisms that are responsive to Africa’s sustainable energy needs.
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My take on the Doha Climate Talks
Eric Kisiangani
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he Adaptation Fund (AF) received remarkable attention on the floors and in the halls of the Qatar Convention Centre at the 18th United Nations Climate Conference in Doha. The Fund is modelled to reflect the principles laid out in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, specifically, ownership, harmonization, alignment, mutual accountability, equity and results. This has resulted in developing country institutions taking the lead in defining, planning and implementing actions to respond to their adaptation needs. At a side event, held jointly by the Adaptation Fund Board and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the progress and achievements of the Fund in recent years received recognition from most developing countries. The Adaptation Fund Board has made concerted efforts to support the implementation of the “direct access,” modality, the transfer of financial resources directly to eligible countries rather than through a third party. At the time of COP18, national institutions representing fifteen countries had become eligible as National Implementing Entities (NIEs) through the accreditation process to submit proposals for projects that would receive direct access financing. Some of the countries which have already been financed through direct access include, Argentina, Benin, Jamaica, Jordan, Mexico, Senegal, South Africa, and Honduras. Colleagues from Senegal, Benin, Honduras and South Africa presented their country specific experiences. Under the AF – NGO Network, they have established mutual working relationships with their NIEs. This has been recognized as an important building block for CSOs engagement in the design and implementation of AF financed projects. This is not to compromise the “watch dog” role of the CSOs, but it helps them to see and highlight the positives as well the negatives in the way the AF financed projects are developed and executed. The presentations also demonstrated that CSOs are involved in monitoring the activities of AF financed projects. They highlighted the technology aspects of the projects rather than the principles of ownership, harmonization, alignment, mutual accountability, Equity and results under which the AF was established.
Most of us were keen on the role CSOs have played in tracking how the AF financed interventions were addressing the questions of: § Vulnerability levels, § Urgency levels and risks arising from NIEs’ delays, § Levels of sub-national engagements, and § Local adaptive capacities and cross-sectoral benefits.
Way forward for Kenya
Sitting through the side events and the various conference sessions in Doha, I reflected on the Kenyan status with the AF process. The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), was accredited as the National Implementing Entity (NIE) by the Adaptation Fund Board (AFB) during its 17th meeting, held between 14 and 16 March, 2012 in Bonn, Germany. With such accreditation, NEMA became eligible to access and manage Adaptation Fund (AF) financing for adaptation projects without going through a multilateral, or international institution. Following its accreditation to NIE status, NEMA established a steering committee with Dr. Ayub Macharia as chair. The CE has developed a road-map towards applying for adaptation project financing from the AFB. An immediate step is a national stakeholder awareness and consultation conference set for 18th December 2012. A follow up action will be invitation of project proposals from agencies working in Kenya with the aim of submitting the first application to the AFB by around March 2013. How actively and effectively Kenya’s CSOs engage in the NEMA undertaken processes will ensure that the projects funded through AF are meeting their objectives and addressing the needs of truly vulnerable people. The engagement of NGOs, CBO and other CSOs is thus crucial. Initial steps towards CSOs engagement in the AF-NEMA processes have been undertaken. A baseline survey has been conducted to assess current awareness among NGOs/CSOs of the adaptation fund guidelines and the way the AF operates.
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Help more children reach their 5th birthday
Patrick Mwanzia
The 2012 theme is ‘‘Help more children reach their 5th birthday”. Participants marked the day with a procession, speeches and demonstrations on proper hand washing.
Global Hand washing Day was originally created for children and schools, but it is now celebrated by anyone promoting hand washing with soap.
Global Hand washing Day was originally created for children and schools, but it is now celebrated by anyone promoting hand washing with soap. Each year, over 200 million people are involved in over 100 countries around the world. Hand washing with soap should be regularly observed by all, especially after contact with fecal matter and before eating. The simple act of washing hands with soap can significantly cut the risk of diarrhea (from 30 percent to 50 percent, and that of respiratory tract infections (from 21 percent to 45 percent.
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staggering total of 6,000 people attended the Global Hand Washing day in Nakuru County, Kenya. Practical Action and Umande Trust in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation took the lead in organizing the event. The event, held on 15th October 2012 brought together key stakeholders such as; the Municipal Council of Nakuru, Kenya Red Cross, Kenya Medical Training College, Rift Valley School of Business, teachers, Community Health Workers, USAID/APHIA Plus programme, school heads and teachers, students, Provincial Administration and community members. It was held within the low income settlement of Kaptembwo in Nakuru town.
Global hand washing day event in Nakuru is relevant to outcome 3 of the “Realizing the Right to Total Sanitation” Project being co-implemented by Practical Action – Eastern Africa and Umande Trust. We hope that by 2015 when the the project ends, we shall attain a level of 95% of the residents being aware of and practicing good hygiene practices, with a sense of individual responsibility for maintaining the sanitary environment, eliminate open defecation, tenants and landlords with a culture of daily maintenance and cleanliness of their toilets facilities. A similar percentage of school children will also practice hygienic toilet use at school as well as in their communities. Practical Action – Eastern Africa and Umande Trust are jointly funded by Comic Relief of UK to implement a Sanitation and Hygiene promotion project (Realizing the Right to Total Sanitation Project 2012 - 2015) within Nakuru (Rhonda and Kaptembwo low income settlements) using the urban Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach.
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