Organizations receive grants to facilitate environmental protection

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Organizations receive grants to facilitate environmental protection
Organizations receive grants to facilitate environmental protection

Africa-Press – Lesotho. With a mandate to implement specialized watershed management activities in their respective areas, 9 Community-based Organizations (CBOs) were awarded grants by ReNOKA in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) last Wednesday in Maseru.
In his remarks, CRS Country Representative Michael Moyo revealed that the grants are disbursed under Small Grants Program on the GIZ funded CRS Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) Project.

He indicated that CRS and implementing partners Caritas Lesotho, Rural Self-Help Development Association (RSDA) and Care for Basotho Association (CBA) in collaboration with Lesotho Council of Non-Governmental Organizations is implementing the ICM project in six Priority Sub-Catchments in Lesotho.

“These Small Grants are intended to mobilize Community-based Organizations to implement specialized or niche watershed management activities in six Priority Sub-Catchment areas so that they do not only become agents of change for sustaining ICM activities at the grassroots level but also support the scaling of ICM and Livelihoods activities for transformational change of scale,” he highlighted.

Moyo added that it is in keeping with ICM Project objectives of climate change adaptation that rehabilitation of degraded watersheds, implementing prevention measures that will halt further degradation of Lesotho’s catchment areas can be assured.

He stressed that the sustainable management of Lesotho’s catchments are of critical importance for water, energy and food security not only in Lesotho itself but in the entire Orange-Senqu Basin and Gauteng province.

“CRS will continue to support Small Grants recipients in capacity building or strengthening through trainings and other support to ensure that they meet their objectives on the program,” he concluded. The six Priority Sub-Catchments are: Khubelu, Hlotse, Likhetla, Makhalaneng, ‘Maletsunyane and Senqunyane.

The Grant recipients are: Eco-Culture, Southern Mountain Association for Rural Transformation and Development (SMARTD), GROW, Lesotho Association of Non-formal Education (LANFE), Good Shepherd Sisters Night School, Limomonane Trust, Lebone Social Entrepreneurship and Leadership Initiative (LESELI), Women and Girls Matter and Community of Women Living with HIV in Lesotho (CW-Lesotho).

On behalf of the recipients, Khothalang Borane from GROW expressed gratitude to CRS and ReNOKA for the grant. She disclosed that they are going to plant trees in Mokhotlong, which is where their organization is based.

She said Mokhotlong lacks trees due to the fact that the communities use trees for firewood to keep warm and cook, thus there is a great need for more trees to replace those that are cut down.

Borane further pointed out that with their organization planting trees, soil erosion will be prevented and the trees will also provide food, protection and homes for many animals thus preserving biodiversity.

From the Good Shepherd Sisters Night School in Semonkong, Sr. Johanna Mokhoro also expressed gratitude for the grant and indicated that their Organization works with women, young girls and herd boys.

“With this grant, among other things, we are going to sensitize and teach herd boys the importance and tactics of tacking care of the water sources in our area and the environment at large,” Sr.
Mokhoro held forth. Also, the CW-Lesotho Representative ‘Mamoletsi Moletsi from Ha Moitšupeli said they are very delighted for the grant and passed thanksgiving to CRS and ReNOKA.
She said the grant will go a long way in helping women living with HIV to become sustainable and earn a living as their project is of Beekeeping. She said bees are important in preserving biodiversity thus help in fighting climate change and environmental protection.

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