New Partnership for Food and Agriculture Organization Africa’s Development (NEPAD) of the United Nations Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Investment Centre Division Development Programme (CAADP) GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MAURITIUS SUPPORT TO NEPAD–CAADP IMPLEMENTATION TCP/MAR/2904 (I) (NEPAD Ref. 05/16 E) Volume V of VII BANKABLE INVESTMENT PROJECT PROFILE Community Development and Poverty Alleviation Project February 2005 MAURITIUS: Support to NEPAD–CAADP Implementation Volume I: National Medium–Term Investment Programme (NMTIP) Bankable Investment Project Profiles (BIPPs) Volume II: Agricultural Diversification (Integrated Processing and Marketing) Volume III: Mauritius Agricultural Information System (MAIS) Volume IV: Sustainable Land and Water Management Volume V: Community Development and Poverty Alleviation Project Volume VI: Mauritius Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (MABI) Volume VII: Strengthening the Agro–Processing Capacity of Rodrigues NEPAD–CAADP BANKABLE INVESTMENT PROJECT PROFILE Country: Mauritius Sector of Activities: Poverty alleviation and community development Proposed Project Name: Community Development and Poverty Alleviation Project Project Location: Mauritius Duration of Project: Between 1–4 years, depending on project component Estimated Cost: Rs4,537,000 Suggested Financing: Source US1 Rs % of total Government 150,407 4,437,000 98 Financing institution(s) Private sector – – – Beneficiaries – – – Others (CODEPA) 3,390 100,000 2 Total 153,797 4,537,000 100 1 Exchange rate: Currency: Mauritius Rupee (Rs) US$1 =Rs29.5 Rs1 = US$0.0339 MAURITIUS: NEPAD–CAADP Bankable Investment Project Profile “Community Development and Poverty Alleviation Project” Table of Contents Abbreviations........................................................................................................................................ iii I. PROJECT BACKGROUND.......................................................................................................1 A. Programme Origin and Summary Description...............................................................1 B. General Information..........................................................................................................2 II. PROJECT AREA.........................................................................................................................4 III. PROGRAMME RATIONALE...................................................................................................5 IV. OBJECTIVES ..............................................................................................................................7 V. PROJECT DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................................8 Component 1: Community Services Management Training Programme ..............................8 Component 2: Small–scale Income Generating Activities for the Vulnerable Groups .........9 VI. INDICATIVE COSTS...............................................................................................................10 VII. PROPOSED SOURCES OF FUNDING..................................................................................11 VIII. PROGRAMME BENEFITS .....................................................................................................11 IX. PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS................................................13 Component 1: Community Services Management Training Programme ............................13 Component 2: Small–scale Income Generating Activities for the Vulnerable Groups .......15 X. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS .................................................................16 XI. POSSIBLE RISKS.....................................................................................................................17 Component 1: Community Services Management Training Programme ............................17 Component 2: Small–scale Income Generating Activities for the Vulnerable Groups .......17 Appendix 1: Details of Modules ..........................................................................................................19 Appendix 2: ECommu Guide..............................................................................................................23 Appendix 3: Past and Ongoing Projects of CODEPA. .....................................................................25 Appendix 4: Profiles of Proposed Trainers........................................................................................27 NEPAD – Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Mauritius: Investment Project Profile “Community Development and Poverty Alleviation Project” Abbreviations ABT Action based training ADB African Development Bank ANDE Anou Diboute Ensam AREU Agricultural Research and Extension Unit AYC Agricultural Youth Club BIPP Bankable Investment Project Profile BMU Block Management Unit CAADP Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme CBO Community–based Organization CODEPA Community Development Programme Agency EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FSC Farmers Service Corporation GEF Global Environment Facility IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development LAMU Land Area Management Unit MACOSS Mauritius Council of Social Services MAFTNR Ministry of Agriculture, Food Technology and Natural Resources MQA Mauritius Qualifications Authority MRC Mauritius Research Council NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development NFYFC National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs NGO Non–governmental Organization NMTIP National Medium–Term Investment Programme PMER Participatory Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting RDP Rural Diversification Programme SCDD Sustainable Community Driven Development SGP Small Grants Programme SIDS Small Island Developing States TFSIVG Trust Fund for the Social Integration of the Vulnerable Groups UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNISA University of South Africa VCDA Vacoas Community Development Association iii NEPAD – Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Mauritius: Investment Project Profile “Community Development and Poverty Alleviation Project” I. PROJECT BACKGROUND A. Programme Origin and Summary Description I.1. The proposed project is in line with the priorities of the country for the alleviation of poverty and vulnerability by addressing the capacity building needs of community leaders/workers and promoting self–sustainable income generating activities in the community. I.2. The project comprises two parts, namely: • A core component concentrating on training of community leaders of NGOs and CBOs; and • A second component, consisting of two specific on–the–ground investment proposals. These two small projects could well act as pilot tests following the training programme. Other small projects could follow suit at a later stage in vulnerable regions using the same concept. I.3. Component 1: Community Services Management Training Programme. The Community Development Programme Agency (CODEPA) is proposing the development of a Community Services Management Training Programme for 100 Community Leaders of NGOs/CBOs. The project follows from the findings of a pilot training project which revealed a crucial lack of appropriate capacity building programmes for community leaders. Participatory community based poverty alleviation programmes in Mauritius have generally suffered from “weak institutional capacities at both public and private levels to plan, implement and manage community based developmental activities” (IFAD RDP Appraisal Report on Community Development Programme in Mauritius and Rodrigues). This explains the high proportion of micro credit schemes which have failed to achieve their set objectives, where repayment is an issue — as revealed by the poverty alleviation programme financed by the EU, Anou Diboute Ensam (ANDE) that aims at providing micro–finance and micro–credit to operators. This project proposes to remedy the lack of capacity in utilizing and managing efficiently financial resources, provided for under micro credit schemes or others, by dispensing comprehensive training to community leaders, who would then transfer the capacity to the members of their respective organizations, with courses ranging from ‘general organizational skills’ to ‘sustainable community development’ and ‘poverty alleviation and networking’. I.4. Component 2: Small–scale Income Generating Activities for the Vulnerable Groups. The National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC) has proposed the setting up of small income generating projects to alleviate poverty in the rural areas of Mauritius. The vulnerable groups will be given the incentives to start up kitchen gardens or to rear chicken for eggs production, as a sustainable income generating activity. Poverty alleviation programmes have long evolved from providing direct aid to the deprived groups into building sustainable income–generating capacity within the vulnerable groups. The success of the income generating activities will however depend on the capacity of the vulnerable groups to effectively implement and manage their projects, hence addressed in the first component of the project. I.5. The proposed project falls within the framework of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) in reducing vulnerability and addresses the issue of poverty by providing training to the community leaders who are working with the vulnerable groups, who have difficulty in accessing