The Eswatini Environment Fund was established by the Environment Management Act of 2002. It provides financial support for programmes, projects and activities aimed at the enhancement, protection and conservation of the environment and the sustainable management of natural resources and supporting community participation in these activities. to promote environmental sustainability at grassroots level in the in the Kingdom of Eswatini. The Fund is managed a by the Eswatini Environment Fund Board of Trustees (BoT) and the Eswatini Environment Authority performs the administration function of the Fund. The BoT is responsible for approving projects that are to be awarded grants from the Fund, from shortlisted projects that have been identified by a technical proposal selection committee of the experts from the pool of applications that have responded to the open national call for proposals. 2. ELIGIBILITY 2.1 Projects that are eligible for funding by the Fund must satisfy the following minimum requirements:
The Eswatini Environment Fund seek to tackle emerging environmental risks facing the country in all four administrative regions of the country. In this year funding cycle, the focus is on five thematic areas:
4.0 SIZE OF GRANTS The Fund will award small grants up to a maximum of E300, 000 for eligible projects. A minimum of 80% of this grant should go direct into the environmental action. In-kind contributions from involved stakeholders and community members are encouraged. 5.0 CHECKLIST A set of criteria has been established to judge a project’s eligibility for financing. This is as laid down below: ( ) Letter from local authority (Umphakatsi or Municipality) approving the project. ( ) Detailed explanation of the concept. ( ) If there are any other funders for the project, attach the award letter. ( ) If technical assistance for implementing the project will be sourced externally, attach the commitment letter from the identified expert. ( ) Project is inclusive, demonstrates youth and women involvement. Attach list of committee members and their signatures. ( ) At least 80% of the funding goes to the actual project other than into administration costs. ( ) The number of beneficiaries is stated such as the number of households.
7.0 GENERAL INFORMATION (i) The Fund Officer will be monitoring and evaluating the progress of all funded projects. Where possible the Fund Officer may provide technical assistance and other services that will fast-track the completion of the project. (ii) To those projects that will require an Environmental Impact Assessment, the Environmental Assessment fees may be deducted from the award. 2023/24 CALL FOR APPLICATION FOR GRANTS |
Approved projects for 2019/2020 cycle
|
Eswatini Environment Fund approved projects for 2022/23
1. Sankolweni Project
• This is project is presented as a wetland management project, but covers three priority areas of the Fund: Sustainable Land Management; Sustainable Water Management; and Ecosystems, Habitat and Biodiversity Conservation.
• There is a wetland with great potential but is getting degraded by IAPS and livestock, resulting to wetland plant and animal species becoming scarce.
• The wetland also acts as a source of water for about 25 homesteads and one 5ha irrigated garden in the area. An intervention on this project can increase water supply for household use, agricultural production in gardens and livestock.
• The project area (wetland) also had a patch of land with soil erosion at its early stages, and it’s an ideal stage to rehabilitate it.
• The project team is well organized and composed of youth. This is an indication of good project implementation and ownership.
2. Bhidlilili Wetland Project
• This is a project that is proposed by WVE, which is a huge wetland that is ranked no. 2 in Eswatini in terms of size.
• This wetland is of national significance and an intervention on it would be a big achievement for the Fund, it can be a flagship project for the Fund.
• There is serious degradation happening in the wetland, with significant ramifications to the entire Shiselweni region and beyond that benefit from it for Likhwane.
• There is wetland degradation caused by livestock grazing and trampling in wetland area combined with encroachments of crop production fields into wetland.
3. Lusitini Land Rehabilitation Project
• This is a donga project that is supported by ESWADE who has a running land rehabilitation project in other parts of the same community where they also impact skills on mechanical donga rehabilitation.
• This donga is caused by roof run-off water and cattle tracks, and is now threatening crop cultivation fields adjacent to it.
• The owner of the cultivation fields approved the project to rehabilitate the donga to stop further damage. He is aware the land will no more be under his ownership but it will be owned and managed by the beneficiaries in the community of Lusitini.
• The group is organized and have a standing committee responsible in land rehabilitation to conserve the environment. It has women and youth representation.
• This donga is cutting a key road for the community, negatively impacting a nearby river and the surrounding homesteads and individuals including school going children.
4. Yonge Nawe Manyeveni Land Rehabilitation Project
• This is a donga project located next to the Manzini-Nhlangano main road at Nkwene Area, which has the support of ESWADE.
• The initial cause of the donga is the plaster sand mining. There are visible gullies that now threatens the Yithi Abantu Highway.
• This is a good project about capacity building on SLM and the management of the ecosystems.
• There is good community participation and the project team is led by a young person.
• This project can be used as a Centre of Excellence as it is by the main road thus good for marketing innovative solutions to erosion management.
5. Nkambeni Donga Rehabilitation Project
• There is real and extensive erosion caused by surface run-off water that has started to damage the Madlangempisi- Tshaneni tar road at the Mabiya junction.
• The community have done some efforts of installing gabions but the water is too powerful and is washing them away
• This project is led by youth
• The project is under the Chiefdom of Chief Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe who is also the Minister of Public Works and Transport. Seeing this problem first hand may lead to the Minister and probably his Ministry to take seriously the damage caused by run-off water resulting to soil erosion and sometimes the destruction of roads. That is, this project and other projects thereafter may get support from this Ministry (PWT).
6. U-Tech’s Education for Sustainable Development Goals
• This is a climate change project, proposed by one of the leading schools in the Lubombo region. This presents an opportunity to use U-Tech as a pioneer school in teaching climate change concepts. Also, it can be used as a centre of excellence for surrounding schools and the entire Lubombo region, where practical learning can be facilitated for the entire region.
• This is a low budget project that is affordable to the Fund.