Mangroves for the Future (MFF) Programme have approved small-sized project funding, worth US$10,000 for NGOs and CBOs working for the development of the coastal communities in Sindh and Balochistan.
MFF Coordinator Ghulam Qadir Shah, sharing details of the scheme, told APP Monday that the approved projects would be implemented within a span of six months to one year.
To ensure adequate and meaningful implementation of the projects, aimed at sustainable development of the coastal communities, he said MFF had also held a two-day training workshop on the “Project Management” and “Proposal Writing”.
The purpose of the workshop was to equip the Small Grants applicants of the MFF Small Grants Programme and the local NGOs and CBOs so that they could address the needs of the coastal communities in a better manner, said Ghulam Qadir.
The training was conducted by a renowned biologist and agriculturist Dr Ranjith Mahindapala from Sri Lanka.
35 participants were selected from amongst the Small Grants applicants and the NGOs, CBOs that were actively working along the coasts of Sindh and Balochistan and the National Coordination Body members.
Manager MFF programme hoped that the new skills learned by the participants and the knowledge they have gained would significantly contribute towards management of the development projects.
During the session these representatives also shared their proposals that were fine-tuned according to the MFF guidelines under the guidance of Dr Mahindapala.
In reply to a question, Shah said that there also existed an MFF Programme Sub-committee comprising National Coordinating Body Members that oversaw the selection process.
This was headed by the representative of the Ministry of Climate Change. The National Coordination Body (NCB) included representatives of the federal government, provincial governments of Sindh and Balochistan, government departments, donors and NGOs including Sindh Forest and Wildlife Department, Sindh Coastal Development Authority, National Institute of Oceanography, Pakistan Navy, Balochistan Coastal Development Authority, Balochistan Fisheries Department, Shehri and IUCN Pakistan.
IUCN Country Representative Mahmood Akhtar Cheema commended the contribution of the donors and MFF Programe for their investment in developing the skills of the communities and the stakeholders in the coastal areas.
Knowledge was necessary to run the projects effectively and sustainably, he said.
