ACFSouthCaucasusBulletin

IssueV

Spring2011

IntegratedHomeGardens
ACFisaninternational organization t h a t uniquely bridges emer gency relief and longer term development. Our solutions to global hun ger are needsbased, contextspecific, custom ised through direct com munity participation and distinguished by these definingcharacteristics: Comprehensive approach Lastingsolutions Communitycentred Independentand impartial Fullaccountability andtransparency Efficientandcost effective

Beneficiaries of the Small Business Project

In 2011 ACF South Caucasus launched the pilot Integrated Home Gardens in several regions of Georgia in the framework of the Sida funded programme Pro-

moting self reliance and improving the welfare of IDPs and Returnees in Eastern Georgia and Abkhazia. Home gardens are increasingly being seen as a key element in the global fight against hunger and to support household food security and livelihoods. They can provide essential micronutrients, income opportunities, protection from shocks, and enable increased expenditure on education and health care from savings on food purchases. These features make home gardens especially useful tools when supporting the most vulnerable groups; in this programme ACF are working with residents of new IDP settlements in Eastern regions and returnees and communities living in similar conditions in Abkhazia. Building on ACF experience in other countries, the South Caucasus mission has developed a programme of

ActionAgainstHunger Spain Caracas6,Floor1, 28010Madrid (+3491)3915300 www.accioncontraelham bre.org SouthCaucasusCoordi nationOffice HeadofMission: NathalieDuguy achhom@caucasus.net 30MakashviliStreet, Tbilisi (+99532)988238 Fieldoffices: Tbilisi(EastGeorgia) Zugdidi(WestGeorgia) SukhumiandGali (Abkhazia) InArmenia:Yerevanand Sisian InAzerbaijan:Baku

integrated home gardening based upon the nutritional and economic benefits of domestic production and ACFs work in sustainable agricultural practices. The promotion of sustainable techniques is key; householders require fewer costly inputs such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides while improving the condition of the soil over time. Low input/high output techniques such as no tillage, green manure, and intercropping also require less labour, valuable in communities where much of the gardening is carried out by women with additional responsibilities. During the three year Sida funded programme, householders will receive training and inputs to diversify the range of produce grown, gain access to high yielding varieties, improve the quality of the soil and produce, and prolong the cropping season. Supporting workshops will be held in communities to deliver further information about nutrition and positive infant and child feeding practices; food safety; and healthy lifestyles.

SmallBusinessStartup
ACF South Caucasus is happy to be continuing the long standing relationship with UNHCR, building upon past projects in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Abkhazia. The 2011 funding has also enabled activities to be launched in the Imereti region. In Samegrelo and Imereti ACF are working in communities with high proportions of IDPs, supporting income generating activities alongside study visits to support agricultural innovation and the promotion of community associations. ACF have a track record of establishing successful community associations, granting groups with goods or equipment too expensive for a single investor that bring about direct benefits for their members, while providing inexpensive products or services to the wider community. Examples include agricultural extension services, tractor hire, bulk purchase of inputs, processing equipment, and transportation to market. In Abkhazia, ACF are continuing the provision of vocational education through training centres (VTCs) established in earlier UNHCR and EU supported programmes. In order to avoid saturation of the employment market VTCs were invited to submit new proposals to expand and diversify their current activities. In parallel, a grants competition will enable the most motivated and entrepreneurial graduates of the new and former training programmes to start up their own small businesses. Extra support will be provided in the form of trainings on business planning, legal issues, marketing, confidence building and leadership.

ACFSouthCaucasusBulletin
IssueV

Spring2011

SenakiKindergarten
Newsinbrief: TbilisiSCMainOffice: SuzanneTakkenberg, joinedasnewAssistant TechnicalCoordinator NinelleKobaliani,joined asAdminCoordinator WestGeorgia: ANewTeamwasre cruitedwiththefollow ingstaff: HeadofProject:Nana Gulordava Mobilizers:Shamil JalagoniaandMeriko Jikia Monitor:NinoPetridsi Twoformerdrivers,Yuri SukharukovandJaba Turava,camealsoback totheteamtosupport thisnewprogram EastGeorgia: MedeaSalakaiawas recruitedasAdminassis tant AleksiNarsavidzeand NicolasCoutinleftACF wewishthemallthe best Abkhazia: DionBattersbymovedto Galitoassumehernew functionsasHeadof Base. GuramRetsetsidzewas hiredasanAgronomist MerabArkania,recruited asdriver ParyirMynasian,re cruited Baku: ZulfiyyaAskarovawas replacedbySevda Aleskerova

ACF constructed a kindergarten in the IDP settlement Senaki Military Town under the recently completed EU IfS funded project. The kindergarten director Rusudan Bokuchava tells her story: 2010 was a good year for the IDP settlement Senaki Military Town (SMT), especially for the kindergarten kids and staff. ACF came and started the community mobilization process where IDPs and locals together participated in community needs identification. The lack of appropriate space and conditions for preschool education was one of the identified needs. Since the kindergarten was the #1 priority for the community, ACF started communication

with the local municipality that had taken responsibility and allocated building space, and supported the process to resolve formal issues concerning the land allocation. The construction of the kindergarten started in May and was completed in July. All efforts have been mobilized by ACF to ensure both the interior and exterior of the kindergarten were renovated appropriately. A painter decorated the walls of the dining room with images from different fairytales, and one of the outside walls was painted as a seaside landscape. Furthermore, the kindergarten was furnished and a playground was installed. ACF provided palm trees and facilitated a planting action with kindergarten staff and

CDG members. September was a great month for us when the

nies. On behalf of the Senaki Military Town commu-

kindergarten moved into the well furnished modern building. On the inauguration day a concert was organised by the kindergarten kids and information about the inauguration was broadcasted by both Zugdidi and Senaki TV compa-

nity, I would like to express our gratitude to ACF and its staff for their enthusiasm and commitment, and hope that the kindergarten children, with all their efforts and studies, will make most of this opportunity given to them by

Outside the Senaki Kindergarten

ACFSouthCaucasusBulletin
IssueV

Spring2011

TheFodderMillinLor
Training: NataliaDuguyand ZazaTskvitaiaat tendedatrainingon EmergencyResponse inMardridonthe 11thofMarch

ACF has recently installed 3 fodder mills within milk marketing cooperatives under the M4P project in Armenia funded by SDC; one is in the community of Lor. Alik Davtyan is a dairy farmer and his story is the following: My family has been engaged in animal husbandry for generations and I have 4 cows and 6 calves. Feeding animals with high quality fodder is very important for high yield of milk and I have already ground some barley and hay for my animals.

The grinding process is fast, compared to the previous milling service that was done by hand. I could see from my animals that they were very eager to eat even milled straw and according to my brother the cows have become fatter over the last weeks. Before the cows tried to select the softer parts from the hay that was fed to them, but now there is hardly any loss of fodder. The access to a fodder mill in Lor creates opportunities for all the farmers like me and also

also for neighbouring communities. As a member of the cooperative I can make use of the service at a reduced fee or I can pay in kind by supplying milk to the cooperative. This is convenient because famers in our village often lack cash. Before, milling services were costly as additional expenses arose on transportation of hay or grains to Sisian or other places with mills. Now better conditions are created for farmers to improve their business. This is a boost for fodder production.

My plans on this is to expand the lands under fodder and cultivate oats under sown with barley as ground high value crop grains mixed with hay secure good feeding. The availability of a fodder mill in Lor motivates farmers to increase the number of animals especially among those having only one or two cows. ACF tackles important issues for villagers and support is targeted very accurately from production up to incomes.

New ACF Project Signed ACF has signed a new project with the European Union titled: Technical Assistance for Local and Regioanl Development in IDP Populated Regions in Georgia. The project is funded by the EU, and will be implemented over a period of 24 months. It will target the Ministry for Regional Development and Infrastructure (MRDI), Municipal Development Fund (MDF), other implementing agencies, Regional Administrations / Governors offices and selected local selfgovernment municipalities. The aim of the project is to provide technical assistance to the MRDI/Municipal Development Fund (MDF) to effectively manage and implement the public infrastructure

ACF South Caucasus Donors and Partners:

component of the IDP-3 programme;assist the MRDI in identifying the most effective methodology to promote private sector development and provide direct technical assistance for initiating and implementing the above-mentioned programme; and increase regional and local authorities' involvement in decision-making processes related to development planning related to infrastructure rehabilitation, the private sector and IDP -related issues.