Mekong Small Grants Facility
PROJECT SITE/AREA OF IMPLEMENTATION
Mekong Region:
Laos Thailand Vietnam Myanmar Cambodia
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
To provide small grants directly to indigenous peoples, ethnic groups, local communities, non-profit associations and civil society members undertaking initiatives that improve their capabilities to secure and protect their rights over, and access to, natural resources, increase the local human resource skills base, increase organizing and leadership skills, and facilitate mechanisms that improve economic opportunities and main- tain local cultures and ecosystems.
PROJECT COMPONENTS/TARGET OUTPUTS
- Small grants making
- Grantee support: capacity development, hand-holding and mentoring, facilitation and linking
IMPLEMENTATION PARTNERS
- Local Community Facilitators
- Local NGO/NPA in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia
- Community groups in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia
PROJECT PERIOD
12 Months
PROGRESS HIGHLIGHTS
For FY 2019, 12 small grants were approved and provided in Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam;
- Improved livelihoods through water resource managementand repair of village water system, organic vegetable production, establishment of local market center for community-based forest enterprise, agricultural productsand non-timber forest products (NTFPs);
- Support to civil society organizations and non-profit associations in participate in national and regional (SEA) level to promote ethnic and indigenous cultures and environmental and grassroots rights; tackle cross-border issues such as the hydro-electric power dams; and increase CSO networking; and
- Support to youth to build their capacities on leadership, research, gender equity, empowerment, environmental advocacy and volunteerism.
KEY LEARNING TO DATE
Small grants can contribute to efforts of local organizations to increase learning and education of different groups about environmental advocacy and activism. It helps to encourage more local volunteers, especially the youth; and for members of the community or village to take concrete action like planting trees in their community forest and watershed areas.
The grants play an important role to fill in the gaps in the needs of the community. When women are supported in their leader- ship and have their own income to cover daily family expenses, they feel they have more important role in the decision making and are included.
DONOR PARTNER
