By: Lako Stephane (Member of WYN’s DRR Team)

Following the first workshop on hydroclimatic risks concepts and regulation at national and international levels in November 2017 (see blog post here), a second workshop on hydroclimatic project writing and financing was organised from May 30^th to June 1^st 2018 at Global Water Partnership Central Africa Head office with the support of UNESCO, Water Youth Network and GWP/WMO Associated Programme on Flood Management. This is in line with « Enhancing Youth  Participation to flood and drought disaster risk reduction in developing countries (EYD2R) » action plan and two of the recommendations of the first workshop: i) include participative and systemic approaches in the prevention and management of floods and droughts, ii) reinforce collaboration between research, communities, civil society and advisory services.

Photo: Participants of the Workshop on Hydro-climatic Project Writing and Financing

This workshop aimed to :

• Support young people to identify and formulate project ideas, objectives, strategies, activities and indicators
• train youth in project planning, monitoring and management
• reinforce youth capacities in project writing and responses to calls for proposals
• share climate financing opportunities and mechanisms
• introduce youth to participative, gender and emergency prevention/response approaches

This three-day workshop with 10 specialists from UNWOMEN, GWP Caf, RED CROSS, UNESCO, JAD, J2D-Africa, and Water For Life Cameroon was organised over 10 presentations, 5 practical sessions and a nice certificate handling ceremony with representatives from GWP, Water Youth Network, Civil Protection Agency, District Authority. The ceremony was chaired by GWP Cameroon President.

These three days of training and brainstorming resulted in the identification of three priority field projects on DRR, two priority research topics and a detailed WASH intervention in a post-flood response strategy for a coastal area. The field projects were focusing on reducing vulnerability to flooding risks and associated health and pollution risks. The research topics were mainly addressing flood risk prevention and response system mapping.

The ceremony was also an occasion for the attending youth to get more familiar with the Water Youth Network, as they had the opportunity to interact with the WYN IWRM Co-Coordinator.

Some lessons drawn from the workshop

• Always prepare a project from realities on the field and after a participative diagnosis to identify the real problem, the effective priorities and the appropriate solution
• It always advisable to study the project financing arrangement and cycle for all the funds to which we would like to apply for
• Prepare the project proposal a long time before the launch of the call for proposals to be able to adjust easily
• It is wise to always assess eligibility and potential to be selected before taking the decision to prepare a proposal
• Participative approaches give you more options for one problem and could even solve more than one problem with one appropriate intervention
• Emergency response requires a systemic approach in integrating administrative, planning, communication and operational response
• Provide more time for such a training to enhance appropriation of tools, tips and methods.

Photo: Water Youth Network IWRM Team Co-coordinator, Younoussa Abbosouka, Awarding Certificate to a Participant

Recommendations

• Provide a practical case study for participants to better integrate tools and methods
• Program the mentorship phase during holidays
• Develop cooperation and networking between youth involved in the project and with other youth interested in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

The youth trained will be mentored during the next months to prepare relevant projects and seek for funding. Discussions are ongoing to select the group of mentors who will guide those young Cameroonian Disaster Risk Reducers. A Whatsapp group of 33 young people is active and a lot of new and documents are shared there. We look forward to providing further updates soon.

For more information, contact: lakostef@yahoo.com or waterforlife.partner@gmail.com