ACTIVITY REPORT 2006
FLEMISH DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
| Activity Report 2006
Introduction
CONTENTS
FOREWORD..............................................................................................................................................4 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................6 Malawi - our third partner country.............................................................................................................7 Cooperation with Mozambique............................................................................................................... 11 Cooperation with South Africa................................................................................................................. 13 WORK IN THE SOUTH...........................................................................................................................16 Food security........................................................................................................................................... 17 The fight against HIV/AIDS......................................................................................................................22 Health care..............................................................................................................................................29 Sustainable enterprise.............................................................................................................................31 Humanitarian aid......................................................................................................................................37 WORK IN THE NORTH...........................................................................................................................40 Raising awareness through the media....................................................................................................41 Development education..........................................................................................................................43 Municipal development cooperation.......................................................................................................46 The fourth pillar........................................................................................................................................48 Sustainable consumption........................................................................................................................49 ANNEXES...............................................................................................................................................50 Resources................................................................................................................................................51 Summary of current projects 2006..........................................................................................................53
Activity Report 2006 |
Introduction
FOREWORD
As a prosperous region, Flanders owes it to itself to take up its international responsibility in solidarity with less prosperous peoples. And that is what we are doing, with ever-increasing determination. The development cooperation budget rose from 6.6 million euros to 17.5 million euros between 1999 and 2006. The Government of Flanders then topped this up significantly in 2007. I will have a budget of 21.8 million euros available for development cooperation in 2007, which is a quarter more than last year. In this activity report the Flemish International Cooperation Agency (VAIS) aims to show how that budget is being used. You will see that Flanders is capable of achieving structural results in the South. The Flemish International Cooperation Agency officially began its activities in April 2006, which in itself was a new major step towards building an efficient, effective and results-oriented Flemish development cooperation policy. The VAIS has been tasked with implementing and monitoring policy, both in the North and the South. Our work in both areas of the world is concentrated in a limited number of fields. In this way we can avoid wasteful fragmentation and promote the quality and cohesion of Flemish development cooperation. This activity report is organised by theme so as to highlight this thematic cohesion.. Flemish development cooperation policy is focused on the Millennium Development Goals, which were signed by the 191 Member States of the United Nations in 2000. Within that context we create our own emphases and geographical focus. We concentrate on Southern Africa, where almost 70 percent of our budget was spent in 2006. In this region, South Africa and Mozambique have for a long time been key partners in Flemish development cooperation. Thanks to a major budget increase, we added a third partner country in 2006. Our choice fell on Malawi: the poorest of the six least developed countries in Southern Africa, and the one receiving the smallest level of per capita international aid. In consultation with the Malawian Government we are focusing mainly on improving food security and public health. In addition to agriculture and food security, we are concentrating Flemish development cooperation on education, health care and the fight against HIV/AIDS. In 2006, eight percent of the Flemish development cooperation budget was spent on this item. Flanders has concluded a structural agreement with UNAIDS on the fight against AIDS in Southern Africa. Three million euros has been set aside for this purpose. One million of the total is being spent in Malawi. Flanders is supporting UNAIDS activities in three areas: prevention, children and women. Flanders is spending a total of 12 million euros on the fight against HIV/AIDS during the 2006-2009 period. Three million in South Africa (Free State Province), six million in Mozambique (Tete Province) and three million via UNAIDS. The fact that the lion’s share of the Flemish budget is spent on projects in the South is obvious. However, these also require sufficient support in the North, in Flanders. We need citizens with a sense of solidarity, hard working action groups, committed local councils, responsible consumers and the media with an eye to what is happening in the South. For this reason VAIS is continuing to work hard on education and awareness, while supporting initiatives in the areas of fair(er) trade and global solidarity. With some success: municipalities are building closer links with twin towns and cities in the South, Flemish development funds are investing in micro-financing, fair trade products, while sustainable trade labels are becoming more established. Flemish people understand that solidarity with the South is absolutely vital - and that it produces results.
| Activity Report 2006
Introduction
FOREWORD
I hope this activity report will make a contribution to the awareness-raising process - and that you will enjoy reading it! The Flemish Minister for Development Cooperation
VAIS officially launched The Flemish International Cooperation Agency (VAIS) officially started work on 1 April 2006. The VAIS remit is to help combat poverty in the South and widen the base of support for development cooperation in Flanders. Its tasks and responsibilities are: • bilateral cooperation with partners in the South • providing financial support to non-governmental organisations, both in Flanders and in the South, which are in volved in municipal development cooperation and micro-financing institutions • cooperating with multilateral organisations, such as UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation • raising awareness among the Flemish population about the North-South issue and creating a broader base of support for initiatives in this area • financing various emergency aid activities and humanitarian aid. Prepared during 2006, the management agreement between the VAIS and the Government of Flanders defines the rights and obligations on both sides so that the implementation of the policy can be monitored and adjustments made in a clear and transparent way. A memorandum of understanding has also been drafted between the VAIS and the Flemish Department of Foreign Affairs, two partners working side by side to achieve common policy objectives. Activity Report 2006 |
Introduction
INTRODUCTION
| Activity Report 2006
Introduction
MALAWI
MALAWI: OUR THIRD PARTNER COUNTRY In 2006 Malawi became the third partner country for Flemish development cooperation, alongside South Africa and Mozambique. During the year official contacts were made and fact-finding missions helped to map out the country’s needs. At Malawi’s own request, Flanders is seeking to deploy this cooperation to focus on food security. operation with a new partner country. On 28 April 2006 the Government of Flanders decided that Malawi would be the third partner country, alongside South Africa and Mozambique. This decision fits in with Flemish policy priorities, where the geographical focus is on Southern Africa. Malawi is also a member of the group of least developed countries (LDCs). COOPERATION PROGRAMME UNDER DEVELOPMENT
WHY MALAWI? In keeping with Flemish policy priorities In his policy letter for 2005-2006 Minister Bourgeois announced that the development cooperation budget would be increased in 2007 to give Flanders the financial boost needed to initiate co-
Fact-finding missions During two fact-finding missions, the first official contacts were established between representatives of the Malawi and Flemish governments. Discussions also took place with international donor organisations, the Delegation from the European Commission, the United Nations and representatives of civil society organisations. All these contacts have helped define the context within
Selection following on from a comparative study. The choice of Malawi comes in the wake of a comparative study of the LDC countries, based on a series of indicators. • Malawi is the poorest of the five LDC countries in Southern Africa, with a per capita GDP of 165 USD (World Bank figures, 2004). With an HDI index of 165, it has a very low level of human development. • Since the country has few sources of income of its own, it is highly dependent on international aid. Of the five LDC countries, Malawi has the smallest volume of incoming development aid per head of population at 43 USD (OECD/DAC figures, 2004). • Progress is being made with good governance, and the government is making efforts to fight corruption. On the Corruption Perception Index (2005), which expresses the perception of corruption by experts in a ranking of the least corrupt countries, Malawi is in 97th place out of a total of 158 countries. Furthermore, this country has signed international agreements focused on human, women’s, children’s and workers’ rights. • Malawi shares a border with Mozambique, one of the existing partner countries, and one significant border area is Tete Province, where Flanders is providing support to a number of health care initiatives. • Malawi has a number of donor coordination schemes, which are also coordinated with the national strategy to combat poverty, as set out in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). Consequently, Flemish Development Cooperation is perfectly in keeping with these initiatives. Activity Report 2006 |
Introduction
MALAWI
which Flanders is able to develop initiatives. They have also supplied the information needed to draw up a Memorandum of Understanding between Malawi and Flanders. This document sets out the principles governing cooperation between the two partners. It forms the basis for all future activities. Focus on food security In common with the strategy for Mozambique and South Africa, Flemish development cooperation seeks to fit in with the partner country’s own policy. The fact-finding missions clearly showed that the priorities of this new partner country are agriculture and food security. At the request of its new partner, Flanders has therefore chosen to cooperate in the food security sector. When developing Flemish-Malawian initiatives, Flanders will strive to achieve donor coordination and
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Mais: Malawi’s most important crop ensure its activities are consistent with those of other donors.
Introduction
MALAWI
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Activity Report 2006 |
Introduction
MALAWI
The Republic of Malawi is in south-eastern Africa and covers an area of 118,484 km2. The country borders on Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique and has 12,341,170 inhabitants. Malawi is the current name for the former British protectorate of Nyasaland. Nyasa was the name of the large lake which largely defines the natural borders of Malawi to the east. This is now called Lake Malawi. The capital is Lilongwe.
Recent history. On 6 July 1964 Malawi became independent under the leadership of Dr. Hastings Banda. He led the country for about thirty years and introduced the one-party system. In 1994 elections were held in which several parties were able to participate. Malawi chose to have a multi-party system and a new constitution was announced in 1995. Elections in 2004 brought the current president, Bingu Wa Mutharika, to power. His period in office is five years. Development. Malawi is in 166th place on the Human Development Index for 2006 out of a total of 177 countries. According to UN estimates, 1 out of 2 children under five years of age suffer from chronic malnutrition and are therefore not fully grown. About one and a half million people experience hunger every day. The life expectancy is only 40 years. More than 55% of the population have to exist on less than 1 USD per day. Economy. The Malawian economy is chiefly geared towards agriculture. Apart from farming, the most important economic sectors are fishing and forestry (38%), industry (18%) and services (44%). Small-scale agriculture supplies about 80% of the food that is consumed within the country. Commercial production of tobacco, 10 | Activity Report 2006
tea, cotton and sugar accounts for the bulk of economic activity and growth in the agricultural sector. Tobacco is the number one export product.
Agriculture. The country’s main crop in the is maize, but cassava and other root crops are gradually becoming more widespread. Most agricultural activities are geared towards survival, but total production is well below the minimum needed to feed families for one year. Most Malawians living in rural areas have faced food shortages more than once during the past decade. Many work for middle class families, in exchange for money or food. In addition to low agricultural productivity other factors causing hunger and poverty are poorly developed markets, periods of drought and floods, as well as limited access to credit and productive farmland. Working towards solutions. The government is working with the international donor community to look for solutions. It has set up a successful subsidy scheme which enables small-scale farms to buy fertilisers at half the commercial price. Further support has come as a result debt cancellation programme by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF and the World Bank announced in early September 2006 that the country had made enough efforts to qualify for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative. The HIPC initiative is one of the main tools used to help heavily-indebted countries. It is intended as a first step towards a fuller, more extensive and more rapid debt cancellation process.
Introduction
MOZAMBIQUE
COOPERATION WITH MOZAMBIQUE Cooperation with Mozambique is concentrated on health care and above all on the fight against HIV/AIDS. A programme to support technical education is being prepared.
The strategy paper for 2006-2010 This five-year programme sets out the main cooperation themes. • The cooperation is intended to fit in with the Mozambique government’s second anti-poverty plan Plano de acção para a Redução da Pobreza Absoluta, 2006-2009) . The aims of this anti-poverty plan are linked to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. • The cooperation focuses on two sectors: health and technical education. • Cooperation in the health sector comprises support for the expansion of basic health services and support for the fight against HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmissible diseases in Tete Province, as well as general support for the development of human resources in the health sector. Flanders also sets aside two million euros a year for budget support to the Mozambique Ministry of Public Health (PROSAUDE), in the context of the so-called Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp). Putting into practice the principle of donor coordination, agreements have been reached with the Danish development cooperation authority. • Cooperation in the educational sector fits in with the PIREP, an integrated programme run by the Mozambique Government to reform technical and vocational education and vocational training. • The cross-cutting themes for which work is being undertaken include HIV/AIDS, gender issues and sustainable development. These key themes have emerged from discussions with the Mozambican Minister for Public Health, Dr. Paulo Ivo Garrido. Minister Garrido has also spoken in support of the geographical concentration on Tete Province. Official visit On 17 May 2006 the Mozambican Minister for Public Health, Dr. Paulo Ivo Garrido, paid an official visit to Flemish Minister Geert Bourgeois for talks about cooperation between Flanders and
Mozambique in the area of health and the fight against hiv/aids. Minister Garrido then visited the faculty of medicine at the University of Antwerp and the Prince Leopold Institute for Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, which is participating in a HIV/AIDS project in the province of Tete. Annual Consultation The first Annual Consultation between Flanders and Mozambique took place in Brussels on 29 and 30 May 2006. The Mozambican delegation was led by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Henrique Banze. The Flemish delegation was led by the Flemish Minister for Foreign Policy Geert Bourgeois. At this meeting an agreement was reached on the joint strategy memorandum for the 2006-2010 period . The strategy memorandum was approved by the Government of Flanders on 14 July.
Activity Report 2006 | 11
Introduction
MOZAMBIQUE
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Office in Maputo A full-time FICA representative monitors the cooperation with Mozambique. The office was inaugurated in September 2006.
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Tete Province Tete Province is located in central Mozambique. It covers an area of more than 100,000 km2 and has 1.5 million inhabitants (14 inhabitants/km2) Owing to the climate, the majority of the population live in the north and north-eastern part of the province. Economy. The province is divided into three agricultural areas: north, central and south. The north is quite productive and fertile, while the centre and south are less so and suffer from drought. Agriculture mainly consists of subsistence farming. The province has a strong tradition of cattle farming. Tete has huge coal reserves, which are exported. The province is also home to the Cahora Bassa dam, which produces 2,000 megawatts per year and supplies energy to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The dam was handed over to the Mozambicans by the Portuguese in late 2006. Poverty and welfare. Poverty in Mozambique fell from 69.4% in 1994 to 54.1% in 2003, but there are major regional differences. In Tete Province, 82.3% of the people living there are poor and 43.6% are considered to be desperately poor. The World Health Organisation classifies chronic malnutrition as an emergency situation. About half of all children aged under 4 are malnourished. Malnutrition is one of the most chief causes of death among children aged under 5. Hiv/Aids. The number of adult Mozambicans (15-49 years) infected with HIV rose from 8.2% in 1998 to 16.2% in 2004. Since the infection rate in the centrally situated Tete Province (26% in Tete City) is even higher than the national average, Flanders made a conscious decision several years ago to concentrate its cooperation on that province.
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Introduction
SOUTH-AFRICA
COOPERATION WITH SOUTH AFRICA South Africa was the first partner country in Flemish Development Cooperation. The cooperation has changed quite significantly since it got underway in 1994: from straightforward support for Flemish NGOs working in South Africa to direct cooperation with the South African authorities. Programmes Flanders initially lent support to a whole range of different projects. Financing is now focused on larger programmes. These cover longer periods and address a limited number of themes. They are also concentrated in three provinces: KwaZulu Natal, Free State and Limpopo, where they are integrated into the following national and provincial development programmes: • a five-year agriculture and food security programme (KwaZulu Natal) • a five-year programme focused on job creation and the development of small and micro-enterprises (Free State) • a programme on HIV/AIDS prevention among young people in rural areas (Free State). • a programme involving business management in agriculture (Limpopo) The programmes are guided by the provincial departments and are mainly focused on building capacity among the poorest population groups. The VAIS participates a great deal in project committees and commissions business plans and detailed baseline studies to measure the impact of projects both quantitatively and qualitatively. Long-term commitment The cooperation between Flanders and South Africa is multi-sectoral and is defined in a bilateral agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding and, specifically for development cooperation, a strategy memorandum which is updated on a regular basis. The 2005 - 2009 Strategy Memorandum is currently in force. Once every two years Flanders and South Africa meet in the context of a Joint Committee to discuss all areas of cooperation. This Committee drawn up an inventory of the activities during the past period and
Cotton plantation in KwaZulu Natal produces a plan for the next few years. An annual development cooperation meeting is held during the Annual Consultation. This broader perspective makes it possible to work on development cooperation in a wider context and in the longer term. Annual Consultation On 24 April 2006 the annual consultation with the project partners took place in Pretoria. During this Annual Consultation it was agreed that the VAIS would bring together the partners responsible for implementation of projects and programmes for a round-table discussion every six months. This is intended to improve networking, both between the provinces and between the programmes. At the same time, it should also improve the flow of information between them. In this way the partners can actively look for solutions to areas requiring attention on both sides.
Activity Report 2006 | 13
Introduction
SOUTH-AFRICA
Limpopo, KwaZulu Natal and Free State Limpopo is the most northern province of South Africa. It covers an area of 123,900 km2 and has 5,273,637 inhabitants. Since it borders Botswana in the west, Zimbabwe in the north and Mozambique in the east, it is also called the gateway to Africa. In recent years the economy has grown steadily, mainly thanks to the growth in agriculture, the electricity sector, tourism and the mining industry. Nevertheless, Limpopo is still one of the poorest regions in South Africa. It is a predominantly rural province, plagued by poverty, drought, and insufficient access to basic services. Its capital is Polokwane, formerly known as Pietersburg. KwaZulu Natal is the land of the Zulu nation, in the south-east of South Africa. This province covers an area of 92,100 km2. It has 9,426,019 inhabitants. Its capital is Pietermaritzburg. Also in KwaZulu Natal is Durban,
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the country’s largest port. Owing to the wide variety of climates and soils, this province has a huge agricultural potential. The main agricultural products are sugar, citrus fruit, maize, sorghum, cotton, timber and cattle. However, considerable efforts still have to made to optimise activities in large rural areas in a sustainable way, hence these areas still experiencing a great deal of poverty and food insecurity. The central province of Free State covers an area of 129,450 km2 and has 2,706,776 inhabitants. Its capital is Mangaung (Bloemfontein). Free State has extensive grasslands and arable fields. The main source of employment is (gold) mining, but high unemployment continues to cause problems for the province’s government.
Introduction
SOUTH-AFRICA
Limpopo
Pietermaritsburg : capital of KwaZulu Natal
Skyline of Bloemfontein (Freestate)
National Youth Day 2006 in a school in Mangaung (Freestate)
Projects in Morocco as well From 1999 to 2004 Morocco was also a partner country in Flemish development cooperation. Cooperation with Morocco has not been extended. The VAIS is, of course, continuing to follow up the projects that were started before 2004. In this case, considerable attention is paid to creating equal opportunities for women and children. Unmarried mothers, orphaned children and street children are crucial within this group. Flanders aims to raise social awareness of the right of women and children to participate in social life and gain access social facilities. The project also aims to highlight the importance of education, preventive health care and adopting a clear position on rights. Initiatives are therefore being supported to encourage the participation of women and children in literacy and training projects and allow them access to preventive health care.
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WORK IN THE SOUTH
Work in the South
Food security
FOOD SECURITY AS A PRIORITY Millennium Development Goal 1: the number of people living in extreme poverty should be halved in 2015 in comparison with 1990. That means: - halving the number of people who have to manage on less than a dollar a day. - halving the number of people who suffer from hunger. Fighting hunger and poverty is the main aim of all development cooperation. In fact, all areas make their own contribution towards achieving the first Millennium Development Goal. In 1990, more than 1.2 billion people were living in extreme poverty: they had an income of less than one dollar per day. What is more, 20% of the population of developing countries were malnourished. By 2015 that percentage should have been reduced to a maximum of 10%. To contribute towards this goal, Flanders has been focusing since 2005 specifically on programmes that support food security. dent on subsistence farming for their daily food. Donors and governments have not considered the agricultural sector as a high priority in recent years. Food production in Southern Africa is also hampered by soil deterioration, water shortages, inadequate farming techniques, weak infrastructure and trade barriers.
Progress has been made worldwide since 1990, both in terms of income and in terms of the daily quantity of food available. Nevertheless, there are still major regional differences throughout the world. Southern Africa: an area in crisis In Southern Africa, the number of people who suffer from hunger is increasing. A quarter of the world’s malnourished population live in Sub-Saharan Africa. One-third of the population in this region are chronically malnourished. Southern Africa has been affected by periods of major drought over several decades, leading to many failed harvests. What is more, HIV/AIDS is having a disastrous effect on the agricultural sector: the workforce and productivity are falling rapidly, particularly in rural areas where families are depen-
What is food security? According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), food security is present ‘when all people at all times have physical and economic access to an adequate supply of safe food of high nutritional quality, so that an active, healthy life is possible.’ Food security therefore comprises a number of different components: • availability of food: continuity must be ensured, both domestically and in the home. The crucial factors here are not only the level of agricultural production but also the quality of transport and market infrastructure. • access to food: the country and individual households must have enough income to buy food • reliable food quality: agricultural crops and diets must be free from disease, nutritionally balanced and sufficiently varied • food distribution and food composition: traditional nutritious ingredients are often replaced by very monotonous basic foodstuffs. What is more, owing to people’s poor general health they cannot take in enough nutrients
Activity Report 2006 | 17
Work in the South
Food security
and the distribution of food within households is unequal, often at the expense of women and young children. Unless all the conditions set out here are met, people will live in a permanently insecure, highrisk situation. Any minor setback - no rain or a sudden rise in food prices - can then lead to malnutrition.
ing: they produce just enough to meet their own needs, but do not produce any surpluses that can generate an income. A third group are the so-called ‘new farmers’, who have obtained farmland as a result of land reforms. They also usually produce too little, owing to a lack of knowledge, infrastructure and resources.
South Africa illustrates the global paradox that technical progress enables us to produce enough food, but people still suffer hunger in many parts of the world.
Investment in food security In KwaZulu Natal, Flanders invests directly in food security. Over a 5-year period, 7.5 million euros will be earmarked for the Empowerment for Food Security programme. The government of KwaZulu Natal will add a further 4.2 million euros to this. The aims of the food security programme are:
South African agriculture is integrated within the global economy: about one-third of agricultural production is exported. Alongside this well-developed commercial sector, a large number of households are involved in subsistence farm-
• to increase agricultural production • to improve access to the market and boost people’s buying power • to improve nutrient intake by raising awareness of high-quality, varied diets.
SOUTH AFRICA
Goats: food diversification 18 | Activity Report 2006
Work in the South
Food security
The idea is to increase the effectiveness of the programme by combining these various perspectives in an integrated way. The programme focuses on agricultural technology issues, and also on marketing, transport infrastructure, hygiene and food diversification. Problems in the household The main partner is the provincial department of Agriculture, assisted by the Departments of Education and Health. The programme is being implemented in collaboration with local municipal councils. This is necessary in order to bring the initiatives as close as possible to households, because the key problem in KwaZulu Natal is access to food at household level is unequally distributed: 35% of the population cannot count on access to a balanced, high-quality diet being constantly guaranteed. On the other hand, KwaZulu Natal has fertile soil, water and a favourable climate. In principle, agricultural output should suffice to feed everyone and export the surplus. Action plan per municipality The first phase of the programme has been started up in eight municipalities, spread across 4 districts. In 2006 t focus of the activities was on the organisational side. The operational team was formed, with programme managers for the northern and southern regions and a training coordinator. A steering committee was also set up to monitor the programme. This includes repre-
Unskilled farmers in Makhatini sentatives from the departments involved (Agriculture, Education and Health) within the VAIS. A baseline study has also been established. All the relevant data has been collected in every municipality: agricultural potential, income level, specific food problems etc. so as to measure progress and develop an action plan for each municipality which is geared to meet specific needs. Current projects The new food security programme is able to benefit from the insights and experiences reported from a number of earlier projects, which were still running or were completed in 2006. These projects restore traditional crops to the food chain, map potential land use with advanced GIS photography, set up agricultural information centres, support uneducated farmers in Makhatini and encourage the local population to handle land and water in sustainable ways.
Workshop baselinestudy Activity Report 2006 | 19
Work in the South
Food security
An income from traditional food In large parts of Southern Africa, the daily diet is inadequate and very monotonous: the nutritious traditional crops that people used to grow in their vegetable gardens have given way to monocultures which make agriculture vulnerable to pests and diseases, while children are malnourished owing to the lack of vitamins, minerals and proteins. At the same time, a great deal of knowledge about traditional foods has been lost. To create an inventory of traditional recipes and reassert their value, a competition was organised in which Mrs Dunywa won first prize. She received a kitchen container, kitchen equipment The opening of Mrs. Dunywa’s restaurant and tables and chairs: everything she needed to start up a traditional food restaurant in Ezinqoleni. Lack of electricity and water supplies threatened to put a spanner in the works, but at the end of October 2006 Mrs Dunywa - together with two employees - managed to serve her first meals. She now earns 400 Rand per day - a considerable sum, when you consider that a home help in the city earns about 100 Rand per day. Mrs Dunywa is also very proud of her little restaurant. She certainly wants to extend it as soon as the problems with water supply are solved.
MALAWI Partly due to the drought, Malawi faced the worst food crisis in its history in 2005-2006, only three years after the last period of drought. Five million people - 40% of the population - needed food aid in order to survive. As a result Malawians were reduced to eating just one meal a day or even less. Research has shown, however, that most rural households do not manage to produce enough basic food even in a normal year. At the United Nations General Assembly in September 2006, President Bingu wa Mutharika declared that the fight against poverty must focus on food security and agriculture. Cooperation initiatives between Flanders and Malawi will therefore be developed in this sector. Food security in Malawi is currently being addressed in various different ways. Malawi is striving to build an integrated, coherent approach and is about to elaborate its own Food Security and Nutrition programme. Malawian government departments, however, are struggling with a dire capacity shortage. Building ca20 | Activity Report 2006
pacity will therefore be an important component of the Flemish-Malawian initiatives. Building Flemish support After exploratory visits during 2006, the Government of Flanders decided to help to support food security and agriculture in Malawi. Building capacity Malawi wishes to adopt a comprehensive approach to the lack of capacity within its government departments. This capacity-building effort must be accompanied by work to ensure food
Work in the South
Food security
security. Flanders has therefore been asked whether it can ensure that a Food Security and Nutrition expert is recruited. This person would be able to streamline and coordinate all activities in relation to food and food security. He or she could simultaneously also ensure that links are maintained between the government, donors and society. Encouraging food production Flanders intends to cooperate with the World Food Organisation (WFO) and the Malawian Ministry of Agriculture in 2007. Its aims are: to strengthen local farmers’ organisations, increase food production by local communities, diversify production by providing small-scale irrigation, and encourage initiatives that generate additional income for households. The project will also include nutritional education. The project will be worked out in detail in 2007. Irrigation in Khomdedza
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Work in the South
THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS
THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS Millennium Development Goal 6: By 2015 the spread of diseases such as AIDS and malaria will have been halted. Since the first clinical evidence of HIV/AIDS was reported 25 years ago, this disease has killed more than 25 million people and infected more than 65 million throughout the world. There are currently about 40 million people in the world living with the virus. It weakens the immune system, making people more vulnerable to infections. Africa - and above all Sub-Saharan Africa - is worst affected of all: the region has 25 million people infected with HIV and 15 million AIDS orphans. In large parts of developing countries, most infections occur among younger people, particularly young women and girls. Of the 850,000 people aged 15 and over in Sub-Saharan Africa who are infected with the virus, 500,000 are female, or almost 60% (UNAIDS figures, May 2006). The feminisation of this epidemic in Southern Africa is one of the greatest challenges in the fight against the virus. COOPERATION BETWEEN FLANDERS AND UNAIDS The global struggle against HIV/AIDS has been a multi-sectoral priority for Flemish development cooperation since 2002. Specific policy priorities include focusing on an effective and efficient prevention policy and on specific problems among children, young people and women. Geographically, the emphasis is on Southern Africa, which is the epicentre of the global AIDS epidemic: in 2006 this region accounted for 32% of all HIV infections and 34% of all AIDS deaths.
Cooperation agreement In 2006 Flanders concluded a cooperation agreement with UNAIDS offering a policy framework for future structural cooperation between Flanders and UNAIDS. The geographical focus here is on Southern Africa, specifically the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, which is the regional cooperation framework involving fourteen countries in Southern Africa. Campaigns are being set up to address a number of key aims: • to deal with the HIV epidemic, including prevention and the impact on people, communities and socio-economic development in Southern Africa • to develop programmes that will benefit women, female adolescents and children • to encourage political leadership, at the highest level • to integrate the struggle against HIV/AIDS in development planning and programming • to encourage cooperation with the private sector • to identify cooperation activities such as joint research projects • to mobilise extra resources for the fight against HIV/ AIDS in the SADC region.
Flanders minister Geert Bourgeois and UNAIDS director Peter Piot sign the Cooperation Agreement on November 22, 2006. 22 | Activity Report 2006
Flemish support for three results areas. In the cooperation agreement, the regional emphasis is
Work in the South
THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS
on the SADC countries. In terms of content, a lot of attention is being paid to prevention, children affected by HIV/AIDS and the feminisation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, particularly in Malawi and Mozambique. In its two-year work and budget plan, UNAIDS is focusing on sixteen results areas. Flanders is making a contribution of 3 million euros. This support covers the period from 2006 to 2009 and is intended for activities in three results areas: • results area 6: HIV prevention programmes (focus on SADC countries) • results area 8: children affected by HIV and AIDS (focus on SADC countries) • results area 7: women and adolescent girls (Malawi and Mozambique). SADC countries: prevention In the fight against HIV/AIDS, investment in the past has mainly focused on treatment. More recently the emphasis has been on an integrated approach, paying attention to prevention as well as treatment. The importance of prevention is being clearly seen! It is urgently needed. At least 60% of young people have not had any HIV education. What is more, only 1 out of 5 people have access to prevention services. UNAIDS therefore announced in June 2005 it was once again placing prevention high on the agenda. The organisation is doing this by:
SADC countries: children and HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS is also taking a heavier toll among children, both directly and indirectly. Every year 600,000 babies contract the disease; the majority die before they are five years old. In SubSaharan Africa, an expected 18 million children will have lost one or both parents to the disease by 2010. Millions of children are already living in households where multiple family members are affected by the disease. Girls in particular are forced to leave school early as a result. UNAIDS wants to develop and implement national strategies in all severely affected countries so as to support orphans and other children affected by HIV/AIDS. UNAIDS also seeks to guarantee those children a right to education and protect them against abuse. The organisation is therefore working with others including UNICEF.
• continuing to fight for prevention to be dealt with as a priority in all its services • involving people living with the disease in prevention policy-making • continuing to emphasise the use of condoms as a means of preventing HIV infection • offering more young people access to information and the use of condoms • reinforcing gender-sensitive integrated prevention programmes • making efforts on the shop floor, paying extra attention to more vulnerable groups, such as girls and young women.
Activity Report 2006 | 23
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THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS
Malawi and Mozambique: women and adolescent girls Malawi: acute need Malawi has an HIV prevalence of 14.1%, placing Malawi among the leading countries both worldwide and even in Sub-Saharan Africa. The infection rate is more than twice as high as the average in Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to children, women and adolescent girls are the most vulnerable group. They are often victims twice over: physically they run a greater risk of infection, and due to their low social status they have to cope with a lot of prejudice. Increasing awareness and providing information are not enough: women and young girls have a right to an efficient prevention policy that will eliminate their social, economic and legal disadvantages and help to ‘empower’ them. Largescale, integrated national initiatives are needed in order to achieve this. National action plan.
The project on Enhancing community and national capacity to effectively address vulnerabilities of women and girls to HIV and AIDS is aimed at women and adolescent girls in Malawi. It seeks to develop and implement a national HIV/AIDS action plan for women and girls. To that end there will be close collaboration with the National AIDS Commission, the Ministry for Gender Issues, Child Welfare and Social Development, the Districts and non-governmental organisations. 24 | Activity Report 2006
Once the project has ended, these bodies must be able to implement the national action plan themselves. They have to be able to recognise and combat the risks and hazardous practices to which women and girls are exposed. This should make them less vulnerable to infection and allow them easier access to health services, socio-economic assistance and the legal system. Mozambique: multi-sectoral strategy In 2004 the Government of Flanders had approved a UNAIDS project aimed at dealing with the growing feminisation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Mozambique. With Flemish support, UNAIDS - in collaboration with the Mozambican government and with the support of a number of UN actors - is aiming to draw up a multi-sectoral action plan. This aims to work out a strategy to make women and girls less vulnerable. In November 2005 a Letter of Agreement was signed between UNAIDS and the UN Population Fund (UNPA), the executive agency. An annual plan was drawn up with all the bodies involved: The UN agencies UNFPA, WHO and FAO, the National AIDS Council (CNCS), the Ministry for Women and Social Action and NGOs. In May 2006 the project was officially started up in Tete Province. Seventy people from various organisations were given gender training so that they could help to gather and analyse gender-specific data to estimate the progress of the epidemic. Work also began on a national media campaign. A study has listed the biggest gaps in the current approach to HIV/AIDS. This study will provide material for the multi-sectoral national action plan. SPECIFIC PROGRAMMES IN SOUTH AFRICA The prevalence of HIV among adults has not yet stabilised in South Africa. The infection rate is currently still rising among pregnant women. The epidemic chiefly affects young women and girls. A large proportion of South Africans do not believe that they are at risk of becoming infected with HIV. As a result, two million South Africans are unaware they are infected. An estimated 20
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THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS
attention is paid to young people, who are the largest risk group for HIV/AIDS. In 2004 a parallel VCT project for Limpopo was approved, for a total of 800,000 euros. This amount was paid to a project for Home Community Based Care (HCBC), which is seeking innovative and sustainable methods of home care in order to look after sick and dying people. The VCT projects in Free State and Limpopo will an end in 2007. Orphans and vulnerable children A project for KwaZulu Natal was set up in 2004 (500,000 euros) focusing on Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC). Orphans and vulnerable children are the main victims of this pandemic. Under the project, community houses are built for these children and a care system is implemented for their benefit. Free State: Youth and Community Wellness
percent of the population aged between 15 and 49 are infected. One in four sexually active young people aged 15 to 25, is infected with HIV/AIDS. 2,000 people are infected every day. The virus is spreading most rapidly among teenagers, aged 15 to 19. Current projects VCT projects Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) is the most important lever for promoting HIV prevention and treatment. For every ten people who attend a VCT session, one infection is prevented. The Government of Flanders has therefore already approved an initial VCT project for the Free State Province, worth 600,000 euros. This project is intended to encourage people to be tested and accept medical support and counselling. It is intended to improve access to and the uptake of high-quality VCT, particularly in rural areas. Special
Experiences and insights from the aforementioned projects - particularly the VCT projects - are being reflrected in the new HIV/AIDS programme, which will run from 2007-2011 in Xhariep (Free State). VAIS set out this programme in 2006. The Youth and Community Wellness Programme makes 3.750 million euros available to equip the Xhariep District in Free State Province to fight the destructive economic, social and psychological effects of HIV/AIDS. Xhariep is a very remote rural district , where basic facilities, donor aid and government initiatives are very scarce. The programme is specifically aimed at young people aged 10 to 24. It focuses not only on HIV awareness, education and vocational training, but also on sport and culture: the aim is to build up a general good quality of life in the region so that young people have prospects to look forward to and become more resilient. The aims of the programme are: • developing care and support programmes • training in life skills and capacity-building • supporting health services and making them acces- sible to young people Activity Report 2006 | 25
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• providing a support infrastructure for schools, particularly in terms of hygiene, drinking water and sanitation. The programme aims to improve, expand and integrate existing initiatives. At the same time it seeks to fill gaps by developing new campaigns. By taking on a coordinating role, the programme seeks to go beyond typical one-off donor activities. This is also the reason why it is building on existing government initiatives. The key provincial government departments involved are the department of Education, the department of Public Health and the department of Social Affairs. Young people are approached within the programme via the wider socio-economic context in which they live. School students and non-students, and also their teachers, parents and the community, are directly involved. Prevention, care and support should be provided via the schools: 26 | Activity Report 2006
the one hundred or so schools in this district are being incorporated into the programme. Health services are also involved and a direct approach is being made to communities. This is absolutely vital: because young people (mainly girls) who have left school early, school drop-outs, are an key target group.
SPECIFIC PROGRAMMES IN MOZAMBIQUE HIV prevalence is rising dramatically in Mozambique. The epidemic is spreading most rapidly in provinces linked by the road network with the neighbouring countries Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The battle against HIV/AIDS is still a top priority for the Government of Mozambique. In particular, general access to antiretroviral therapy for people infected with HIV is now high on the agenda. The Ministry for Public Health (Ministério de Saúde, MISAU) is seeking to expand HIV/AIDS
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care provision more rapidly into all parts of the country. In order to achieve this the Mozambican government is still dependent on international financing and partnerships with non-governmental organisations. The support from the Government of Flanders is therefore still relevant. Integrated network in Tete Province In 2003 the Government of Flanders decided to spend 4.6 million euros on a project to consolidate HIV/AIDS services in Tete Province in Mozambique and ensure that they work together in an integrated way. This is intended to take the strain off the provincial hospital in Tete, which has been overwhelmed with HIV/AIDS patients. A network has been set up around the hospital to receive patients, diagnose them and treat them. At the same time work is also being done on prevention. Three agencies Three agencies have been financed with Flemish support, for a period of three years: Doctors without Borders-Luxemburg, the Institute for Tropical Diseases in Antwerp and the International Centre for Reproductive Health of the University of Ghent. This project was intended to improve HIV/AIDS services in Tete city and Moatize district, in the context of the ‘integrated network’ model developed recently by the Mozambican Ministry of Health (MISAU). In this model, a combination of both preventive and curative HIV/AIDS services are provided via public sector health care structures.
a project completed on this scale has been evaluated so comprehensively. The post-evaluation recommendation was that the Government of Flanders and the three executive agencies should ideally continue to support the project. Results The project was assessed as being very effective and efficient. Most activities were carried out as planned and at a reasonable cost. They also achieved a very high quality of services. The project therefore achieved some very significant results. • There is an increase in: - the capacity of the provincial hospital in Tete to diagnose and treat AIDS-related pathologies correctly. - the number of people receiving outpatient HIV/AIDS care - the number of pregnant women and their children benefiting from efforts to prevent vertical transmission from mother to child - the number of people seeking VCT services • the quality of SOA assistance has been improved; more pregnant women are being tested for syphilis. • high-risk groups are receiving easier access to highquality sexual health services • progress has been made in the area of biosecurity. The positive effects of the programme are clearly illustrated by the data shown below. Both the number of consultations and those starting suitable treatment are increasing steadily, and the rate of growth started accelerating in 2004.
This project has been run in partnership with provincial health care services and was set up in February 2004. Comprehensive evaluation At the end of 2006 an external, independent evaluation of the project was carried out by Health Research for Action (HERA). This is the first time Activity Report 2006 | 27
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Number of people consulting HIV/AIDS services in Tete and Moatize, 2003-2006 2003
2004
2005
2006 (until June)
Number of people consulting outpatient services each month
1116
1580
3348
3601
Number of new monthly consultations
163
198
436
392
Number of people starting antiretroviral treatment each month
12
43
94
92
Number of people receiving anti-retroviral treatment
132
652
1508
1898
Source: MSF-L summary of the most important statistics (per year) Number of people benefiting from “Prevention of vertical mother-to-child transmission� (PMTCT) services in Tete and Moatize, 2003-2006 2003
2004
2005
2006 (until July)
Number of pregnant women counselled and tested each month
237
482
702
799
% of prenatal clients counselled and tested
60%
73%
77%
84%
32
60
74
124
85%
87%
85%
100%
Number of newborn children of HIV+ pregnant women given PMTCT each month at birth
13
34
57
78
Estimated % of women starting on PMTCT whose newborn children receive PMTCT at birth
(85%?)
48%
35%
(32%?)
Number of HIV+ pregnant women starting PMTCT each month % of HIV+ pregnant women starting PMTCT each month
Source: MSF-L summary of the most important statistics (per year) Points of attention Nevertheless, not all the anticipated results have been achieved. The clinical and diagnostic capacity of the provincial hospital is still too small. The aim of encouraging research initiatives by hospital doctors has turned out to be unfeasible. Laboratory capacity at health centres is below the projected level. The project has not managed to provide antiretroviral therapy to more health care personnel. Monitoring of pregnant women and their children after initial HIV screening could be better, and the aim of developing high-quality secondary SOA services for the provincial hospital has not been achieved.
28 | Activity Report 2006
Recommendations The HERA external evaluator recommends that the project should be continued, but the design, organisational structure and management of the project should be adjusted. Provincial health services and MISAU should be more closely involved in the planning and management of the project. More attention should be paid to reinforcing policy capacity among provincial health care services and other local actors. At the end of 2006 Minister Bourgeois gave the amber light to the continuation of the project and to taking account of the report recommendations.
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HEALTH CARE Millennium Development Goal 4: to reduce infant mortality: - to reduce the mortality rate among children under five years old by two-thirds. Millennium Development Goal 5: reduce maternal mortality: - to reduce the number of cases of maternal mortality by three-quarters. Millennium Development Goal 6: to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases by 2015: - to stop and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS - to stop and reverse cases of malaria and other diseases.
The link between poverty and health is obvious. The poorest people are least able to protect themselves against illness, they run the greatest risk of becoming sick and they usually do not have the resources to obtain proper treatment and care. Poor countries are not usually sufficiently
capable of offering proper health care services to their citizens. Mozambique, for example, has 700 doctors for 18 million inhabitants, which is 1 doctor per 25,750 inhabitants. By way of comparison: in Belgium the figure is 1 doctor per 240 inhabitants.
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The battle against HIV/AIDS cannot be separated from the concern for public health. This is why Flanders is also investing in basic health care and the wider health care sector. In addition to HIV/ AIDS the people of Africa are also facing other at least equally life-threatening diseases such as malaria and TB. Mortality figures, and particularly infant mortality, are also high. The continuing development of facilities, training of health workers and increasing access to these facilities is therefore not only necessary in order to combat HIV/AIDS. This is an absolute precondition in order to improve people’s quality of life. BASIC HEALTH CARE IN MOZAMBIQUE
Pursuant to an agreement with the Mozambican government cooperation with Mozambique in the health care sector is, concentrated in the centrally situated Tete Province. The population here does not have sufficient access to the basic health care they need to survive. The infrastructure is inadequate, there are insufficient opportunities for correct diagnosis and treatment everywhere, there is a shortage of personnel, particularly in remote areas, the available funds are limited and the available equipment is ineffective. The most common diseases in the province are malaria, diarrhoea, HIV/AIDS and acute respiratory tract infections.
30 | Activity Report 2006
Expanding capacity New projects have therefore been financed in 2006 to reinforce basic health care and expand the health care network. With support from Flanders, a district hospital and a number of additional health centres have been built. To address the dire shortage of well-trained health care personnel, a new human resources project started up in 2006. The aim is to offer inservice training to existing personnel and make them more motivated. Budget support Flanders is also continuing to participate in the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) for public health. Flanders and fifteen other donors make a financial contribution to a common fund every year. In 2006 the Government of Flanders set aside 2 million euros for this purpose. This fund contributes towards the budget of the Mozambican Ministry of Public Health, which uses the money to implement its annual operational plans. These plans are drawn up in consultation with all the donors involved. This sector-wide approach has been found to be effective: donors are able to make recommendations on national health policy, and thanks to donor coordination, the Mozambican government’s administrative burden and red tape is reduced.
Work in the South
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Millennium Development Goal 8: to work on a global partnership for development Targets: - to focus on the specific needs of the least developed countries - to develop open, honest commercial and financial systems - to work out solutions for the debt burdens of developing countries - to develop and implement employment strategies for young people - to work in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies to give developing countries access to affordable medicines - to make new technologies available to developing countries, particularly information and communication technology. The economic climate in any country is an important factor or its development. A positive climate encourages people to start businesses and create paid jobs. Flanders aims to contribute to the growth of the economy in its partner countries. We do this through offering help and advice, by providing better opportunities for trade and by helping local businesses to export their products to the North. A wide range of tools, activities and cooperation frameworks are used to achieve this. We make efforts to build all these activities into a holistic approach. Businesses and small businesses must be given the chance to develop, expand their knowledge and skills and offer their products and services in foreign markets. Our actions are aimed at supporting and encouraging the various segments in this continuum in an integrated way.
SPECIFIC PROGRAMMES IN SOUTH AFRICA Limpopo: Support for new farmers Since the abolition of apartheid, significant progress has been made in South Africa with the redistribution of land. A new group of farmers has emerged, who are known as ‘emerging farmers’. In Limpopo efforts are being made to support these ‘new farmers’, who have agricultural land but can barely manage to build up a commercially viable business.
Young merchant praises his trade
Building capacity The programme supported by Flanders is aiming to do something about this: by working to build capacity, it seeks to raise the new farmers above the level of subsistence farming. The focus of the programme is not so much on technical agricultural knowledge, since the provincial Department
of Agriculture has already invested quite a lot in this. The key areas of knowledge are therefore business management, marketing, commerce and financial management. The whole production chain for the various crops is screened in order to achieve better results. This is intended to yield a higher income and better job security, while imActivity Report 2006 | 31
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proving general living conditions in the countryside. The programme is aimed not only at new farmers, but also at the small-scale processing agricultural industry and small-scale suppliers: seed suppliers, small businesses supplying irrigation infrastructure etc. Agritourism In 2006 t focus was mainly on the agritourism part of the programme. A cooperation framework was set up for this purpose between the department of Agriculture and the University of Witwatersrand/Johannesburg. The agritourism component is focused on Hamakuya district, a very poor area in the former Venda homeland. The aim is to create jobs by developing agritourism and educational tourism for schools. A successful trial project involving American students has already been set up. Efforts are now being made using Flemish resources to flesh this out for South African schools and tourists.
The new market in Mangaung (Freestate) 32 | Activity Report 2006
Free State: opportunities for small businesses Free State Province is struggling with massive unemployment. This encourages many people to try their hand at being entrepreneurs. A large number of micro-businesses have therefore emerged in the region. Many promising initiatives fail, however, or they become trapped in the informal sector because the business managers do not have the necessary skills and support. The provincial government wants to do something about this: through training, advice and mentoring they want to professionalise these informal businesses. At four locations in Free State the government is seeking to set up business support centres to provide services and advice to Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises or SMMEs. Services extended At the end of 2005 the Government of Flanders rubber-stamped two programmes for Free State, worth a total of 7.5 million euros during the 2005 to 2009 period. The programme for
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SMMEs forms part of South African investment in business centres via the Small Enterprises Development Agency (SEDA), a recently formed semi-governmental organisation. SEDA focuses on drawing up business plans and also provides financial support via the banks. Thanks to Flemish support, the services offered by these business centres are being expanded. This is taking place in three areas: • coordination of training courses and setting up mentoring schemes • ongoing analysis of the market to ensure that the supply is more consistent with the demand • employment mediation and follow-up on the shop floor. Responding to new needs In 2006 all the preparatory steps were taken to put this project on a firm footing. The University of Free State is currently working on a baseline inventory. This should collect all the relevant economic and social indicators in connection with target group policy, local needs, opportunities for municipal investment, market breadth etc. This is because the aim is to optimise flows of information between all the actors involved, to make it possible to respond more effectively and more quickly to current needs in the labour market. Incorporated into a wider network The local team has now been put together that will be operating in the four locations. The Free State First Minister’ cabinet , which is the leading Department in this programme, has appointed a programme director. Negotiations are taking place to link the programme to the social investment plan of a major South African private banking institution, as a result of which the Flemish added value - three laboratory jobs in Free State - would immediately be included in a national network of active business centres. The programme has also received support in 2006 from a number of key strategic partners,
which is vital for continuity. The municipal administrations in the four locations have again confirmed their support. Harmony Gold, the fourth largest gold producer in the world and, despite the recent mining industry reform, still the largest employer in Welkom, is working hard to harmonise its social investment programme with the Free State-Flanders programme. No less than 350 local companies are involved in publicising the programme in Welkom, one of the four locations - which is demonstrating that it meets a real need. The SMME programme is a model example of a public-private partnership. Tourism The SMME programme is further enhanced via experiences from an earlier project aimed at encouraging the development of tourism, one of the key pillars of the South African economy. The Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park (KwaZulu Natal) is a protected nature conservation area with very fertile ‘swart turf’ soil in an impoverished and infertile rural area. To offer the population alternatives to agriculture, training has been available since 2005 for hotel personnel, nature and culture guides and kitchen assistants. Work is also being undertaken on establishing standards for the tourism sector throughout the region. The approach and process that have been developed through this relatively small-scale project and the experiences with its implementation serve as models for the identification and formulation of the SMME programme, with its larger budget.
SUSTAINABLE COFFEE INDUSTRY FORMATION OF THE “4C ASSOCIATION” In the debate on sustainable enterprise and sustainable trade, the production and marketing of coffee - the most exported agricultural product in the world - has become a symbolic example. Each year 7 million tonnes are harvested by more than 70 countries, mostly developing countries. Many of those countries are highly dependent on coffee. Due to overproduction and speculation, Activity Report 2006 | 33
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prices fell spectacularly in the 1990s, with disastrous consequences for millions of small-scale farmers. Sustainability code The market has now more or less recovered. To prevent a repetition of the coffee crisis, however, coffee producers, traders and industry, governments and NGOs have been consulting together since 2004 to work out a code of conduct to promote the principles of sustainability and fair trade: the Common Code for the Coffee Community, or the 4C. 4C is a code of conduct with standards for sustainable production, processing and marketing of ‘green’ coffee. The code considers both environmental, social and economic values. Eventually 100% of the coffee market should be able to meet the minimum standards set out in the code of conduct. 4C seeks to bring about a dynamic process of improvement in coffee production and for producers who wish to do so, it also provides a link to responsible coffee labels such as the Fair Trade Label Max Havelaar, and also newer initiatives such as Utz Kapeh and Rainforest Alliance. While certified sustainable coffee currently has only a limited market, efforts such as 4C, that span the whole sector, are more than welcome. Flanders recognises the complementary nature of these various initiatives and, alongside the role of the specific fair trade labels, it also acknowledges the importance of initiatives to ensure mainstream coffee is produced under more sustainable conditions.
4C Association This practical trial was such a success that in late 2006 4C was transformed into an independent organisation: the 4C Association. The 4C Association brings together all the relevant actors in the coffee sector with a single shared aim: to work constantly on improving living and working conditions for coffee producers and workers, rural communities, trade and industry and the environment. The VAIS is a founding member of the 4C Association. A GUARANTEE FUND FOR MICRO-FINANCING. In 2006 the Nobel Peace Price was awarded to Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank, who laid the foundations for micro-financing. Micro-financing is the collective term for small-scale loans, insurance policies and savings arrangements that can help poor people in the South to escape from the vicious circle of poverty. Small start-up loans Many poor people in the South are enterprising enough to roll up their sleeves: they collect tins or used tyres, sell hand-made kitchen utensils, set up a stall etc. Usually they cannot get the start-up loan that they need for these small-scale activities - at least not from traditional banks. Micro-financing has filled this gap. Local micro-
The Government of Flanders, therefore, together with the German Development Cooperation (GTZ), EFICO Foundation and the Federation of Columbian Coffee Growers (FNC), set up a comprehensive practical trial for 4C in Colombia in 2005. For the Flemish Development Cooperation, this was the first step towards public-private cooperation (PPC). Local trade in Malawi 34 | Activity Report 2006
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financing institutions usually provide very small loans (microcredits) which can be repaid in instalments. Mostly women The effect of micro-financing on poorer sections of society is considerable. Thanks to micro-financing, local farmers, female market traders and adolescents have the opportunity to start a business or a sole tradership. Micro-financing is mainly used by women. Micro-financing therefore has a favourable effect on the status of women in society. Risk management
sidy with which it can reimburse the Flemish development funds if anything goes wrong. Two funds recognised The Flemish development funds Incofin and Alterfin have now been recognised. This enables them to submit guarantee provision proposals to the VAIS. The first guarantee application from Alterfin has already been approved. In Togo – which is in 147th place on the Human Development Index and belongs to the group of least developed countries, Alterfin has set up the micro-financing fund called Timpac. First guarantee provided Timpac is an NGO working in the very poorest rural areas of Togo, exclusively with small groups of women. Timpac offers them loans to allow them to start up their own businesses: production of maize, rice, sorghum, groundnuts and soya, breeding piglets, poultry and small grazing stock, sale of finished or processed agricultural products etc. Timpac currently has more than 9,000 customers and the average loan is for ₏98. Timpac also organises training activities and has set up a literacy programme. EX-CHANGE: DIRECT KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
Restaurant in Malawi Specialist development funds in the North try to provide micro-financing institutions in the South with as many resources as possible. Without development funds, micro-financing institutions in the South could not function, because they cannot secure enough money in their own country at normal rates. These development funds are exposed to political and commercial risks. The Flemish development funds therefore sought support with risk management.
Micro-financing gives small start-up businesses the financial boost they desperately need. If the company continues to grow and is considering exporting, local entrepreneurs need a lot of knowledge: about marketing, innovative or more efficient production methods, subsidies, the regulations governing imports and exports etc. Flemish experts have what is needed to help them - because they have previously managed SMEs themselves, for example and are now willing to share their knowledge and experience with colleagues in developing countries.
The Government of Flanders has to this request and in early 2006 the Flemish Guarantee Fund was created. This fund receives an annual subActivity Report 2006 | 35
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Secondment platform These experts have joined together to form the non-profit association Ex-Change vzw, a secondment platform for business leaders and other experts who allow themselves to be seconded to the South on a voluntary, temporary basis. There they use executive training and pathway guidance in an attempt to create a positive climate for enterprise. Ex-Change is subsidised by the Government of Flanders. In this way Flanders is contributing towards the development of local enterprises and the growth of local employment. HELPDESK SUPPORTS IMPORTS FROM THE SOUTH The Government of Flanders wants to help businesses from Southern Africa - South Africa, Mozambique and Malawi – to gain access to the Flemish and European market. To that end it has set up the Helpdesk Import Flanders. The focus is mainly on local SMEs, because they are able to provide stable jobs and long-term prosperity.
Cashew processing plant in Mozambique 36 | Activity Report 2006
Training sessions Unizo has been selected to create the helpdesk. Unizo will set up a network of contact points in the three countries. A team of specialists is being formed and trained for each country and for each province in South Africa. They must in turn use training sessions for local SMEs to distribute their knowledge and skills. They will also help enterprises with their export activities. For the first year of activity the Government of Flanders is allocating support to the tune of about 300,000 euros. An evaluation will take place in late 2007 and the Government of Flanders will decide how the helpdesk services can be rolled out further.
Work in the South
HUMANITARIAN AID
HUMANITARIAN AID Countries which are affected by disasters, wars or epidemics should not be left to their fate. As soon as a crisis situation arises anywhere in the world, the Government of Flanders may make a decision to offer help. This financial support is then passed on to experienced NGOs or UN organisations that can deliver emergency aid to the affected area. The VAIS then provides a practical follow-up to this emergency aid. Humanitarian campaigns are ideally implemented by experienced organisations so that operations are guaranteed to be as effective as possible. Every proposal is assessed on the basis of quality criteria. The initiative must comply with basic human rights and must not discriminate against anyone. The aid must be effective and efficient, benefit the local population and refugees directly and be provided free of charge. Finally, the initiative must help to improve the local situation after the disaster in a lasting way. GLOBAL OVERVIEW BY REGION In 2006 the Government of Flanders allocated 1,609,000 euros to various aid campaigns by Flemish and international organisations. 1,109,000 euros of this total was spent via Flemish NGOs on 11 different projects. Most of the initiatives were for Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories (Middle East): in 2006 this region accounted for 30% of all Flemish humanitarian aid. Multilateral organisations (UN) received half a million euros for 4 projects.
EMERGENCY AID TO CONGO AND THE MIDDLE EAST Congo The violence of war gives rise to acute emergency situations and can exacerbate existing structural problems. This is the case in the eastern border areas of Congo. Easily preventable diseases are resulting in early deaths there owing to poverty, malnutrition and a lack of care and transport facilities. The same applies to straightforward medical practices, such as delivering babies and treating wounds inflicted by gangs, armies and militias. The mortality rate of the population in Eastern Congo is 40% higher than in comparable regions on average. The Government of Flanders has supported operation to distribute basic neces-
sities, such as clothing, soap, household goods and blankets, to provide existing medical centres with extra medicines and medical equipment and to distribute cholera treatment kits. Middle East In the Palestinian Territories and also in Lebanon, renewed hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah claimed a large number of lives during the summer. A large proportion of the public infrastructure, including health care, was destroyed. The shortage of basic health care services became acute. The Government of Flanders supported a number of operation in these regions, both by Flemish NGOs and by UN organisations.
Activity Report 2006 | 37
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FLOODS IN SURINAME AND ROMANIA
DROUGHT IN KENYA AND FOOD AID FOR ZAMBIA
Romania In Central and Eastern Europe a combination of heavy rainfall and a sudden snow thaw caused rivers in parts of Germany, Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania to burst their banks. In western and south-western Romania, the districts of Dolj, Gorj, Mehedinti and Olt were affected and the government announced the highest level of emergency. More than 11,000 people were evacuated. Thanks to the support of the Government of Flanders, family tents, dispensary tents and cooking sets were purchased for the victims in the most severely affected regions.
Kenya In Kenya 3.5 million people are suffering severely from continuing drought. Cattle herds have been almost completely destroyed, future food supplies are under threat and thousands of people have died of starvation. This prompted the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to set up a special food aid programme for this country: Food Assistance to Drought-Affected People. The financial support from the Government of Flanders was used to purchase and distribute 387,000 tonnes of maize.
Suriname
Some time later, heavy tropical rains caused severe flooding in inland areas of Suriname. The hinterland inhabitants , mainly Indians and Maroons, had to flee from their homes. Some 175 villages were affected and 25,000 people lost everything they owned. Homes, schools and farmland were completely destroyed. This had a disastrous impact. Since many inhabitants are completely dependent on their own agricultural activities and inadequate reserves are available, there was also a threat of famine in the hinterland. The Government of Flanders provided 100,000 euros in emergency aid. The VAIS contacted the United Nations Development Programme so that the Flemish support could quickly be used to help the affected villages. 38 | Activity Report 2006
Zambia As a result of drought accompanied by a lack of resources led World Food Programme (WFP) set up a food aid programme in Zambia. Since the 1970s Zambia, which is one of the poorest countries in the world, has been receiving people fleeing from wars in Congo or Angola. These 80,000 or so refugees are completely dependent on food aid. When funds were depleted, the WFP had to halve their food rations in January 2006. This could have resulted in malnutrition, stunted growth in children and even deaths from starvation in the refugee camps. The organisation therefore appealed to donors. The Government of Flanders provided 150,000 euros. The WFP has used these funds to purchase food packs through a local purchasing programme, which simultaneously encourages local small-scale production and raises the agricultural infrastructure to a higher level.
Work in the South
HUMANITARIAN AID
Overview of humanitarian aid in 2006 Organisation
Country
General aim
Amount of subsidy
OXFAM-SOLIDARITEIT VZW
Algeria
Oxfam aims to provide new tents to 3,500 families who became homeless as a result of very heavy rainfall in February 2006.
50,000.00
MEMISA-BELGIUM
CongoKinshasa
Reducing sickness and mortality among displaced people
150,000.00
MEMISA-BELGIUM
CongoKinshasa
Remedying the insecure living conditions facing a large proportion of the population in Eastern Congo and helping to bring about lasting peace in the region.
100,000.00
RED CROSS - FLANDERS INTERNATIONAL (nonprofit assoc.)
Ethiopia
Improving the food security situation for 63,000 people in the regions of Somalia and Oromia that have been affected by drought.
150,000.00
RED CROSS - FLANDERS INTERNATIONAL (nonprofit assoc.)
Indonesia
Supporting people who were affected by the earthquake on 26 May 2006.
149,856.00
UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME
Kenya
Immediate expansion of food and other emergency aid to ensure that the existing humanitarian crisis does not become any worse
150,000.00
BELGIAN COMMITTEE FOR UNICEF
Lebanon
Prevention of epidemics among the refugee population.
100,000.00
CARITAS INTERNATIONAL
Lebanon
Guaranteeing basic health care for medication-dependent patients
27,727.00
OXFAM-SOLIDARITY (non- Palestine profit assoc.)
Giving the population in the Palestinian Occupied Territories access to basic health care and highquality crisis response by supporting the ambulance services run by the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS)
149,418.75
FOS-SOCIALIST SOLIDARITY
Palestine
Helping to fight the consequences of unemployment and poverty in the Palestinian territories (Gaza and the West Bank).
149,993.00
RED CROSS - FLANDERS INTERNATIONAL (nonprofit assoc.)
Romania
Meeting the basic hygiene and housing needs of the population affected by flooding.
80,000.00
OXFAM-SOLIDARITY (non- Somalia profit assoc.)
Saving human lives and alleviating the needs of 6,000 families in the most vulnerable communities.
102,005.00
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Suriname
Supporting the population affected by flooding in the interior of Suriname.
100,000.00
UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME
Zambia
Continuing a successful food distribution programme to help refugees from Congo and Angola.
150,000.00
Activity Report 2006 | 39
Work in the North
WORK IN THE NORTH
40 | Activity Report 2006
Work in the North
RAISING AWARENESS THROUGH THE MEDIA
RAISING AWARENESS THROUGH THE MEDIA The media pays relatively little attention to developments in the South. If there is any reporting at all in this area, the stories are often very stereotyped: floods, famines and disasters are interspersed with stories of corruption and greed. Issues such as poverty, fair trade, working for peace and economic development are rarely covered. The Government of Flanders is therefore supporting initiatives and the media keen on altering this situation.
THE FLEMISH NORTH-SOUTH PRESS PRIZE In 2006 The Government of Flanders awarded the second Flemish North-South Press Prize. This is intended to encourage the Flemish media to devote more attention to the North-South issue, thereby creating greater public interest. 13 articles Each year a jury selects the author of the best article in the Flemish written press on the NorthSouth problem. The winner receives 5,000 euros. In 2006 this jury consisted of Flip Voets, Secretary General and ombudsman of the Journalism Council, Jos Bouveroux, editor-in-chief of the news service VRT Radio, Lodewijk Berlage, professor emeritus, Corine Van Kelecom, communication coordinator for the 11.11.11 campaign and Ann De Ron, editor of IPS Vlaanderen. The jury was presented with 13 articles. Warmth and respect The winner was freelance journalist and writer David Van Reybrouck, for his series KVS in Con-
David van Reybrouck: winner of the North-South Press Prize in 2006
go, which appeared in the newspaper De Morgen. In September 2005 the Royal Flemish Theatre (KVS) toured Congo. Actors from Brussels with African origins presented the play Martino by Arne Sierens and producer Raven Rüell ran a workshop with local theatre producers. Van Reybrouck reported from Kinshasa for the newspaper for one week. The jury praised him for this original approach: Van Reybroucks’ series of articles captures the attention of interested readers and immediately gives them a generous dose of NorthSouth awareness. The series also expressed considerable warmth and respect for the Congolese people, which the jury found quite touching. There were honourable mentions for the series The mother of my daughter by Annemie Struyf, (Humo), and to the article ‘Too little for too many’ by Isa Van Dorsselaer (De Standaard). Activity Report 2006 | 41
Work in the North
SENSIBILISERING VIA DE MEDIA
X-ray The award ceremony took place on 4 September 2006. It was accompanied by the information session ‘X-ray of Flemish development cooperation’. Pinky Sempe and Nonetho Mokati, two project workers from Free State, who were guests in Flanders for a study visit, set the ball rolling. They told of domestic violence and violence towards children, and explained how South Africa is making efforts with Flemish support to eliminate it. Professor Marleen Temmerman gave an outline of the AIDS situation in parts of Africa and showed how the health care sector in Mozambique is being supported with Flemish help. Conductor-composer Dirk Brossé spoke enthusiastically about the project to which he has lost his musical heart: the African Children’s Choir. This children’s choir has been travelling around the world for many years, and through concerts and CD sales they are financing a number of projects to offer accommodation and education for AIDS orphans in their home countries.
MO* magazine MO* is a monthly global magazine that seeks to explain globalisation in concrete and easily understandable ways through incisive, innovative, illuminating reporting on and from the whole world. This monthly magazine has a print run of 125,000 (published by vzw Wereldmediahuis). JOINT IPS AND MO* WEBSITE With support from the Flemish Minister for Development Cooperation, IPS and MO* set up a joint website in 2006, which went online in 2007. They received a subsidy of 50,000 euros for this purpose.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR IPS AND MO* MAGAZINE Support for news agency IPS and the monthly magazine MO* was increased in 2006, so that each now receive 100,000 euros. IPS The IPS-Vlaanderen news agency forms part of IPS International, a network of professional journalists and specialists in the communication sector. The Brussels-based editorial team of five works with input from 350 correspondents in 150 countries and also writes its own reports. The emphasis is on reporting from Africa, Asia and Latin America. IPS devotes a lot of attention to globalisation, migration, the situation of minorities, the environment and development. The news agency supplies news and background material on events, trends and developments in the South. It focuses on global issues like sustainable development, the effects of globalisation and international cooperation.
42 | Activity Report 2006
More and better global information The website at www.MO.be combines the efforts of MO* and IPS to give the widest possible audience more extensive and better information about the world and globalisation. MO.be provides a constant supply of global news: 350 local correspondents from the worldwide news agency IPS report from 150 countries. The MO* editorial team select the latest reports from the magazine and provide global news from their own countries. MO.be also ensures that the opinions of well-known and less well-known experts, domestic and foreign politicians and other opinion leaders from all over the world are heard. The website also offers in-depth analyses of trends or interests that are shaping globalisation.
Work in the North
DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION
DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION Development cooperation strives to build a sustainable global society based on a bond of solidarity. Fighting poverty in the South is of course vital in order to achieve this aim. However, a lot of work still needs to be done among us, here in the rich North: we have to persuade consumers and citizens to think about global solidarity. Development education contributes towards this. In 2006 the Government of Flanders spent more than 700,000 euros on projects working in this area. ORIGINAL, CREATIVE PROJECTS The Government of Flanders has been providing government support to development education projects for some time now. In 2005 these projects were selected for the first time on the basis of a comprehensive framework based on a decree. This framework - the decree of 2 April 2004 on development education - establishes clear criteria and objectives. It specifies that development education policy should contribute ‘towards creating a basis of support for international cooperation and developing an attitude of international solidarity from the perspective of a sustainable global society’.
33 project proposals Six of the 33 projects submitted were chosen , to receive a total of 715,462 euros. In keeping with the spirit of the decree, the emphasis was on creative projects which approach this theme from surprising, creative perspectives, thereby helping to set new target groups thinking about global solidarity.
Priority themes Each year the Government of Flanders launches a call to submit project proposals. The priority theme for the 2006 call for proposals was ‘economy and development cooperation’. Sub-themes here include the role of the private sector in development cooperation, corporate social responsibility, fair trade and the issue of child labour and children’s rights.
Netwerk Bewust Verbruiken vzw
Happy Flowers
de Pianofabriek
Alcantara
115.000 euros
Plan België vzw
‘Give us a minute’
128.200 euros
Wereldcentrum Steunpunt Mondiale Vorming
‘‘Behind the mirror image’
104.352 euros
Alfa vzw
‘2015 I am coming too’
182.500 euros
Globelink
FAQtor4
124.960 euros
60.450 euros
Activity Report 2006 | 43
Work in the North
DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION
HAPPY FLOWERS The Happy Flowers project has emerged from a cooperation framework between the NGOs Netwerk Bewust Verbruiken, Fian, Velt and Max Havelaar. This campaign strives to build a just and sustainable flower industry in both North and South. Few consumers understand that many of the flowers in our shops come from the South, where they are often grown in dire working conditions. The environment also suffers from flower growing and distribution in a global market. The Happy Flowers campaign is intended to make Flemish consumers aware of this.
women suffer from sexual harassment and compulsory pregnancy tests. There is also child labour. Creating sustainability. Consumers are encouraged to call a halt to abusive situations in the flower sector by consciously choosing alternatives. There are flower farms in the South that produce flowers in a way that respects human rights and the environment. By promoting social and environmental standards, we can also make existing trade flows more permanent. This means that the flower sector in the South can be incorporated into a process of sustainable development based on the principles of corporate social responsibility. Valentine’s Day. The Happy Flowers campaign began on Valentine’s Day 2007. Throughout Flanders, local groups organised campaigns and information evenings, schools were given educational packs and passers-by were given fair trade flowers. The Belgian flower sector was involved in the campaign and encouraged to offer more Happy Flowers - flowers that have been produced in a way that respects human rights and the environment. These may be organic or fair trade flowers, but they may also be local or seasonal flowers.
No rose without thorns... In the North, high wage costs are reducing the number of people working on flower farms. In low-income countries, however, these businesses employ a large number of workers. In principle the farms are an economic blessing for rural areas. Growing cut flowers offers many women the chance to find a paid job. On the other hand, the working conditions are often dreadful: employers are exposed to hazardous pesticides without protection, pay is low and
44 | Activity Report 2006
Work in the North
DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION
ALCANTARA: SALES OUTLET AND TRAINING PROCESS De Pianofabriek, the Flemish Community Centre in the Brussels municipality of Saint-Gilles, proposed the Alcantara project. Its aim is to allow Moroccan women to sell fair trade products to a Moroccan and Flemish public, thereby raising their awareness of the North-South problem. The heart and soul of the project is the Pianofabriek Fair Trade café, which will also act as an information point and meeting place for everything related to fair trade, sustainable development, the North-South problem etc. The café will be opening in April 2007. Bridge between North and South. Alcantara is a sales outlet for craft products from Morocco that have been produced in an ethically responsible way. They are sold through a showroom in the Fair Trade café at the Community Centre, and also on the Internet, at trade fairs and in a limited number of sales outlets. In this way Alcantara forms a bridge between local traditional women’s workshops in the South and a motivated public with considerable purchasing power in the North.
Training and placement. A group of Moroccan women are being trained in sales techniques and services. They are therefore being prepared for their placement in the Fair Trade café and the De Pianofabriek sales outlet. The aim is that the women will return from this training process with better skills and that they will feel connected with the aims of the project and with the women from the South. Those aims are: • to raise awareness of ethical, fair trade • to support this alternative way of consuming • to raise awareness of the North-South problem and sustainable development • to work in the areas of training, employment opportunities and emancipation: to give motivated women from ethnic minorities an opportunity to learn, grow and find a place in the labour market. • to encourage an inter-cultural climate, with a mixed group of volunteers and a diverse clientele in the cafeteria sector and sales outlets • to support co-operatives in Morocco and enhance knowledge about Morocco.
Activity Report 2006 | 45
Work in the North
MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION Not only citizens and NGOs are making a contribution towards development cooperation. More and more municipalities are doing it, too. On the basis of a covenant, they can raise awareness of global solidarity among their own citizens. By setting up a cooperation agreement with a partner town or city in the South, they can strengthen the processes of democratisation and good governance there. 37 MUNICIPAL COVENANTS Covenants are cooperation agreements in which the municipality receives support and subsidies from the Government of Flanders in exchange for developing a strategic three-year plan. The most important aim of a covenant is to reinforce local North-South policy. Decree Since the beginning of 2005 the covenants policy has been governed by its own decree. This is intended to encourage an active local development cooperation policy . Covenants with local authorities are linked to subsidies for which a set-up loan of 2,000,000 euros is set aside each year. 17 + 20 municipalities For the 2005 to 2007 period the Government of Flanders has concluded covenants with 17 municipalities: Bierbeek, Brasschaat, Brussels, Dilbeek, Edegem, Evergem, Ghent, Herent, Ypres, Koksijde, Kortrijk (Courtrai), Leuven (Louvain), Lommel, Mechelen (Malines), Merelbeke, Middelkerke and Ostend. For the 2006 to 2008 period the VAIS recommended that covenants should be concluded with 20 municipalities. These are the municipalities of Essen, Etterbeek, Geel, Genk, Harelbeke, Hasselt, Hoogstraten, Kortenberg, Maaseik, Maasmechelen, Mol, Olen, Roeselare (Roulers), Sint-Niklaas, Sint-Truiden, Turnhout, Waregem, Westerlo, Zemst and Zoersel. No applications in 2006 No applications for covenants could be submitted in 2006 because the decree stipulates that dur46 | Activity Report 2006
ing the six-month period before a new administrative team takes office, no new covenants may be concluded. Applications for the 2008-2010 covenants are expected by 1 October 2007. OLEN: LINK WITH IXCÁN, GUATEMALA Since the mid-1980s the people of Olen have established solidarity links with rural communities in Guatemala and above all with the municipality of Ixcán, one of the most severely affected areas of conflict during the civil war that ravaged this country until 1996. In 2001 these relationships took on an official character, when Olen set up a twinning agreement with Ixcán. Covenant as support. Partly thanks to the subsidy from the Government of Flanders, this town twinning agreement has been given tangible form with all kinds of initiatives: teacher exchanges, training for officials, communication between officials from North and South, familiarisation trips for officials, awareness campaigns etc. During the 2002 to 2004 period, Olen took part in the trial project on municipal development cooperation covenants initiated by the Government of Flanders., The municipal council concluded a covenant with the Government of Flanders for the 2006 to 2008 period. Familiarisation trip for teachers. Teachers from Olen’s schools went to stay in Ixcán from 4 to 19 July 2006. There they forged agreements to work together on a long-term basis on the second Millennium Development Goal, which gives every child the right to primary education. A report of the trip appeared in the Municipality of Olen information newsletter. Here is an excerpt: When we visited the schools, we spent the night with families. This was an enriching experience. We shared a bedroom with the whole family. For breakfast we were given eggs with brown beans and sometimes a chicken
Work in the North
MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
was slaughtered. (...) In the schools we worked with the children on the theme of ‘song and dance’. Our “seven jumps” dance was a great success. There was a lot of enthusiasm on both sides. It was wonderful to be able to work with the children in this way. The welcome we received in the various villages was very sincere. (...) We experienced for ourselves what an impact a familiarisation trip can have: in this way you are completely submerged in another culture and you learn to understand a way of life. The twinning relationship between Olen and Ixcán is important for people both here and there. (...) Next academic year we will definitely continue to work on Guatemala in the various schools in Olen. (From: De Driehoek, November 2006)
GENK: FAIR TRADE AND BOTSWANA The town of Genk has pursued an active North-South policy for many years. A large number of projects are set up together with volunteers from the Genk Committee for Development Cooperation. A lot of work is undertaken on information and awareness for the people of Genk. A fair trade policy has also been set up, including buying clean clothes and fair trade coffee. Genk is now officially allowed to call itself a Fair Trade Municipality. Three pillars. During the 2002 to 2004 period, Genk took part in the trial project on municipal development cooperation covenants initiated by the Government of Flanders. In the 2006 to 2008 covenant, the town council aims to build its work on three major pillars: increasing awareness among the town’s population, building capacity (reinforcing internal capacity, people and resources) and the twinning link. Since 2004 Genk has had a twinning link with Francistown (Botswana). Both towns want to work together on good local governance in both North and South. The two towns are currently focusing on waste and sewage policy, but social issues such as youth and neighbourhood work will also be included. Working visit. A delegation of four from the Genk town council paid a working visit to Francistown in MayJune 2005. The report of their trip was posted on the website at www.genk.be. Here is an excerpt: After today’s social programme the tremendous socioeconomic differences dividing the population became clear to us. Many Francistown people manage to build good lives, everyone can go to school and everyone has
access to health care. Today, however, we are learning that the needs are still sometimes very considerable. The visit to Plot 911 (a social project aimed at young, unemployed and underprivileged people) is a truly overwhelming encounter with people who have a lot of good ideas, projects and dreams but unfortunately a desperate shortage of resources. The budgets for such projects have been dramatically reduced in recent years. We do not have to look far to find out the reason. The sad reality of HIV/AIDS absorbs a huge amount of money. Nevertheless, it is not all doom and gloom at Plot 911. Young unemployed people can learn all kinds of practical skills there, such as carpentry or gardening. The garden is full of people who for one reason or another were not able to keep their heads above water and are building a new life with the proceeds of a small garden. We are now being accompanied by a group of young people from the Botswana National Youth Council. They talk of their dreams of visiting their twin town in Belgium and sharing their ideas with young people in Belgium. Unfortunately we cannot promise them very much... But we will certainly pass on the information. From Plot 911 we move on to a small brick-built factory, which has been set up for families with no income. Heavy work in the hot sunshine is hard, but the factory is now known throughout F’town for the quality of its projects and it will soon be running independently. During the afternoon we had the opportunity to find out about two typically Botswanan models of consultation: the ward development committee (neighbourhood development committee consisting of 10 inhabitants from each ward) and the Kgotla (a traditional meeting with high officials where people can ask questions, air their grievances and receive information on policy). We were very impressed with what we have seen here: clearly policy in Botswana is firmly based on proposals and projects that have come from the citizens themselves. This is a so-called bottom-up approach, and they are - rightly - very proud of it. That is what makes working visits like this one so exciting: they give you the opportunity to look behind the scenes in a country. It is a chance to experience what is going on in politics, in the town administration, how people live their daily lives... It is a unique opportunity and we were glad to make use of it.
Activity Report 2006 | 47
Work in the North
THE FOURTH PILLAR
THE FOURTH PILLAR The world of development cooperation is very varied. In addition to the various government bodies with their bilateral cooperation frameworks (the first pillar), international multilateral organisations (the second pillar) and NGOs (third pillar), a fourth pillar has emerged in recent years: new types of development initiatives involving businesses, groups of friends, schools, young people’s associations, foundations, mutual health insurers, trade unions - all organisations for which development cooperation is not their core task, but who want to enter into partnership with the South. MAPPING OUT THE FOURTH PILLAR In order to gain a clearer view of this group of non-traditional development actors in Flanders, the Flemish Minister responsible for development cooperation instructed the Higher Institute for Labour Studies (HIVA) to research this fourth pillar. This research was intended to map out these new actors and propose policy measures. The study showed that the fourth pillar comprises about 1,100 organisations in Flanders. Broadening the base of support These initiatives are very varied. Sometimes they are coherent joint actions designed to promote networking between North and South, but there are also some disparate initiatives focusing on corporate social responsibility through fair trade initiatives, by introducing a quality mark or by helping employees or clients to think about a concrete project in the South - for example, by collecting old shoes, book bags, or spectacle frames. Sometimes these initiatives take an institutional form and evolve into non-profit associations which make development cooperation their main aim. In any case this fourth pillar heralds an emerging broader base of support. Through globalisation we are involved in development cooperation together - in and through our daily actions.
48 | Activity Report 2006
Dialogue and collaboration The results of the HIVA study form the startingpoint for a seminar for all the actors involved in the fourth pillar. The aim is to encourage a dynamic approach which allows dialogue and cooperation between all these players. The VAIS will organise this seminar in 2007.
Work in the North
SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION Fair trade seeks to achieve greater equality in international trade and open and equal relationships with producers in developing countries. If producers in less developed countries have fairer trade conditions and a fair price, their standard of living will go up and they will be encouraged to produce in a sustainable manner. Just as it actively supports and encourages sustainable enterprise in the South, so the Government of Flanders supports the aims of the fair trade movement. That is because both are two sides of the same coin. It is doing this among other things by using its purchasing power: it makes an effective and highly visible contribution towards sustainable consumption and therefore serves as an example. FAIR TRADE DAY
Fair Trade products on the minister’s plate
GOVERNMENT OF FLANDERS PRESSES ON WITH SUSTAINABLE BUYING Flemish civil servants, cabinet staff and their visitors have been using Max Havelaar quality branded coffee since 2001. The Government of Flanders made this decision because it saw the Max Havelaar label as an important development tool to guarantee a minimum income for producers in the South. Fruit juice and wine from the fair trade sector are now also regularly purchased. In 2006, 28 tonnes of coffee, 17,382 litre bottles of fruit juice, 10,680 small bottles of fruit juice and 3,156 bottles of wine were purchased. This makes the Government of Flanders one of the largest customers in the fair trade sector.
National Fair Trade Week took place from 27 September to 7 October. In accordance with tradition, the Government of Flanders also took part in this event. The annual fair trade meal for 13,500 Flemish civil servants is gradually becoming a tradition. For the fifth time running the restaurants in the Flemish Community served meals with sustainable products from the fair trade sector. The Flemish Minister responsible for development cooperation also pulled up a chair to taste chicken soup with peanuts, XimXim de Galinha with yellow rice and mascarpone cream with white chocolate. At information and tasting stands, civil servants were able to become acquainted with the range of fair trade products.
The restaurant in the Boudewijn Building serves Fare Trade meals
Activity Report 2006 | 49
BIJLAGEN
ANNEXES
Introduction
Annexes
RESOURCES In 2006 the Flemish Agency for International Cooperation had a budget of 17,478,000 euros to support existing and new programmes and projects, both in Flanders and in the South.
USE OF THE BUDGET Projects in the North More than 30% of this budget was spent on projects in the North. This comprises various awareness campaigns (development education, cooperation with municipalities, the Flemish North-South press prize etc.). Support was also given to organisations and initiatives which help to widen the basis of support. The budget for projects in the North is also used to finance co-operation between small and medium-sized businesses in the North and South, such as the setting up of the Flanders Import Helpdesk. More structural forms of financing, e.g. wage subsidies for development organisations, Ex-Change, Wereldmediahuis, VVOB and the new 4C project also draw upon this budget. The budget for 2006 sets aside a sum of 248,000.00 euros for the Micro-financing Guarantee Fund. Projects in the South The lion’s share, almost 66% of the budget, was earmarked for initiatives in the South, mostly through direct cooperation with our partner countries Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa. This
includes a sum of 300,000 euros which is being spent in Southern Africa via the World Health Organisation. In 2006 cooperation with our new partner country, Malawi, was initiated. Almost one-fifth of the Flemish development budget for the South is being spent on this. In 2006, our projects in the South mainly involved agreements to do with health care (the fight against HIV/AIDS and basic health care) and rural development (improving food security and the capacity of small businesses). Emergency aid In 2006 the VAIS also managed an Emergency Aid budget. With a balance of 1,609,000 euros, a total of 14 schemes were supported, both through Flemish emergency aid organisations and through UN institutions. By far the largest number of projects were in favour of the Middle East. This was mainly to do with the horrifying situation in Lebanon and the Palestine Territories. This region received approximately 30% of Flemish humanitarian aid. East Africa was another important area for attention.
Distribution of the 2006 budget by partner country Mozambique
South.Africa
Malawi
Activity Report 2006 | 51
Introduction
Annexes
CHANGES IN THE BUDGET AND TOTAL BUDGET The annual Development Cooperation statistics from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) show that total Official Development Assistance (ODA) again rose in 2006. This is the total number of development grants and loans which are paid for from government funds and whose chief aim is economic and social development. The ODA is therefore larger than the budget which is set aside for development cooperation each year.
In 2006 the various departments within the Government of Flanders spent a total of 32 million euros on various cooperation initiatives with the South, up by almost 2 million on 2005.
Flanders humanitarian assistance in 2006 by region Flemish Humanitarian Aid 2006 by region
Eastern Europe East Africa Middle East South America & the Caribbean Central Africa Southern Africa Asia
Evolution of ODA and the International Cooperation budget in Flanders 35.000.000 30.000.000 25.000.000 20.000.000
Flemish DC budget
15.000.000
Flemish ODA
10.000.000 5.000.000 0 1999
52 | Activity Report 2006
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Introduction
Annexes
SUMMARY OF CURRENT PROJECTS 2006 Projects in South Africa Project
partner
sector
Flemish budget
Phase (start-up, implemantation, winding up)
Type
Name
Empowerment for food security 2005-2009
provincial government
Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, Kwazulu Natal
agriculture - food security
7.500.000 €
start-up
Agribusiness Development Academy Programme 2005-2009
provincial government
Department of Agriculture; Limpopo
agriculture - farm management
7.500.000 €
start-up
Capacity building for the use of Agricultural Information Centres
provincial government
Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, KwaZulu-Natal
agriculture - public information
98.927 €
winding up
Traditional food promotion project
provincial government
Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, KwaZulu-Natal
agriculture - healthy diet
79.695 €
winding up
Job creation/Smallmedium and micro enterprises in the Free State 2005-2009
provincial government
Department of the Premier; Free State
SME sector °© employment/ business centres
3.750.000 €
start-up
The Youth and Community Wellness Programme in Xhariep in de Free State.
provincial government
Department of the Premier, Free State
HIV/AIDS youth welfare
3.750.000 €
formulated
Strengthen Voluntary Confidential Counselling and Testing in the Free State Province
provincial government
Department of Health, Free State
HIV/AIDS - prevention
609.985,00 €
implementation
The Voluntary Counselling and Testing Project in the Limpopo Province
provincial government
Department of Health and Welfare of Limpopo
HIV/AIDS - prevention
837.115,39 €
implementation
Home and community based care in Limpopo
provincial government
Limpopo Department of Health and Welfare
HIV/AIDS - prevention
835.041,06 €
implementation
Activity Report 2006 | 53
Introduction
Annexes
Project
partner
sector
Vlaams budget
Fase (opstart, uitvoering, afronding)
Soort
Naam
A Domestic Violence and Rape Victim Empowerment programme targeted at Children and Women in the Free State Province
provincial government
Department of Public Safety, Security and Liason, Free State”
domestic violence against women and children
491.399,53 €
implementation
Children at risk: breaking the cycle of violence in Free State.
provincial government
Department of Social Development Free State
young people as secondary victims of domestic violence or their transition to becoming perpetrators
826.383 €
implementation
The Manyeleti Youth Academy Project
provincial government
Department of Safety, Security Limpopo
youth crime
680.825 €
implementation
Youth Development Centre Project
provincial government
Department of Public Safety, Security and Liaison ; Free State
youth crime
601.102 €
reformulation
Implementation of a housing component within a municipal structure and provide housing consumer education/ deel I
provincial government
Department of Housing, KwaZulu-Natal
housing
395.500 €
winding up
Implementation of a housing component within a municipal structure and provide housing consumer education at municipalities/deel II
provincial government
Department of Housing of KwaZulu Natal
housing
590.179 €
implementation
Groutville Community Care Homes Project in KwaZulu Natal.
provincial government
Department of Housing KwaZulu Natal,
housing - HIV/ AIDS orphans
297.188 €
start-up
Water and Sanitation Programme for the deep rural areas in the Sekhukhune district
NGO via national government
NGO Tsogang via Department of Water and Forestry
drinking water supply
1.475.056,80 €
54 | Activity Report 2006
implementation
Introduction
Annexes
Project
partner
sector
Soort
Naam
KwaZulu Natal Naturebased and Cultural Tourism Skills Development in the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park
semi-governmental organisation
Greater St Lucia Wetland Park Authority, KwaZulu-Natal
tourism - employment
Early Childhood Development
provincial government
Department of Education Free State
Integrated Training Programme to Empower Role Players in the Local Government and Education Spheres in the Umkhanyakude District Municipal Area in KwaZulu Natal
provincial government
Local Governance Unit/Deel I
Vlaams budget
Fase (opstart, uitvoering, afronding)
449.720 €
implementation
education - nursery education
407.993,37 €
implementation
Departments of Education and Local & Traditional Government KwaZulu Natal
Management of local authorities and education
1.009.348 €
winding up
provincial government
Department of Local Government and Housing Free State
local authority management
243.288 €
winding up
Local Governance Unit/ Deel II
provincial government
Department of Local Government and Housing Free State
local authority management
341.400 €
implementation
Community Arts Centres
national government
Department of Arts and Culture
culture
489.691 €
winding up
South African Provincial Legislatures support programme: Speaker’s Forum Human Resource Development Committee
ngo
Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA)
hiv/aids
346.300 €
winding up
Training and support of the after care centres for adults with a mental retardation in the Northern Province of South-Africa
provincial government + Flemish non-profit association
Department of Welfare Limpopo + Fenix Unite vzw
disabled sector
779.590 € + 371 840 €
Integrated service delivery for people with disabilities in the Northern Province
provincial government
Department of Welfare Limpopo
disabled sector
429.326 €
implementation
winding up
Activity Report 2006 | 55
Introduction
Annexes
Project
OSDP Awareness Raising Campaign
partner
sector
Soort
Naam
national government
Office on the Status of Disabled Persons (OSDP) in the Presidency
disabled sector
Flemish budget
Phase (start-up, implementation, winding up)
531.800 €
implementation
Projects in Mozambique Title of project
partner
sector
Flemish budget
Integrated network to fight against HIV/AIDS in Tete and Moatize
Ministry of Health (MISAU), Provincial Health Services, Tete Province, Doctors without Borders, Institute for Tropical Medicine, University of Ghent (International Center for Reproductive Health)
health
4.607.637 €
2004-2007
Building a new department in the central hospital in Beira
Ministry of Health (MISAU)
health
1.043.082 €
2005-2008
Building and restoration of health care infrastructure in Inhambane and Gaza provinces
Ministry of Health (MISAU)
health
560.000 €
2005-2007
Strategy to address the increasing feminisation of the HIV epidemic in Mozambique
UNAIDS
health
815.000 €
2005-2008
Support for PROSAUDE (joint fund for the health sector)
Ministry of Health (MISAU)
health
4.000.000 €
2006-2007 (2010)
Human Resources for Health
Ministry of Health (MISAU), Institute for Tropical Medicine
health
1.063.600 €
2006-2008
Basic health care and capacity Red Cross Flanders and Red Cross building in Tete province Mozambique
health
740.086 €
2006-2008
Expansion of basic health services in Maravia District (Tete Province)
Ministry of Health (MISAU)
health
3.404.898 €
2007-2009
Vilanculo training centre
Fundaçao para o Desenvolvimento da Comunidade (FDC)
education and training
454.000 €
2003-2007
Apopo-project
Apopo
mine clearance
1.296.162 €
2003-2007
56 | Activity Report 2006
duration
Introduction
Annexes
Projects in Morocco Title of project
partner
sector
Flemish budget
Phase (start-up, implementation, winding up)
Type
Name
Developing a versatile training programme and building two classrooms, a laboratory, mini day nurseries, an office and toilets
association
Association Solidarité Féminine
women’s rights education employment
150.000 €
completed 2006
Reintegration of street children
ngo
Bayti
education for street children
149.950 €
winding up planned for 30/06/07
Forming production co-operatives for argania almonds in rural areas
association
Association Ibn Al Baytar
women’s rights education employment
252.850 €
completed 2006
Organisation of traditional craftspeople
ngo
Vlaams Internatio- training naal Centrum employment
365.664 €
winding up planned for 30/04/07
Assistance and educaassociation tion of women in Tetouan jail
L’Union Nationale Des Femmes Marocaines
education women’s rights employment
52.230 €
completed 2006
Tracing and treating children with a disability in Kenitra
ngo
Association Marocaine Vie Marocaine
provision of medical help for disabled children and education for parents
217.600 €
winding up planned for 30/06/07
Development opportuni- ngo ties for the young women of Tazolte
Association Al Manar
education women’s rights employment
111.617 €
completed 2006
Vocational training in Casablanca for female victims of violence
ngo
Union de l’Action Féminine
women’s rights education employment
110.400 €
winding up planned for 30/06/07
Literacy and vocational training in the TetouanChefchaouen region
association
Association Al Horra
education women’s rights employment
64.800 €
completed 2006
Education and work for women
coöperative compagny
Ajddigue
education women’s rights employment
135.932 €
financial winding up planned for 2007
Literacy and vocational training for single mothers
association
Association Eneducation fance et Solidarité women’s rights Centre El Massira employment pour la protection de l’Enfance
44.900 €
completed 2006
Activity Report 2006 | 57
Introduction
Annexes
Title of project
partner
Type
sector
Flemish budget
Phase (start-up, implementation, winding up)
Name
Assistance and education association of women in Amezrou
Alamal
education women’s rights employment
95.900 €
completed 2006
Adult and youth education in equality and citizenship
ngo
Ligue Démocratique des Droits des Femmes
education women’s rights
607.267 €
winding up planned for 30/06/07
Literacy and vocational training in the Alhoceima region
association
Association Ait Kamra pour la coopération et le Développement
education women’s rights employment
39.400 € 31.872 € (restructuring)
winding up planned for 30/06/07
Improving the position of women in the Beni Yaala Zkara co-operative in Jerada
association
Association Marocaine pour l’Action de Développement
education women’s rights employment
9.900 €
completed 2005
Production workshops ‘El Mendil’ in the Kmiss Anjra region
association
L’Union Nationale des Femmes Marocaines
education women’s rights employment
90.210 €
completed 2006
Educating women in Taroudant Province
association
Forum Belgo Marocain pour la Coopération, le Développement et la Solidarité
education women’s rights employment
103.880 €
winding up planned for 31/03/2007
58 | Activity Report 2006
COLOFON Responsible editor: Freddy Colson, Boudewijnlaan 30, 1000 Brussel Co-ordination: Gitti Van den Borre, VAIS Redaction: Jansen & Janssen uitgeverij - www.jaja.be Concept: Christoph Ennekens – www.iguane.be Lay-out: Ingrid Van Rintel (department of Communications) Photos: Johan Verlinden, VAIS (Freddy Colson, Katrien de Pauw, Zohra El Aissaoui, Laurence Hendrickx), Stad Gent, Blije Bloemen. Printing: Departement Bestuurzaken, afdeling Facilitair management, digitale drukkerij Depotnumber: D/2007/3241/149 More information: www.vlaanderen.be/ontwikkelingssamenwerking E-mail: ontwikkelingssamenwerking@vlaanderen.be