14 organizations received funding from USA for Africa to address climate change issues in their communities.

Communities Against Gas Flaring
Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth
Country: Nigeria
Website: www.eraction.org
Organizational Objectives and Description: This project was designed to set up community climate crises committees in three communities in the Niger Delta impacted by gas flaring by oil companies, threatening global health by emitting greenhouse gases, and local health by poisoning local communities. Gas flaring causes acid rain, which impacts soil fertility and reduces crop yields, destroys fish populations and even eats through villagers’ roofs. By educating local communities, training local environmental monitors, setting up local crisis committees and providing educational materials on impacts, the project hopes to build pressure on the government to put an end to gas flaring.

Meeting Community Energy Needs to Reduce Forestation
Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN)
Country: Nigeria
Website: www.eraction.org
Organizational Objectives and Description: This project helps rural communities engage with climate change causes, impacts and remediation strategies. It creates links between climate change and deforestation, and help rural communities in forest areas develop solar power as alternative energy sources. The project aims to promote learning among communities (end users), NGOs and others to strengthen collaboration.

Enhancing Adaptive Capacity of Resource Dependent Community of Gogonyo Sub County, Pallisa district
Development Network of Indigenous Voluntary Action (DENIVA)
Country: Uganda
Website: www.deniva.or.ug
Organizational Objectives and Description: DENIVA is a network of local NGOs and CBOs that focuses on poverty reduction and good governance policies. Funds are being used as part of a much larger program to enhance adaptive capacities in poor communities in areas vulnerable to droughts and floods. The purpose is to help under-resourced communities gain access to drought-resistant food crops, promote tree planting and agro-forestry as renewable source of energy, and develop rainwater catchment systems for domestic use and farming.

Promoting Local Community Initiatives to Mitigate and Adapt to the Effects of Climate Change on Their Livelihoods and Environment
National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE)
Country: Uganda
Website: www.nape.or.ug
Organizational Objectives and Description: NAPE is an advocacy and educational organization that works with NGOs, CBOs, policy makers and academia, providing support, training and action-oriented research on issues ranging from the environment, human rights, climate change, good governance, water and sanitation and more. NAPE runs a Sustainability School that works local village communities, raising awareness and building local capacity. In this project NAPE will work with “climate change vulnerable” communities (women, youth, farmers) and with community leaders to better manage forest, water and food resources using indigenous knowledge and practices. The project will mobilize communities, undertake knowledge sharing meetings, document indigenous systems and practice and disseminate information among policy makers, water stressed communities and local leadership.

Community Consultation Processes on REDD among the Forest Dependent Indigenous Community around Mt. Elgon National Park
Climate and Development Initiatives
Country: Uganda
Website: www.inforse.dk/africa/
E-mail: acs@starcom.co.ug
Organizational Objectives and Description: CDI was created in 1999 advocate for relevant policy changes on the environment with particular focus on forests, climate change and sustainable energy issues in Africa, protecting forest people’s rights and the issues that affect them such as trade, investment and climate change. CDI works in close collaboration with social and environmental organizations across the world, within networks like the Durban Group on climate Justice, the Climate Justice Network and the World Rainforest Movement among others. This project will undertake discussions with community groups to develop awareness about REDD. Specific activities include organizing Community Training Workshops on climate change, carbon trading; developing information materials; documenting and producing a community manual of key threats and concerns to the Benet community around Mt. Elgon; distributing and disseminating a REDD manual to various stakeholders in Uganda; and undertaking village consultative forums to engage local groups in the development of REDD policy.

Community Based Capacity Building for Climate Change Adaptation
Agency: Africa Humanitarian Action
Country: Ethiopia
Website: www.africahumanitarian.org
Organizational Objectives and Description: This project will introduce poor farm households to planting jatropha curacas hedges, a biofuel plant, as an alternative source of income and a means of rehabilitating degraded land. It will also provide women with the ability to increase household income through the use of jatropha oil for soap making.

Capacity Building of Grassroots Institutions on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Initiatives
Forum for the Environment/Ethiopia Civil Society Network on Climate Change
Country: Ethiopia
Website: www.ffe-ethiopia.org
Organizational Objectives and Description: The project supports three grassroots organizations in their efforts to help local communities better understand the impacts of climate change. The Assela Forum for the Environment, the Assocca Environmental Protection Association and the Arsi Negelle Concern for Environment and Development, all far from Addis Ababa, implement training programs with local leaders, and organize educational workshops with community groups and schools.

Exploring an Alternative Path to Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Forest Communities in Rural Liberia
Sustainable Development Institute (SDI)
Country: Liberia
Website: www.sdiliberia.org
Organizational Objectives and Description: Through outreach and training (sensitization programs), feasibility studies, and organizing pilot projects it seeks to increase the number of economically viable and environmentally sound small to medium sized forest enterprises, managed by community groups. It also seeks to empower community people to be more knowledgeable about and have greater influence over Liberian policy towards REDD (the UN’s program of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing countries).

TWN Africa Climate Change Project
Third World Network – Africa
Country: Ghana
Website: www.twnafrica.org
Organizational Objectives and Description: Funds were used to support the participation of African activists at the upcoming UNFCCC conference in Cancun, with the aim of strengthening the presence of African civil society organizations in the international policy process. In strengthening these voices, the main goal would be to “contribute to minimizing the vacillations and incoherence which have characterized the positions taken by African governments in past meetings.” Activists will link up with allies from other organizations around the continent, as well as with climate activists from around the world, to strengthen policy dialogue with African governments.

Africa Climate Change Project 
FDEA – Microfinance
Country: Senegal
Website: www.fdeasenegal.com
Organizational Objectives and Description: This project, working through FDEA’s vast network of women’s micro-enterprise organizations, provides financing loans and support for the installation of solar panels in rural and urban areas throughout Senegal.

Informational Awareness Raising and Training Project for Mekhe People on Climate Change
RADI: African Network for Integrated Development
Country: Senegal
Email: mailto:radi@orange.sn
Website: www.radi-afrique.net
Organizational Objectives and Description: This project put in place a rural radio, reaching approximately 169,000 people in the rural community of Mékhé and surrounding areas. The radio is used to broadcast programs developed with local farmers, women’s groups, youth organizations, etc., to provide opportunities for education and dialogue on ways in which the environment – and rural life – will change under the pressures of global warming. The project is housed in a training center in Mékhé built by RADI, and run by a local committee with the assistance of a RADI extension agent. The radio serves not only as a communication and educational tool, but as a project around which to organize local populations to make their voices and needs heard by local politicians and policymakers programs to assist rural populations in adapting to climate change.

Support for Indigenous Community Participation on REDD in Cameroun
Center for the Environment and Development (CEDCAM) Country: Cameroon
Website: www.cedcameroun.org
Organizational Objectives and Description: CED works to promote sustainable forestry, reduce the destructive impacts of logging and other extractive industries, and promote respect for and protection of the rights of local indigenous communities in the areas of forest management, extraction, good governance of natural resources and local capacity development. This project aims to improve community input and management of the government’s REDD programs (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing countries) in southern Cameroon. CED will work with local organizations, providing information on REDD and some of the contradictions that exist between REDD initiatives and indigenous practices and traditions. This pilot project aims to promote a model of community engagement in these crucial debates that can be replicated in other parts of the country where CED works.

Indigenous and Traditional Seeds Project
Daughters of Mumbi (DoM) Global Resource Center Country: Kenya
Website: www.daughtersofmumbi.org
Organizational Objectives and Description: DoM will help rural women in Kenya increase their resiliency to water shortages and drought through tree planting, land restoration and the cultivation of non-hybrid seed crops for local food consumption, enhancing their role as producers of low-cost, low-input crops. Through the provision of these alternatives, women can avoid higher input methods that requite greater use of fertilizers, water and pesticides that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Through training and education programs at local primary and secondary schools and training for local officials, DoM will expand tree planting as part of their climate mitigation work with allies in the Green Belt Movement, and develop seed and planting exchanges.

Center for Civil Society Climate Camps 
Climate Justice Now South Africa – Durban Group Country: South Africa
Website: www.climate-justice-now.org www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs
Organizational Objectives and Description: The Center for Civil Society was established at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2001, and has built partnerships with community groups by promoting independent critical scholarship (including through research grants), information dissemination, teaching and training. Through this project the center will run two South Africa next year. Training will be provided to 20 leaders or young staff of civic groups from across the Durban area.