The journey of the Namibia Integrated Landscape Approach for Enhancing Livelihoods and Environmental Governance to Eradicate Poverty (NILALEG) project has always been a tale of resilience, hope, and transformation. Initiated as a six-year undertaking, this project aimed to transform landscape management and promote sustainable livelihoods in Namibia’s agricultural and forest landscapes. Supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) alongside the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (MEFT), NILALEG sought to tackle the interwoven challenges of poverty and environmental degradation.
In recent years, Namibia has grappled with severe droughts aggravated by climate change. The northern regions, particularly Kunene and Omusati, bore the impact of this crisis, with communities struggling to access clean and reliable water sources. The scarcity of water had devastating effects on livelihoods and severe environmental degradation, particularly affecting women and young children who were often tasked with fetching water over long distances.
To address this critical issue, the NILALEG project, with technical support from the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF), embarked on constructing 20 boreholes across the five target landscapes. This intervention, funded at N$ 14, 138, 391.57 Namibian Dollars, aimed to provide potable water to more than 6,792 people, 805 households, and 34,289 livestock. This effort not only met the immediate need for reliable water sources but also laid the groundwork for sustainable nature-based livelihoods.
The impact of these boreholes was nothing short of transformative. Communities saw a significant improvement in their quality of life. Schools in Omaiopanga and Okongo landscapes began planting vegetables, supplementing their meals and contributing to environmental restoration. In Okongo, women and youth established a community garden, growing vegetables for both sale and household consumption. This initiative provided a source of income and empowered community members to improve their livelihoods actively.
In Omaiopanga, multiple gardens were established, using water from a rehabilitated earth dam to irrigate crops. These efforts demonstrated NILALEG’s holistic approach, integrating water infrastructure with agricultural activities to address environmental degradation and poverty comprehensively.
Credit: Source link