Community-Based Livelihood Development (CBLD) for Women and Children in Swaziland: Quarterly Report Year 2 Quarter 2 (January 1, 2013–March 31, 2013)

in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The program aims to improve the livelihood capabilities of vulnerable households, protect the rights of women and children, and strengthen the capacity and coordination of government institutions, communities, and other organizations to promote the social and economic well-being of women, youth, and children. The program's three objectives are to improve livelihood capabilities, protect rights, and strengthen capacity and coordination. To achieve these objectives, CBLD will implement activities in close collaboration with community organizations and institutions and their government, non-governmental organization (NGO), and private sector partners. The program will emphasize sustainability by encouraging local ownership and leadership, providing technical assistance, and building linkages among multiple organizations and institutions. During the reporting period, CBLD continued to implement and develop activities in Herefords and Ndzingeni, two communities in northern Hhohho Region. The program's approach to livelihoods and economic strengthening has focused on value chain development and enterprise development training, as well as linkages with private sector, government, and donor funding opportunities. In Ndzingeni, CBLD provided technical training to 94 beekeepers, while in Herefords, a group of 18 farmers began to cultivate baby corn for export to South Africa. CBLD has also selected cotton as a focus value chain, which will be a factor in the selection of the next two communities. Discussions with the management of Swaziland's cotton gin have led to the pre-selection of six potential CBLD communities. In Ndzingeni, CBLD has met with groups interested in participating in enterprise development training to identify trainers and students, and is adapting TechnoServe's existing training curricula for this purpose. Market and feasibility analyses of common income-generating activities identified during the baseline survey and the cotton value chain have also been conducted. Community engagement events, which comprise a series of dialogs, focus group discussions, and strategic planning and resource mobilization meetings, have been underway in Herefords and Ndzingeni since February and will continue through May 2013. These events have brought together about 1,200 community members representing various institutions and demographic groups, and have helped CBLD and the community to identify community priorities, social and economic constraints and opportunities, and relevant local and outside resources. The events have introduced community members to a variety of government and non-government services providers, building important relationships and linkages that are needed to fulfill the community's development objectives more sustainably. Through these events, community members have raised a number of issues related to gender-based violence, lack of access to basic services, neglect of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs), and people living with disabilities, and property grabbing. These events have also provided community members with the opportunity to discuss a broad range of social and economic issues with officers from other institutions and government ministries, covering topics ranging from education and healthcare to economic development and social protection. The program's capacity building activities have focused on community action planning, referral systems, neighborhood care point (NCP) management and service delivery, youth development, and other capacity building activities. Community selection, monitoring and evaluation, and project administration are also key components of the program. The program's quarterly report covers Quarter 2 of Year 2 (January 1, 2013 – March 31, 2013) and provides an update on the program's progress and achievements during this period.