Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel - Enhanced Resilience

The project progressed with its grants program for youth, especially in Niger, and collaborated closely with two RISE II partners, the Sahel Collaboration and Communication (SCC) Project on capitalization and the Water Security and Resilience Activity (WSRA) on Local Conventions in Tillabéri Region. Project operations became increasingly difficult during the quarter as the security situation continued to deteriorate in both countries. In Tillabéri Region, the Government of Niger extended the prohibition on motorcycles to all parts of the region as of January 1, making it difficult for project field staff to travel. In Burkina Faso, the humanitarian crisis worsened, and the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) increased dramatically due to the growing insecurity. The Coronavirus began to disrupt project implementation and cause widespread anxiety throughout the zone of intervention in early March. Major activities implemented in this quarter included the coaching of Local Institutions (ILs), the organization of IL peer learning events in both Niger and Burkina Faso, and the rolling out of the Positive Youth Development (PYD) approach. Project partners and beneficiaries successfully continued implementing key activities such as habbanayé, conservation farming (CF), community gardens, and bioreclamation of degraded lands (BDL). REGIS-ER continued coaching ILs by supporting Municipal Councils, Citizen Working Groups, Local Development Committees/Village Development Councils, platforms of Community-Based Service Providers (CBSPs) and Local Resource Persons (PRLs) in consolidating and scaling up successful activities and best practices. Municipal Councils (CMs) in the eight communes of concentration developed their own Commune Resilience Plans (PCPRs) by the end of the quarter. CMs throughout the zone of intervention were trained on how to identify and document successful activities for their participation in peer learning events and on how to play their key role in the coordination and allocation of grants, especially those for youth. The eight communes mobilized 774,242,000 CFA francs (over $1.3 million) for the implementation of their PCPRs during the quarter. Citizen Working Groups (CWGs) and their partners at the community level, Local Development Committees (NE)/Village Development Councils (BF) (CLDs/CVDs), received a provisional authorization to function, issued by the municipal authorities. REGIS-ER's Regional Coordinators and "Project Coaches" (CP) continued to coach and advise CWGs on how to develop and implement their resource mobilization strategy and how to become a truly sustainable entity. CWGs have been instrumental in coordinating development activities at the community level, collecting data in villages, and providing advisory support to CLDs/CVDs and PRLs. Service Provider Platforms continued to provide goods and services to communities, particularly in the livestock and agriculture sectors. CBSPs in the eight communes had a combined sales revenue (turnover) of 38,501,745 CFA (almost $65,000) during this quarter. The implementation of the grant program specifically targeted youth, with 702 small grants awarded to youth and ILs. The project adapted its program and operating mode to the impending humanitarian crisis caused by the Coronavirus, and REGIS-ER continued to coach ILs and support project partners and beneficiaries in the face of the deteriorating security situation.