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Local projects, global impact: How Germany promotes biodiversity

Written by Bosse Klama on . Posted in News.

On the International Day for Biological Diversity we present several IKI Small Grants projects that promote the protection of biodiversity.

Biodiversity is not an abstract concept – it shapes our daily lives. It keeps our soils fertile, our water clean, and our food systems functioning. From wetlands and forests to rivers and urban green spaces, healthy ecosystems are essential for our well-being, our economies, and our future.

As the global community prepares to review progress at the upcoming United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Armenia, local initiatives send a clear message: global biodiversity commitments only matter if they include local action – and that implementation is already underway.

Effective support for local initiatives worldwide

This year’s International Day of Biological Diversity is under the motto “Act locally for global impact”. Discover the range of local biodiversity projects supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) Small Grants Programme across various regions and ecosystems:

Inspiring youth to protect biodiversity

Children went outside to search for signs of biodiversity, documenting spiders, birds and insects that they had never noticed before.

In Ecuador, the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO) engaged young people to advance nature conservation and systemic change. The team invited students to explore the biodiversity in their immediate surroundings – for many it was the first time.

The youths documented spiders, birds and insects. What began as curiosity quickly turned into awareness and action. Participating schools established ecological gardens and composting systems, and installed solar panels to provide renewable electricity for school operations. In some schools, new rainwater‑harvesting systems now ensure sustainable resource use. One school added a greenhouse to improve school nutrition – directly linking environmental action with everyday well-being.

The initiative reached 13 schools, including one inclusive school, and engaged more than 8,000 students, teachers and community members.

Restoring wetlands in Zimbabwe

Driefontein Grassland is home to endangered species, including globally threatened cranes.

In Central Zimbabwe, Driefontein Grassland stands out as a lifeline for both people and nature. Recognised under the Ramsar Convention as a ‘Wetland of International Importance’, it is a critical watershed and biodiversity hotspot. However, population growth, erratic rainfall, agricultural encroachment and overgrazing are putting this fragile ecosystem at risk.

With support from IKI Small Grants, BirdLife Zimbabwe works hand in hand with local communities to reverse this trend. Together with 60 households, the initiative promotes sustainable farming and grazing practices that protect the wetland while strengthening local livelihoods.

By combining habitat restoration with community stewardship, the project safeguards water resources and enhances ecosystem resilience. This ensures the long-term protection of biodiversity and the local population’s livelihoods.

Hands-on forest conservation in the Philippines

Native tree seedlings are being planted at a tree nursery on Cebu Island.

On Cebu Island in the Philippines, the Soil and Water Conservation Foundation (SWCFI) brings biodiversity protection into the classroom. Students and teachers map local species, monitor biodiversity, and actively protect their surrounding ecosystems. Tree nurseries and small greenhouses make conservation tangible.

Working with the Department of Education, the model is now being integrated into the school system – paving the way for replication across the island and beyond.

Women leading marine conservation in Tanzania

Female fish workers are trained in ecosystem conservation, including the protection of sea turtles.

Along Tanzania’s coast, rich marine ecosystems are under pressure from destructive fishing practices. With IKI Small Grants support, local organisation Sea Sense helped coastal communities to take a leading role in marine conservation. At its core were 160 women fish workers.

What was once policy is now practice: women are actively shaping local governance and conservation efforts: Through training, mentoring and hands-on engagement, they develop local action plans, monitor marine wildlife and work with community leaders.

The project links biodiversity protection with the livelihoods of people and strengthens valuable ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrass meadows and coral reefs in the long term. At the same time the project builds knowledge and skills among the local population so that they can engage in biodiversity frameworks at local, national and international levels – ensuring lasting impact beyond the project.

Find out more about the initiatives:
Ecuador: Education for Sustainable Development in Schools

Philippines: Youth Hands-on Biodiversity Conservation and Management

Tanzania: Empowering Female Fish Workers for Participatory Coastal Management in Tanzania

Zimbabwe: Enhancing Biodiversity and Restoring Bird Populations in Driefontein’s Wetlands

About IKI Small Grants

IKI Small Grants is strengthening local solutions for effective climate and biodiversity action. The programme is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI), commissioned by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN). IKI Small Grants fosters bottom-up solutions while strengthening capacities of local actors. It is run by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Across diverse ecosystems the programme strengthens participation, promotes gender equality, and empowers youth, Indigenous Peoples and local communities for sustainable impacts. More than 40 initiatives specifically focus on biodiversity. Between 2019 and 2025, IKI Small Grants projects have contributed to the effective protection or sustainble management of around 98,000 hectares – an area roughly equivalent to 170,000 football fields.

trainee ambassador for biodiversity

South Africa: Conserving Nature and Heritage for Livelihoods

Written by Bosse Klama on . Posted in News.

With IKI Small Grants, a South African social enterprise proved that conserving biodiversity and culture can go hand in hand with income generation.

When Hendreas Vaalboi gazes upon the expansive land surrounding the modern museum building that was once an abandoned old farm, he sees the land of his people. Hendreas belongs to the San, an indigenous group that represents one of the world’s oldest continuous cultures and one of the last hunter-gatherer societies on earth. It’s people reside in countries across southern Africa. Hendreas also sees a rich natural environment that deserves protection. The land has always provided his people with so much, from food to medicine and more.

A centre for education and employment

Just north of Cape Town, South Africa, a non-profit organisation established a centre to promote and preserve this heritage. The !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre functions as both a museum about the San culture and a tourism destination, offering accommodation, guided tours, a restaurant serving locally sourced traditional food, and a gift shop featuring handcrafted products. The centre creates job opportunities and provides training for community members. It also supports small, San led businesses, including crafters, as well as initiatives like traditional dance groups. Ultimately, the centre aims to become a self-sustaining social enterprise. It also functions as a community hub, particularly for young San people.

For Hendreas Vaalbooi, who leads the restoration team at !Khwa ttu, protecting nature is essential to the San people.

Protecting nature in a biodiversity hotspot

The centre, locally referred to as the “embassy” of the San people, is situated within a Biosphere Reserve, a biodiversity hotspot that hosts globally unique but endangered species. To address habitat loss, the initiative supported by IKI Small Grants established conditions for the Centre’s 850-hectare farm to be legally-zoned as a conservation area. This initiative enables endemic and indigenous vegetation to recover naturally. Active measures to restore the local ecosystem, known as “Fynbos”, included the removal of invasive species and the establishment of plant nurseries.

The project leveraged the indigenous San people’s knowledge about plants and their uses, with young San individuals being trained as biodiversity ambassadors. More than half of the staff on the reserve are women. One of them is Nunke Khadimo, who works as a Nature Guide. She educates visitors about the precious nature reserve surrounding the Centre, which is rich in biodiversity.

International recognition for a successful initiative

During the project supported by IKI Small Grants, the centre welcomed over 40,000 visitors, including 2,400 students. The centre’s successful integration of biodiversity conservation with income-generating activities such as environmental and cultural education and tourism serves as a model for others. It has already received several national and international awards, recognising its impactful approach and work.

Project success secures continued support from IKI Small Grants

The !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre successfully applied for a second IKI Small Grants grant, extending support until 2027 to further protect and restore the valuable Fynbos ecosystems. Educational programmes and biodiversity protection measures are being expanded, while the previously funded business model is being enhanced with an even greater focus on ecotourism. San community members from neighboring countries, Namibia and Botswana, will be trained in areas such as restaurant management and tour guiding.

More information:

!Khwa ttu – Conserving Biological Diversity

Restoring Historically Significant Ecosystems Through Eco-Tourism with the San People in Southern Africa

About IKI Small Grants

IKI Small Grants is strengthening local solutions for effective climate and biodiversity action. It is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI), commissioned by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN). IKI Small Grants fosters bottom-up solutions while strengthening capacities of local actors. It is run by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

From Pastures to Power: Empowering Herder Women in Mongolia

Written by f.lutz on . Posted in News.

An IKI Small Grants project empowered Mongolian herders – especially women – on sustainable livestock and climate adaptation and was honored with the Energy Globe Award for the project.

Arkhangai province, located in central Mongolia, is characterised by a diverse natural landscape with rugged terrain and high peaks. Its numerous rivers and lakes contribute to the region’s lush greenery and fertile valleys. For local communities, the picturesque landscape is also a key source of income: a large share work as herders, producing goods such as dairy products and cashmere wool.

However, Mongolia faces serious climate-related challenges that undermine the livelihoods of herders. These include frequent natural disasters and desertification. Increasing livestock numbers accelerate land degradation. A project by the local non-governmental organisation Mongolian Women’s Fund (MONES) addressed these challenges with a special focus on supporting women herders. They are adapting their livestock practices to better cope with climate change challenges and to safeguard their income base. Sustainable pastoralism contributes to the conservation of the Mongolian steppe, one of the largest remaining grassland ecosystems.

Sustainable herding to strengthen incomes and environment

Supported by the IKI Small Grants programme, the organisation trained herders on sustainable livestock management, animal welfare, and responsible cashmere production to enhance their knowledge, leadership capabilities, and climate adaptation skills. By improving productivity, securing more stable income sources and focusing on livestock quality over quantity, the project reduces vulnerability to climate change while promoting responsible use of natural resources.

Empowering women to lead

The project specifically empowered women to take leadership roles in cooperatives and participate in community decision-making. By supporting women to assume leadership positions, this approach helps them achieve greater financial independence while building resilience to climate change. Of the 351 herders trained, 185 were women.

Participating herders applied animal-friendly, hygienic standards and improved the quality and yield of livestock products. Two cooperatives – comprising 103 households – earned the “Responsible Nomads” certification, enabling them to establish direct supply agreements with major national companies.

International recognition for local action

The impactful work on local climate change adaptation has already been recognised internationally. In 2025, MONES was awarded by an international jury of energy and environmental experts with the Energy Globe National Award Mongolia for their climate action project. Established in 1999, the Energy Globe Award highlights and recognises projects focused on sustainable and innovative solutions to global environmental challenges.

Project video

About the project

Rural Women Leading Climate Actions | IKI Small Grants

About IKI Small Grants

IKI Small Grants, implemented by the German federal enterprise Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), funds local actors which are the driving force for change and essential for effective climate and biodiversity action worldwide. The programme is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI), which is commissioned by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN). IKI Small Grants fosters bottom-up solutions while strengthening capacities of local actors.

Canada and Germany join forces with Nigeria to support local women entrepreneurs

Written by Bosse Klama on . Posted in News.

Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), and Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI) are partnering to make climate and biodiversity financing available for women-led businesses in Nigeria. 

With Canada committing 5 million Canadian dollars – which equals 3.4 million euros – in co-financing, the cooperation builds on the IKI Small Grants “Funding the Funders” approach, enabling local actors to access climate and biodiversity financing through funding institutions in partner countries. With Canada’s financial contribution and Germany’s technical support through the IKI Small Grants programme, the initiative will run until August 2029, allowing the Development Bank of Nigeria to establish a funding programme across the country. The state-owned bank will provide small grants and targeted trainings to women-led micro, small and medium enterprises.

These measures are intended to ensure that companies contribute to climate and biodiversity protection with their products or services, reduce their carbon emissions, and better manage the impacts of climate change. The collaboration aims to reach 5,000 businesses, resulting in approximately 25,000 indirect beneficiaries, including community members. All 5,000 enterprises will receive capacity development, and the 240 most promising ones will be selected for additional seed funding to further enhance their businesses.

The focus is on rural regions, where women in particular are struggling with the consequences of climate change while lacking access to the funds needed to address local effects. For DBN’s managing director, Dr. Tony Okpanachi, achieving social impact through funding is one of the bank’s main objectives.

Dr. Tony Okpanachi is managing director of the DBN.

Bringing funding to local women entrepreneurs

“This partnership with Global Affairs Canada and IKI Small Grants allows us to reach women entrepreneurs who face barriers to accessing climate financing in Nigeria,” says Theresa Lawal, Head of Product Development & Strategic Alliances at DBN. Through the co-financing from Canada, Germany’s IKI Small Grants can support DBN in providing grants for women-led micro, small or medium enterprises – putting them in a better position to adapt to impacts of climate change while growing their business and contributing to the economy. 

“Imagine a woman running an off-grid business adopting solar solutions, or a smallholder farmer transitioning to climate-smart agriculture,” Theresa Lawal describes the target group. “Women in Nigeria receive less than 20% of available funding. This programme will increase financial inclusion, enhance women’s contribution to climate action, and improve their ability to adapt to climate change.”

Theresa Lawal is Head of Product Development and Strategic Alliances at DBN.

Fostering local impact through global partnerships

For Global Affairs Canada, the significance of the initiative lies in its commitment to gender equality, climate action, and economic empowerment in Africa. Arash Irantalab, Head of Development Cooperation at the High Commission of Canada in Nigeria emphasises, “Canada works with African partners by increasing mutually beneficial economic opportunities and advancing key priorities on the international stage to address global challenges, including climate change.” 

The decision to work with IKI Small Grants was based on the requirement “to partner with an initiative that has proven to be effective and successful – thus building on global partnerships for better results in local development.”

Arash Irantalab works at the High Commission of Canada in Nigeria.

Localising access to empower community-led climate and biodiversity action

As various international agreements state, local climate and biodiversity action is essential for global transformation. As one of its financing mechanisms, IKI Small Grants funds national or regional institutions that channel small grants directly to local actors. Simply put, IKI Small Grants “funds the funders”. 

Working with Canadian co-financing channelled through IKI Small Grants, the Development Bank of Nigeria can plan and run a national funding programme, choose the recipients of the small grants and process payouts, while addressing them in their local language and lowering the administrative hurdles for accessing climate financing.

David Fuchs is programme director at IKI Small Grants.

About the project

This project is co-financed by Global Affairs Canada and implemented within the IKI Small Grants programme strengthening local solutions for effective climate and biodiversity action. IKI Small Grants is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and run by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. It is part of Germany‘s International Climate Initiative (IKI).

More info: Boosting Leadership in Climate Action Amongst Nigeria’s Female Entrepreneurs | IKI Small Grants

Find out more about the Funding the Funders approach in this video:

More about the project:

Ecuadorian students planting new plants.

Inspiring Youth to Protect Biodiversity in Ecuador

Written by Bosse Klama on . Posted in News.

Students planting new plants

With support from the International Climate Initiative, Ecuador’s National Institute of Biodiversity (INABIO) worked with 13 pilot schools around the country to create hands-on biodiversity education rooted in local ecosystems. 

What began as a small-scale initiative has now reached over 1,000 schools nationwide through integration into Ecuador’s national curriculum. The project demonstrates how locally led, context-specific education – when trusted and funded – can start lasting systemic change nationwide.

A project rooted in the classroom

In one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, a national shift in environmental education is underway. With support from IKI Small Grants, Ecuador’s Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO) helped pioneer a new approach to teaching biodiversity – one that now reaches schools across the country. It began with just thirteen schools. Through a pilot project, INABIO – supported by IKI Small Grants – set out to integrate biodiversity, climate change, and resource management into students’ everyday learning. But instead of arriving with a ready-made curriculum, they started with observation. “We didn’t arrive with a solution,” says Diego Inclán, Director of INABIO. “We arrived to the schools and learned from the community at the first stage. I mean the teachers, the kids, and the parents. We got the perception of what they feel, what they need – and then we developed tools together.”

Learning to see what was always there

The first step was reawakening perception. In many urban schools, biodiversity was something hidden or unfamiliar. INABIO’s team invited students to explore their surroundings, often for the first time. Equipped with smartphones and the iNaturalist app, which is part of a citizen science project for nature observation, children documented spiders, birds, or insects in schoolyards they’d never noticed before. “Some schools are not green at all,” Diego explains. “But we went outside to search for signs of biodiversity. And then they started to realise – there is biodiversity out there, even if it’s hiding.”

As part of the project’s sustainability interventions, each school received an ecological garden and a composting system. Solar benches were set up to encourage the use of renewable energy for powering educational equipment. Additionally, rainwater harvesting systems were introduced to improve water availability in schools with limited access to potable water. In one school, a greenhouse was installed to support its ongoing project aimed at using greenhouse-grown produce to improve students’ nutrition.

Students focused on documenting biodiversity and asking scientific questions about their local ecosystems. “We wanted to connect the story,” Diego says. “You find a spider – what does it mean? What relationship does it have with other animals, with the environment?”

For Emily Lara, who oversaw the technical implementation of the project, integration was key: “We can’t think about biodiversity if we’re not addressing problems with waste, water, or energy. These issues are interconnected. It’s difficult to talk about a bird or a species when the school doesn’t even have clean water.”

Emily Lara from INABIO oversaw the technical implementation of the biodiversity education project supported by IKI Small Grants.

Nationwide impact through the project

The pilot directly involved 13 schools, among them one inclusive school for children with disabilities, and over 8,000 students, teachers, and community members. But the project’s real breakthrough came unexpectedly – through a piece of homework. “One day I was at home,” Diego recalls. “And my daughter, who wasn’t in a pilot school, told me she’d been given homework to document biodiversity. I thought, ‘Wait, that’s our task!’ The Ministry of Education had taken one of our pilot activities and rolled it out to the entire education system.” That moment marked a major milestone. What started as a hands-on pilot had been adopted into Ecuador’s national curriculum. “It was a huge impact,” Diego says. “We didn’t know it was going to happen. But that’s the way to do it – get one activity into the curriculum, and then it repeats again and again.”

For Diego Inclán, Managing Director at INABIO, the support from IKI Small Grants was essential in elevating the project’s impact to a national level.

The power of supporting local institutions

The success of the project lies not only in the fruitful education initiative – it was also structural. For INABIO, this was the first time their work was formally brought into Ecuador’s education system. And that leap wouldn’t have been possible without the support – and trust – of IKI Small Grants. “If I go alone as INABIO with an idea, I probably won’t be heard,” Diego explains. “But when we said that this is part of an IKI Small Grants initiative, it made people listen.” 

The Funding the Funders approach

Mijako Nierenköther, in charge of the funding line for Funding Institutions of the IKI Small Grants programme, says that’s precisely the intention of the “Funding the Funders” model: “We enable local institutions to lead. INABIO didn’t need to be told what to do – they needed trust, flexibility, and legitimacy to scale what they knew would work. That’s what our model supports.”

Emily Lara saw that principle come alive in practice. “It wasn’t just about the funding,” she says. “We were trusted to do it in our own way – and that made all the difference.” IKI Small Grants also supported the institutional strengthening of INABIO through various capacity development measures. These included the design and preparation of a Call for Proposals, the improvement of financial management procedures, and the enhancement of technical skills such as photography and camera handling for nature monitoring purposes. INABIO staff also received training to strengthen overall project management, along with the use of project management software to support these processes. In addition, the members of the institute attended an IKI Small Grants networking workshop to exchange experiences and discuss lessons learned with other funding institutions supported by IKI Small Grants.

Mijako Nierenköther, head of the IKI Small Grants funding line for funding institutions, attributes the success of the ‘Funding the Funders’ approach to the ownership by the funded organisations.

Lessons that travel beyond the schools

One of the project’s most powerful effects has been how it has reached homes and communities. “Kids go home really happy with what they learn,” Emily recalls. “They teach their parents and neighbours. We had one child come back and say, ‘My neighbour is composting now.’ That was really cool.” She was especially moved by the gendered impact. “Some girls didn’t even imagine they could be a biologist or a scientist. But after the workshops, one six-year-old said to me, ‘I will be a scientist once, and I will be like you.’ That was one of the objectives – seeing that change in them.”

A living curriculum, grounded in lived curiosity

For INABIO, the project is only in its first phase. Monitoring and follow-up will continue, but the foundation has been laid. As a public institution, INABIO plans to sustain the work beyond the life of the grant, directly alongside Ecuador’s Ministry of Education. “We believe that if you want to conserve something, you need to know what you want to conserve,” Diego says. “What we’re trying to do is help children recover that surprise – that emotion – when they see something like a spider. That curiosity is where the story begins.”

About IKI Small Grants

KI Small Grants, implemented by the German federal enterprise Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), funds local actors which are the driving force for change and essential for effective climate and biodiversity action worldwide. The programme is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI), which is jointly commissioned by the German Federal Government. IKI Small Grants fosters bottom-up solutions while strengthening capacities of local actors.

You can find details about the Fund the Funders approach in this video:

Solar-powered e-bikes pave the way for sustainable mobility in Namibia

Written by Bosse Klama on . Posted in News.

Students learn how to build, maintain and repair e-bikes. © EBIKES4AFRICA

With support from Germany’s IKI Small Grants programme for local climate and biodiversity action, EBIKES4AFRICA is making biking accessible and affordable. 

In Namibia’s capital Windhoek, mobility is an everyday challenge – especially for the underprivileged in the city’s sprawling population. By manufacturing its own brand of solar-powered e-bike, introducing rental options, and partnering with social initiatives, the local enterprise is creating alternatives to traditional transport, specifically geared towards underserved communities.

When Olivia Shililifa gets on her bike to ride out into the countryside around Namibia’s capital Windhoek, cycling is more than an exercise. To her, it’s about making a statement for sustainable mobility to her fellow Namibians. “Cycling is a way forward,” she says. “I don’t ride for myself, I ride for a community, I ride for a nation.” Using her influence as a professional cyclist and athlete, Olivia is committed to putting biking on the map in Namibia. She is doing this together with the social enterprise EBIKES4AFRICA, which makes and provides solar-powered e-bikes – with funding and support from Germany’s IKI Small Grants programme.

Olivia Shililifa was a trainee at EBIKES4AFRICA and is now a professional cycling athlete and an inspiration to riders in Namibia. © EBIKES4AFRICA

From A to B: an everyday challenge

Cycling in Windhoek is rarely seen as a viable mode of transport. In recent years, the city has seen a major population influx from rural areas. The city’s borders have expanded, while infrastructure struggles to keep up. Buses are rare and unreliable, and the cost of driving or using taxis is unaffordable for many. Rugged terrain, steep hills, long distances, and scorching heat make traditional bicycles impractical.

“Transport is a big struggle in Namibia,” explains Marita Walther, co-founder of EBIKES4AFRICA. “People spend up to a third of their income on transport alone. There’s a great need to introduce a more cost-effective solution.” The e-bikes her company makes are designed to meet this need. “Riding traditional bikes is exhausting on the many hills of the city. While 10 or 20% of the population may be fit enough to cycle five kilometres to work, 80% are not, because they are too old or too young. We open up possibilities for people to use bicycles.”

Marita Walther runs EBIKES4AFRICA with a mission to promote solar-charged biking in Windhoek. © EBIKES4AFRICA

Bikes “made in Namibia” for local needs and challenges

EBIKES4AFRICA designs and builds e-bikes tailored to Namibia’s local realities and demands. Like all-terrain jeeps on two wheels, the bikes can handle rough roads while remaining affordable to maintain. Built locally by trained Namibian technicians, they feature steel frames, puncture-proof tyres, and solar-powered charging systems. The bikes are built for a wide range of users — from students and commuters to street vendors and entrepreneurs, the enterprise’s main target groups.

16 students from nearby schools learnt how to build 24 e-bikes. ©EBIKES4AFRICA

Looking ahead: future impact and future growth

With a current production capacity of 200 e-bikes per year, EBIKES4AFRICA is actively changing the transport landscape in Windhoek. “We selected EBIKES4AFRICA for its contribution to helping Namibia scale climate-smart, socially equal mobility solutions,” says David Fuchs, IKI Small Grants’ programme director. “This is not a one-off donation. It’s part of a growing response and solution to achieve more transport equality, more climate resilience, and more energy independence.”

Affary Mubonenwa is leading the EBIKES4AFRICA project. ©EBIKES4AFRICA

The project now serves as a blueprint for further e-hubs throughout Windhoek and northern Namibia. It’s a living example of how climate solutions can take root at the local level — driven by purpose, community, and opportunity. With more e-bike riders taking to the streets, figures like Olivia – once a trainee, now a national athlete – are championing safe, efficient, and sustainable transport alternatives in a country well suited for change. As she emphasizes, “Namibia is a cycling paradise.”

More about the project

Locally manufactured E-Bikes with rental system for peri-urban communities | IKI Small Grants

About the organisation

EBIKES4AFRICA is a social enterprise that specialises in electric mobility and solar recharge systems. A pioneering project for Namibia and Africa, EBIKES4AFRICA provides electric-assist bicycles. Electric bicycles are the most affordable and efficient way of moving, and because it is supported by an electric motor and battery, significantly increases distance, speed, and ease of travel for better access to vital facilities. As the first to introduce this technology they believe that their products and projects create the opportunity for Windhoek to be on the forefront of future-driven transport development initiatives.

Links

Website EBIKES4AFRICA

Video documentary featuring EBIKES4AFRICA and project trainee Olivia Shililifa

Concrete walls were constructed around selected villages to reduce erosion induced by strong waves. © GIZ

Holding back the floods in Bangladesh

Written by support on . Posted in News.

Concrete walls were constructed around selected villages to reduce erosion induced by strong waves. © GIZ
Concrete walls were constructed around selected villages to reduce erosion induced by strong waves. © GIZ

In Bangladesh’s flood-prone Haor region, where flash floods threaten homes and livelihoods each monsoon, a project implemented by national financial institution Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) supported by Germany’s IKI Small Grants offers communities new tools and knowledge for adapting to the effects of climate change.

Kalpana Devi lives in Jarulia Village in Bangladesh’s Haor Region © PKSF
Kalpana Devi lives in Jarulia Village in Bangladesh’s Haor Region © PKSF

Almost 3,000 residents are experiencing increased security and stability in their everyday lives, thanks to over 1.5 kilometres of flood protection walls, tree buffer zones, and maintenance training. “Before, we lived in panic and anxiety,” says Kalpana Devi from Jarulia Village in Bangladesh’s Haor Region. “We had to build lofts to keep animals safe. We’d carry bamboo and tie up our cows when the floodwater came. It was exhausting, and still nothing ever felt secure.” The region is a unique wetland ecosystem in the northeast of the country, seasonal flooding is a part of life. Locally called Afal, flash floods have a significant effect on the region, one of the country’s four vulnerable climate hotspot areas.

In recent years, climate change has intensified rainfall and erosion of the villages through the afal waves, leaving low-income communities with fewer options and increasingly vulnerable. As more than 70 per cent of houses are made of mud, they are affected by rain and storm waters that damage homes and other buildings. Each year, families like Kalpana’s spend the equivalent of hundreds of euros on flood repairs, relying on temporary solutions like sandbags and bamboo fencing. Each year, the water returns and puts pressure on the villages and villagers once again.

International backing for local purpose

Launched by the Government of Bangladesh in the late 1980s, the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) is tasked with financing the country’s development projects as part of its vision to bring an end to poverty. Between 2023-2025, with support from the German government’s IKI Small Grants programme, PKSF ran a pilot project to test long-term, climate-resilient infrastructure in some of the region’s most flood-exposed “hatis” – small, isolated village-islands in the Sunamganj district in the country’s northeast. For PKSF, the project offered a chance to pilot new methods in a region often overlooked. “Our role at PKSF is to bring climate-smart development to places where traditional support doesn’t reach,” says AKM Nuruzzaman, General Manager for Environment and Climate Change at PKSF. 

Remote villages and settlements are exposed to high waters and flooding in Bangladesh's Haor region. © GIZ
Remote villages and settlements are exposed to high waters and flooding in Bangladesh’s Haor region. © GIZ

“The Haor region is difficult to access, but we believed in testing solutions here because the need is real – and so is the community’s resilience.” Partnering with the three local NGOs Thengamara Mahila Sabuj Sangha (TMSS), Friends In Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB), and Padakhep Manobik Unnayan Kendra (Padakhep), the project involved constructing over 1.5 kilometres of wave-resistant flood retention walls, planting 1,300+ flood-tolerant indigenous trees, and elevating schoolyards and community grounds to serve as safe spaces during floods. “The living space is safe and protected, women like Kalpana can now build and expand their own home,” Nuruzzaman outlines.

New flood walls and open spaces create safe areas for village residents to gather during monsoon season. © GIZ
New flood walls and open spaces create safe areas for village residents to gather in times of flooding during monsoon season. © GIZ

Funding funders to disburse resources in the Haor region

Working with the IKI Small Grants “fund the funder” approach allowed PKSF to select organisations on the ground with deep ties to the local communities. Using this method, IKI Small Grants channels funding and technical support through intermediaries like PKSF in Bangladesh who then identify, finance, and support local organisations and community-based initiatives. Led by PKSF, the advantage of the selection process through the institution lies in the fact that it can engage local organisations for climate and biodiversity action in their own language and context – directly and effectively.

AKM Nuruzzaman is General Manager for Environment and Climate Change at Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation, Bangladesh's development bank. © GIZ / IKI Small Grants
AKM Nuruzzaman is General Manager for Environment and Climate Change at Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation © GIZ / IKI Small Grants

This model strengthens local ownership, builds long-term capacity for entities like PKSF, and ensures that climate and biodiversity solutions are suited to their context and can grow and be adopted elsewhere. It’s a strategy that lends partners more responsibility to disburse funds and resources themselves and empowers countries to take the lead in driving their own climate resilience and adaptation. 

Challenging work leading to local ownership

From the outset, the work came with challenges. The three villages are very remote. “Just moving materials to the sites was a major hurdle,” Nuruzzaman recalls. “In dry season, there are no waterways. In rainy season, there’s no dry land to store construction supplies. Technical staff didn’t want to stay in such remote areas. We had to build temporary shelters and work with local labour wherever possible.” To make the impact last, PKSF built the project to ensure ownership could remain local. “If anything goes wrong in the future,” he adds, “the villages can maintain things by themselves – without asking experts from the outside.”

Villages provided labour and can now maintain things by themselves – without asking experts from the outside. © GIZ
Villages provided labour and can now maintain things by themselves – without asking experts from the outside. © GIZ

Community members contributed labour, received training on maintenance, and participated in climate adaptation workshops. Women especially noted improvements in freedom of movement after dark, when the rains used to inundate living spaces, and sanitation. Elevated grounds and protection walls make daily life more secure. Boats can now dock properly, transporting people and goods in the region.

Engineer Sadananda Bhattacharya works for the NGO Friends in Village Development Bangladesh © PKSF
Engineer Sadananda Bhattacharya works for the NGO Friends in Village Development Bangladesh © PKSF

Engineer Sadananda Bhattacharya, who oversaw part of the project with local NGO FIVDB, observes: “These families are always in a state of panic when the monsoon season arrives. The residents used to spend 25,000 to 30,000 taka (between 170 and over 200 euros) every year just to hold back the water with bamboo and sandbags.”

Beyond infrastructure

Kalpana sees the benefits in everyday moments. “I no longer have to worry every time clouds gather. Now that the wall protects us, it is easier. I can save the money we used to spend on repairs – and now I use it for my child’s education. That’s the change.” The project now protects some 2,700 residents across three hatis, with interest from neighbouring communities growing.

1.5km of flood retention walls built for three communities © GIZ / IKI Small Grants
1.5km of flood retention walls built for three communities © GIZ / IKI Small Grants

PKSF is preparing larger-scale proposals based on lessons learned to expand these models to other vulnerable regions – from drought-prone areas to cyclone-exposed coastlines. “We are trying to scale up this project,” Nuruzzaman explains. “We are approaching different development partners, and we are also talking with the government so to replicate this kind of project.” For now, the Haor villages have something they didn’t before: a greater sense of safety, a new level of flood protection, and the tools to safeguard their villages themselves.

More about the project

Climate-resilient infrastructure for sustainable community life in the Haor region of Bangladesh

About the organisation

Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) was established by the Government of Bangladesh in 1990 and registered under the Companies Act 1913/1994 as a ‘not for profit’ organization with the vision of ‘A Bangladesh where poverty has been eradicated; ruling development and governance paradigm in inclusive, people-cantered, equitable and sustainable; and all citizens live healthy, appropriately educated and empowered and humanly dignified life’.

Links

Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF)

Manzur is a farmer from Kosht village in northern Pakistan’s Chitral district. He now grows saffron grows with minimal water, even during the dry season. © Aga Khan Foundation

Turning climate risk into opportunity in the Himalayas

Written by support on . Posted in News.

Manzur is a farmer from Kosht village in northern Pakistan’s Chitral district. He now grows saffron grows with minimal water, even during the dry season. © Aga Khan Foundation
Manzur is a farmer from Kosht village in northern Pakistan’s Chitral district. He now grows saffron grows with minimal water, even during the dry season. © Aga Khan Foundation

In Pakistan’s Himalayas, Germany’s IKI Small Grants programme worked with the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) to fund local business efforts to promote cultivating roses and saffron in the country’s high-altitude agriculture. The measures were part of an initiative run in India, Pakistan, and Tajikistan for financing local ideas that turn climate risks into business opportunities that reached 4,000 people directly.

“When it doesn’t rain for a long time, we have to harvest our crops prematurely, losing time, labour, and money,” says Manzur, a farmer from Kosht village in northern Pakistan’s Chitral district. “Now, saffron grows with minimal water, even during the dry season, and restores soil health using manure – not chemicals.” In the highlands of Chitral, Pakistan, reduced rainfall and shrinking glaciers have made farming precarious for local, rural populations. A quiet transformation is taking root – one saffron bulb, one rosa damascene plant after another.

Decision-making at the local level and space for testing new ideas

With support from IKI Small Grants, AKF in Pakistan launched a business challenge for private companies to receive funding for climate-smart business opportunities. In three countries – India, Pakistan, and Tajikistan – the initiative awarded grants to a total of eight local businesses. The German government provided 900,000 euros in funding through IKI Small Grants. The IKI programme is more than just a source of funding. It follows a unique “funding the funders” model, by entrusting local institutions like AKF to design and implement their own funding schemes, and offering support for developing the tools for providing funding. This approach puts decision-making power directly into the hands of those closest to the ground — those who understand local needs and climate pressures.

Muhammad Ali works for the Aga Khan Foundation in Pakistan and teamed up with IKI Small Grants and local businesses to promote climate-smart farming. © GIZ / Deniss Kacs
Muhammad Ali works for the Aga Khan Foundation in Pakistan and teamed up with IKI Small Grants and local businesses to promote climate-smart farming. © GIZ / Deniss Kacs

AKF was wholly responsible for awarding and disbursing the funds locally to the private companies. Muhammad Ali is project manager at Aga Khan Foundation in Pakistan and in charge of the IKI Small Grants project. As he explains, opportunities for climate financing are meagre in Pakistan. “Businesses face issues in securing loans from institutions. IKI Small Grants allowed us to suit requirements to the local context. We could connect with businesses and give them space to test their climate action ideas.”

Climate challenge meets entrepreneurial spirit and vision

Local cosmetics company North Naturals Private Limited was one of three winners with its plan to introduce and cultivate high-value, low-water crops like saffron and rosa damascene in the country’s highlands. What began as an experiment has become a beacon – showing how business and local communities can work together on regenerative, nature-based business models that restore land, livelihoods, and local pride. The two crops are well-suited to the changing climate, requiring little water and no chemical inputs. The idea quickly gained favour.

Farming in Chitral’s Mulkhow Valley has become increasingly difficult, with 53 natural springs drying up between 1998 and 2008, and conventional cash crops like wheat failing. © Aga Khan Foundation
Farming in Chitral’s Mulkhow Valley has become increasingly difficult, with 53 natural springs drying up between 1998 and 2008, and conventional cash crops like wheat failing. © Aga Khan Foundation

Traditional farming in Chitral’s Mulkhow Valley had become increasingly difficult. 53 natural springs dried up between 1998 and 2008, and conventional cash crops like wheat were failing. But this new initiative, supported by IKI Small Grants, asked a simple question: What if climate change didn’t just represent risk, but opportunity? “We’re introducing crops that match the new climate reality,” explains Ali. “Saffron and roses use less water, grow well at altitude, and create value that wasn’t possible with conventional crops.”

Results rooted in local knowledge

By training 140 farmers in how to grow saffron and rosa damascene – reaching over 500 community members indirectly – the project covers an area of 14 hectares and brings traditional wisdom back into action. Composting, once sidelined for synthetic inputs, has been revived using leftover crop waste. Previously burned, releasing carbon, this waste is now transformed into organic fertiliser. Over 50 tons of factory and farm waste were converted into ten tons of compost for organic farming, helping enrich the soil for growing saffron. “Saffron is more than a crop. It’s a return to our roots,” says Manzur. “I remember how my father’s generation shared manure and worked the land together. Now we’re doing it again.”

Manzur is a local farmer in Chitral, Pakistan, making the change to adopt new cash crops and sustainable farming methods. The saffron he holds in his hands provides villages like his with new opportunities. © Aga Khan Foundation
Manzur is a local farmer in Chitral, Pakistan, making the change to adopt new cash crops and sustainable farming methods. The saffron he holds in his hands provides villages like his with new opportunities. © Aga Khan Foundation

Women have also become stewards of this shift. North Naturals trained 100 women in cultivation, harvest and processing of the plants and Manzur’s wife proudly explains how she helped other village women use saffron not only for cooking but also as a natural remedy for winter illnesses in children. “It brings us together. We support each other.”

High value, low input, tangible impacts

Although the first harvest was modest, the 85% growth rate of the saffron bulbs bodes well for future yields – and for transforming unproductive land into sustainable income. “Last year, I spent 150,000 Pakistani rupees (around 450 euros) on wheat and barely broke even,” Manzur recalls. “Saffron is different. It can finally let our land provide us with reliable income.”

Almost 4,000 are benefiting and locally in India, Pakistan, and Tajikistan from Aga Khan Foundation measures for introducing climate-smart solutions. © GIZ | IKI Small Grants
Almost 4,000 are benefiting and locally in India, Pakistan, and Tajikistan from Aga Khan Foundation measures for introducing climate-smart solutions. © GIZ | IKI Small Grants

Even in the early stages, the results are noticeable. Farmers who once struggled to break even with water-intensive wheat are beginning to see saffron as a viable alternative. The project has already led to reduced carbon emissions and improved soil conditions. In this project alone, local farmers planted 12,000 rosa damascene plants and 2.5 tons of saffron bulbs. Across all three countries, AKF’s business challenge reached almost 4,000 people directly – almost half women – and contributed to advancing resilience through climate-smart solutions.

Beyond the highlands: A scalable model

The early success of the highlands project points toward a replicable model – not just for Pakistan, but for any region where climate pressure meets entrepreneurial drive. By working with and through regional partners like AKF, small ideas that bigger funding institutions often overlook can receive funding for local needs. “Compared to other donors, IKI Small Grants let us test a high-risk idea, in a high-altitude region, and it worked,” says Muhammad Ali. “They gave us space to grow.”

From replacing carbon-emitting fertilizers to strengthening community cohesion, this initiative proves that small grants can yield big shifts. “Despite some reluctance initially to diversify from wheat with its quicker returns, communities now see the results,” says Ali. “It takes time to get the returns from saffron and rose cultivation and harvesting. It’s not just about cultivation. It’s about training and learning. The future is better now. Yes.”

More about the project

Turning climate risks to business opportunities – Climate-Smart Business Challenge Initiative

About the organisation

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a private, not-for-profit, non-denominational, international development agency established in 1967 by His Highness the Aga Khan. AKF brings together human, financial, and technical resources to address some of the challenges faced by the poorest and most marginalised communities in the world. With an emphasis on women and girls, AKF invests in human potential, expanding opportunities and improving quality of life.

Links

Aga Khan Foundation

With support from Germany’s IKI Small Grants programme, local organisations worked with communities in Kenya and Nepal to manage the spread of alien invasive species and effects of drought in essential native forests. © IMPACT / GIZ / AMITATIONS

From Kenya to Nepal: protecting forests from alien species

Written by support on . Posted in News.

Across the drylands of northern Kenya and the foothills of Nepal, forests that faced drought, slow degradation and invasions of alien plant species are now springing back to life — thanks to the local communities that depend on them. With support from Germany’s International Climate Initiative, people across continents have taken the lead in restoring almost 300 hectares of damaged ecosystems, removing thousands of tonnes of invasive species, and planting and protecting tens of thousands native seedlings. The result is not just greener landscapes, but renewed local engagement, ownership, and resilience in the face of climate change.

With support from Germany’s IKI Small Grants programme, local organisations worked with communities in Kenya and Nepal to manage the spread of alien invasive species and effects of drought in essential native forests. © IMPACT / GIZ / AMITATIONS
With support from Germany’s IKI Small Grants programme, local organisations worked with communities in Kenya and Nepal to manage the spread of alien invasive species and the effects of drought in essential native forests. © IMPACT / GIZ / AMITATIONS

The forest is everything

In Kenya’s Mukogodo Forest, Maasai tribesman Nicholas Kodei expresses what the land means to his people: “We call it Pasenai, meaning everything. The forest is our total dependence.” At nearly 30,000 hectares, the Mukogodo Forest is the country’s largest national forest reserve. It provides water, medicinal plants, grazing land, and wildlife habitats for indigenous communities – especially during times of drought. But this ecosystem has come under threat. Invasive plants like Opuntia stricta, a large cactus normally at home in the Americas, have spread quickly across degraded areas, crowding out and choking native vegetation and reducing the productivity of land that families rely on. In addition, drought has robbed the community of the means to cultivating crops and raising livestock.

Thousands of kilometres to the east, in Nepal’s Barandabhar forest, communities face similar challenges. The fast-growing vine plant Mikania micrantha, also originally from the Americas and locally known as the “green devil,” has taken over large swaths of forest, smothering biodiversity and threatening livelihoods. “This unique and rich forest is vital for biodiversity, local livelihoods and human health,” says Lila Nath Sharma of ForestAction Nepal. “Conserving it is no longer optional – it is essential.”

Bringing together traditional and modern resources in Nepal

In response to these growing threats, two locally-led reforestation efforts took root, supported by a combined total funding of around €275,000 from IKI Small Grants. In Nepal, ForestAction Nepal and several community forest user groups mobilized to remove invasive species and protect and nurture native trees.

Lila Nath Sharma works for ForestAction Nepal, a local organisation that cooperates directly with communities to drive sustainable reforestation and transformation. © GIZ / Katha Nepal
Lila Nath Sharma works for ForestAction Nepal, a local organisation that cooperates directly with communities to drive sustainable reforestation and transformation. © GIZ / Katha Nepal

Equipped with kutto hoes and simple tools, local residents – mostly women from disadvantaged backgrounds – cleared over 1,500 tonnes of invasive plants from nearly 200 hectares of forest. Once cleared, they planted 50,000 native seedlings to help the forest regenerate naturally.

© GIZ | IKI Small Grants
© GIZ | IKI Small Grants

A concerted effort for regeneration in Kenya

In Kenya, the organisation IMPACT (Indigenous Movement for Peace Advancement and Conflict Transformation) coordinated a similar effort in Laikipia County, reaching over 5,000 people across the Mukogodo Forest region after receiving approximately €170,000 in funding from IKI Small Grants. Youth were trained in tree nursery management, women led reforestation campaigns, and elders provided guidance in land-use planning. On 75 hectares of forest land, the alien cacti were cleared, grass seeds were sewn, and tree nurseries were built for crop farming.

© GIZ | IKI Small Grants
© GIZ | IKI Small Grants

“We’ve had five years of drought and we were trying to cultivate crops and we got nothing,” says Nicholas Kodei. “Now in our tree nursery we intend to propagate 10,000 seedlings every year. Already, we’ve harvested 20 tonnes of maize and 5 tonnes of beans.”

Nicholas Kodei is a Maasai tribesman and member of a local nomad organisation advocating for sustainable management of livestock and agriculture. © GIZ / AMITATIONS
Nicholas Kodei is a Maasai tribesman and member of a local nomad organisation advocating for sustainable management of livestock and agriculture. © GIZ / AMITATIONS

Turning thickets into compost, cactus into wine, marmalade and methane

After the clean-up, a particularly innovative outcome came from Nepal, where communities began turning the cleared invasive weed into compost. “The bushes are regularly cleared and converted into manure,” explains Kumar Gurung, a member of a local forest user group. “Compared to buffalo or chicken manure from the market, this compost makes our chilies, tomatoes, and paddy grow faster,” adds Deepak Lama, a local farmer.

For Kumar Gurung, cutting, clearing and driving out invasive alien species has provided various benefits, including less degraded forest and a new source of biomass. © GIZ / KATHA Nepal
For Kumar Gurung, cutting, clearing and driving out invasive alien species has provided various benefits, including less degraded forest and a new source of biomass. © GIZ / KATHA Nepal

Meanwhile, in Kenya, neighbouring communities in Laikipia County have found creative ways to put the invasive Opuntia stricta cactus species to good use. In another IKI Small Grants project with the local Institute for Peace Development and Innovation that is transitioning from use of firewood to use of biogas, the cactus is now being transformed into biogas, wine, and marmalade, turning an ecological challenge into a source of sustainable energy and income. Both of these examples of innovative uses not only help control the spread of invasive species but also boost local livelihoods and circular economies.

Deepak Lama lives off the Barandabhar forest in Nepal. Using manure harvested from clearing alien invasive species, his crops are benefiting. © GIZ / KATHA Nepal
Deepak Lama lives off the Barandabhar forest in Nepal. Using manure harvested from clearing alien invasive species, his crops are benefiting. © GIZ / KATHA Nepal

Local responsibility key to regreening sustainably

While the metrics added up for both projects are impressive – 275 hectares restored, 60,000 seedlings planted, over 1,500 tonnes of invasive species removed – the true success lies in the shift toward local ownership. In both Kenya and Nepal, communities have deepened their knowledge of ecosystems, developed practical land management skills, and rekindled ties to the forest. “The biggest positive we’ve seen is the community owning up to the management of the forests and surrounding rangelands,” says Lestan Kimiri of the ILMAMUSI Community Forest Association in Kenya.

Lestan Kimiri works with people living off and with the forest in northern Kenya and now sees how engaging the community in reforestation fosters a renewed sense of ownership and commitment. © GIZ / AMITATIONS
Lestan Kimiri works with people living off and with the forest in northern Kenya and now sees how engaging the community in reforestation fosters a renewed sense of ownership and commitment. © GIZ / AMITATIONS

Local solutions applied globally

From Chitwan in Nepal to Mukogodo in Kenya, these projects demonstrate how nature-based solutions – when led by local communities and backed by meaningful support – can restore not just ecosystems, but the relationships people have with their land. And how local solutions can be shared, adapted and applied globally. In late 2023, ForestAction Nepal was one of 11 IKI Small Grants organisations invited to Kathmandu to showcase their impact to an audience of peers, stakeholders and donors – and establish a working relationship with other reforestation projects. Likewise, IMPACT was one of 40 organisations invited to share its results with representatives of government, business, research and the donor community in Nairobi in early 2024. As Frank Krämer, Manager at IKI Small Grants, puts it: “One of our aims is for organisations to implement their projects and then share their solutions, learn from each other, and duplicate where possible. Locally tried and tested approaches to protecting and regreening forests are essential for a world we can all breathe in.”

More about the projects

Grassroot communities taking action for resilient ecosystems in the Mukogodo forest | IKI Small Grants

Managing invasive species in community forests in Nepal | IKI Small Grants

ABOUT THE ORGANISATIONS

Indigenous Movement for Peace Advancement and Conflict Transformation (IMPACT) is a community-based organization founded in 2002. It addresses the root causes of exclusion and poverty affecting indigenous peoples by supporting grassroots movements, strengthening community resilience, and promoting sustainable land and climate practices.

ForestAction Nepal is a learning oriented, not-for-profit organisation working in forestry, agriculture and climate change. It was founded in 2000 and aims to achieve productive, sustainable and equitable natural resource management through action research, policy dialogue and stakeholder engagement at local, regional and national level.

Links

IMPACT Kenya website

ForestAction Nepal website

How fish save sacred forests

Written by Bosse Klama on . Posted in News.

With support from Germany’s International Climate Initiative, Benin’s National Fund for Environment and Climate (FNEC) is working with local organisations to conserve woodlands and pastures, empower communities and transform livelihoods through fish farming, beekeeping and other sustainable sources of income.

Safourath Seïdou, a young farmer living in Bourandou, a community in Benin’s northeastern Bembèrèkè municipality, could never have imagined that she would one day engage in fish farming in the middle of a forest. Of around 3,000 villagers directly impacted by FNEC’s small grants programme for local climate and biodiversity action across the country, she is transforming how she makes a livelihood.

“I did not know you could farm fish like this. With FNEC I learnt how to grow and feed them, everything.” The transition to fish farming, beekeeping, or other sustainable sources of income also relieves the biodiversity of the Sinatabé forest, as the local communities exploit it less, for instance, by collecting firewood or converting the forest into farmland.

Safourath Seïou lives in Benin’s northeastern Bembèrèkè municipality and learned how to breed fish through the project supported by IKI Small Grants. © FNEC

Local impact through local organisations

For Dr. Apollinaire Gnanvi, director of Benin’s FNEC, this is the sort of impact he had envisioned with the fund’s small-grant initiative for climate and biodiversity action. With a 670,000 euro grant from Germany’s IKI Small Grants in 2021, the funding institution conducted a nation-wide call for proposals and financed five projects managed and run by Beninese non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in local communities. “The impacts are multiple and diverse,” Gnanvi explains. “Overall, living conditions have improved for populations, especially those near forests.” Besides around 3,000 people directly benefiting from the NGOs’ activities, Gnanvi adds, “almost 3,000 hectares of land have been restored.” This is the equivalent of about 4,000 soccer fields.

Benin’s nature reserves and ecosystems under pressure

Benin’s forests and pastures are important sources of livelihoods, sustenance and social cohesion in communities. Besides feeling the effects of climate change, the country’s nature reserves are under demographic pressure, suffering from over-exploitation due to increasing poverty and food insecurity in surrounding areas. The focus of the FNEC programme together with IKI Small Grants was to adapt agricultural practices to climate change, protect biodiversity, manage pastures, and sustainably develop resources for generating incomes without affecting the environment and biodiversity adversely. Conducting its own call for proposals, 40 project ideas were submitted. Five NGOs received financial and technical support of up to 90,000 euros each.

New sources of income for local communities

For example, the NGO Association Féminine pour une Jeunesse Epanouie (AFEJE) worked with FNEC to counter forest degradation by restoring vegetation and establishing sustainable land use methods. In the forest’s surrounding areas, they trained local communities in sustainable land management and created alternative income opportunities, including beekeeping, sustainable fisheries, and rabbit breeding. For Pierre Adje Assogba from AFEJE, the project benefits both nature and people: “Regenerating nature allows inhabitants a better quality of life and income without exerting pressure on the forests. The forest is secured.” For FNEC’s director, Appolinaire Gnanvi, economic empowerment goes hand in hand with nature conservation. “People now have income-generating activities. And these projects improve economic, social as well as environmental conditions,” he states.

Pierre Adje Assogba works for a Beninese NGO that has received both financial and technical support to implement sustainable income-generating projects for local communities. © FNEC

Women’s voices heard and respected

Key to safeguarding sustainable development, the projects also focused on improving the role of women in local communities. Gnanvi explains a substantial outcome is “the involvement of women in decision-making processes at the communal level. This is significant because, in the past, women did not participate in decision-making.” Their participation now allows them to be spokespersons in their communities. Their needs and vulnerabilities are addressed, and by giving them a chance to earn their own incomes, women are earning more money than before. This means says Gnanvi, “women can invest part of the income they earn in their children’s education.”

The future for FNEC

The success of the projects has led to further cooperation with IKI Small Grants, mobilising more funds and support for climate change adaptation in Benin. “We started working with IKI Small Grants in 2021 and completed the first generation of projects with significant results. IKI Small Grants recognised it by endorsing another funding round,” Gnanvi remarks. Three successful projects from the first call for proposals were chosen for scaling up in other similar affected regions – this time financed with a significant amount of FNEC’s own resources. For funding institutions like FNEC in Benin, cooperating with IKI Small Grants was an investment in their institutional future, and a stepping stone for receiving larger funding. In early 2025, Gnanvi explains FNEC has managed to accrue $16 million from the United Nations’ Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund.

Dr. Appolinaire Gnanvi is the Director General of the Fonds National pour l’Environnement et le Climat, a Beninese funding organisation that successfully increased its funding budget through international cooperation. © FNEC

Respect and rescue for the sacred forest

In Sinatabé forest, funding and support from Germany’s IKI Small Grants programme through Benin’s FNEC feels very close and very real. Local communities are restoring and conserving woodlands. Trees are protected from felling. Local ranger Désiré Mignanwindé explains, “last year; all these areas were deserted and used for agricultural activities. Now, they are completely covered. It is very rare to see forest areas gaining over agricultural land. This is a true innovation.”

Local ranger Désiré Mignanwindé works in the Sinatabé forest and appreciates the success of the project to conserve woodlands and pastures. © FNEC

The innovation, however, lies in a return to a shared sense of ownership and respect for the forest, which is considered sacred to the local population – and key to local social cohesion. As Solange Akochamou, a village inhabitant, notes, “Other forests have suffered bushfires. We do not have this problem. Everyone now understands this forest is untouchable.”

Solange Akochamou, a resident of the project region, notes that local communities have come to appreciate the value of the nature reserve once again. © FNEC

More about the project

New approaches for climate and biodiversity action | IKI Small Grants

ABOUT THE ORGANISATION

Links

Website FNEC Bénin

© National Development Bank

From diesel to solar – Botswana’s farms go green

Written by Bosse Klama on . Posted in News.

Teaming up with IKI Small Grants, the IKI funding programme for local climate and biodiversity action, Botswana’s National Development Bank offered local grants to help farmers transition to renewable energy solutions. For the bank, cooperating with IKI Small Grants promoted its own standing for further international climate financing.

By funding green farming practices, National Development Bank and IKI Small Grants generated positive climate impacts.

When Gorata Abotseng Lekau looks out over the fields of her farm in Botswana’s Kgatleng district, she sees more than the crops she grows and harvests. She sees a shift in what farming used to be, and what it can be in future: Predictable, reliable and consistent. “The dream of feeding the nation is becoming a reality,” she says. “That is what Botswana’s agenda is all about today.”

Besides contributing to national climate goals, Gorata sees tangible benefits in shifting her farming business to adopt a greener approach. “In the past, we waited for the rainy season to put seeds in the ground,” explains Lekau. We now have year-round production. “We are pumping water using solar and cutting expenses by about 70% a month,” she smiles.

Gorata Abotseng Lekau owns and runs Segogora Holdings and received a grant from National Development Bank.
Gorata Abotseng Lekau owns and runs Segogora Holdings and received a grant from National Development Bank. © NDB

Small grants for smallholders

For Ketumile Direng, responsible for mobilising resources and project management at the National Development Bank (NDB), this is the sort of shift the bank wanted to promote. “We want to transition the farming community to employ more green farming practices.” In 2022, NDB teamed up with IKI Small Grants in Germany to acquire €850,000 in funding for the bank’s call for proposals of its programme Green Energy Transition for Sustainable Agriculture.

Between June and August 2023, the bank invited farmers, horticultural producers and agribusinesses to apply for grants for introducing climate-smart agriculture. The enterprises each received 65% of the cost they were preparing to invest in replacing diesel generators and other climate friendly solutions as a grant.

Promoting renewable energy in off-grid areas

In Botswana, farms are mainly off-grid. Use of renewable energy is rare. Diesel generators used in farming are both costly and add up in the 11% of total national greenhouse gas emissions from the nation’s agricultural sector. NDB’s fund disbursed grants to replace diesel engines or generators with water-efficient irrigation, solar water pumps, or install shade netting for water and energy efficiency, as well as solar photovoltaic systems.

Funding 59 farming businesses for sustainable impact

With funding from Germany, NDB provided funding to 59 smallholder farming businesses. “The number of people funded were just over a hundred.” However, the communities the bank reached numbered “hundreds of thousands” of people, Direng outlines. The bank also effected sustainable change among the businesses. “Beneficiaries experienced a paradigm mind shift. They adopted new and effective and efficient ways of doing business.”

The impact for environment and climate is substantial. On 25 hectares of farmland smallholders now water their plants through drip irrigation. “Replacing diesel pumps has saved about 770 tons of CO2 emissions, and we are saving about 835 litres of diesel use per hectare. With efficient lighting and heating, we have saved 30,000 kilowatt hours of power.”

Funding the funders

The cooperation between NDB and IKI Small Grants shows how funding institutions can achieve impact through ownership of their calls for proposals for local climate and biodiversity action – with financial and technical support from the German programme’s funding line for funding institutions. As Eva Wuttge, responsible for funding institutions at IKI Small Grants explains, “Local institutions appreciate the autonomy. They know best how to achieve national climate and biodiversity targets through local projects, actors and networks.”

The advantage of working with local funding institutions, like banks and foundations, is that they know best what their target group needs. “The calls are in local languages promoted via radio, social media or local newspapers and for a very specific region. That makes it easier for local organisations or businesses to apply for and receive funding than for larger international calls for proposals.” Since 2021, IKI Small Grants has supported six funding institutions with up to €950,000 in financial support each. Their calls have financed some 89 small projects in nine countries.

Boosting reputation, capacity and visibility

The support package from Germany’s IKI Small Grants offers further support to institutions in improving their internal structures and processes and in training their staff. These measures, referred to as capacity building, are “priceless,” as Direng says. “We learnt that capacity development boosts implementation success.” Significantly, National Development Bank now has a standing on the international climate financing stage. Direng concludes by announcing that “NDB is currently in the advanced stages of seeking accreditation from the Adaptation Fund,” the larger United Nations fund that finances projects for adapting to global warming.

Ketumile Direng is responsible for mobilising resources and project management at Botswana’s National Development Bank.
Ketumile Direng is responsible for mobilising resources and project management at Botswana’s National Development Bank. © NDB

Sustainable solutions for sustainable agriculture

In Botswana’s Central District, smallholder farmer Tshenko Kabelano Magapu clearly shows the effect IKI Small Grants can have in introducing sustainable solutions for sustainable agriculture. A doctor who practices horticulture, Magapu proudly explains how she has transitioned to sustainable agriculture and how IKI Small Grants contributed to that success.

The support enabled the installation of a shading net and a drip irrigation system. Besides the consistent shade and water she now has, the grant allowed her to fulfil her life’s purpose. “I do horticulture because I advocate for a healthy lifestyle.” Going green now allows her to contribute “to food security, not only of Makoro community, but the country at large.”

On her farm in Botswana’s Central District, Tshenko Kabelano Magapu improved water and energy efficiency and now grows more crops with support from NDB.
On her farm in Botswana’s Central District, Tshenko Kabelano Magapu improved water and energy efficiency and now grows more crops with support from NDB. © NDB

More about the project

Green energy transition for sustainable agriculture | IKI Small Grants

ABOUT THE ORGANISATION

The National Development Bank (NDB) was established under an act of parliament in 1963. The Bank is owned by the Government of Botswana and operates under the control of a Board of Directors appointed by the Minister of Finance and Development Planning. As a Development Financial Institution, NDB is viable and self-sustaining and continues to contribute immensely to the growth of the local economy. Its mission is to provide sustainable, innovative financial products and services for the development of the entire agricultural value chain through partnerships.

Links

Website National Development Bank of Botswana

© IPFG

Rwandan environmental organisation supported by IKI Small Grants secures long-term funding

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The fundraising training provided by the IKI Small Grants programme has borne fruit: The organisation Initiative pour la Promotion de la Famille et du Genre was able to acquire funding amounting to 3.6 million euros. This will secure their work for the future.

Project manager Janvier Ngambo of the Rwandan environmental organisation Initiative pour la Promotion de la Famille et du Genre
According to project manager Janvier Ngabo, the IKI Small Grants funding helped in aquiring new funding for the Rwandan organisation.

The organisation assists particularly vulnerable rural populations in preparing for the impacts of climate change. They design and implement tailored training in agroforestry and climate change and advise local authorities on better aligning their strategies with the needs of the local population. IKI Small Grants collaborated with the organisation for two years. During this time, roughly 300 community members were trained in sustainable natural resource management techniques, 44 members of village environmental committees received climate-related training, 4 climate adaptation plans were developed, and 98 water tanks were installed.

Strengthening Fundraising and Communication – A means to achieving sustainability

Another of the project’s key focuses was to strengthen the organisation’s fundraising and communication skills. According to project manager Janvier Ngabo, these capacity development measures had a significant impact, helping the organisation secure a new long-term project. In doing so, IKI Small Grants became a trailblazer in ensuring the sustainability of local initiatives.

The project targeted rural community members. It specifically addressed vulnerable groups, such as female headed households including single mothers or disabled and elderly people.

More about the project

Improving adaptation capacities for vulnerable households in Nyamagabe District | IKI Small Grants

ABOUT THE ORGANISATION

IPFG is a non-governmental organization founded in 2002 based in Nyamagabe District in Rwanda. All members are concerned about the welfare and full development of the family based on gender equality and the participation of men and women in all programmes aimed at strengthening fairness and democracy. Its mission is to promote and reinforce complementarity between man and woman and to encourage their participation in actions aimed at social and economic development.

Links

Website Initiative pour la Promotion de la Famille et du Genre (IPFG)

German Minister Habeck next to NGO HelpSelfHelp Centre representative, Lucy Muiruri explaining how essential oils help to reduce deforestation

What’s that aroma? Minister Habeck experiences reforestation in Kenya!

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In a recent visit to Kenya, German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, met with Help Self Help Centre, an NGO managing an IKI Small Grants funded reforestation project active in the Mount Kenya region. NGO representative, Lucy Muiruri, explained to the German minister how essential oils can help revitalize degraded land. With a budget of less than 90,000 euros, the organisation planted more than 150,000 indigenous trees through the IKI Small Grants project to restore the habitat for wildlife and trained over 1,300 members of the community in reforestation.

Forests act as natural carbon sinks that benefit the climate. The project creates an incentive not to cut down trees for firewood, as the local community is shown how tree parts can be used to make products. The planted trees produce essential oils, tea-like leaves or dyes for the paint industry and therefore serve as an additional source of income for the local population.

German Minister Habeck next to NGO HelpSelfHelp Centre representative, Lucy Muiruri explaining how essential oils help to reduce deforestation
German Minister Habeck and Lucy Muiruri, representing HelpSelfHelp Centre, as she explains how essential oils help to reduce deforestation © GIZ Kenya

The project by the organisation HelpSelfHelp Centre serves as a model for integrating community involvement in forest restoration efforts. It highlights the significant role of local communities in achieving sustainable outcomes. The approaches and lessons learnt are shared with other reforestation initiatives in Kenya.

With international support and local participation, projects like these can pave the way for sustainable environmental and economic development. Minister Habeck emphasized the importance of such projects in addressing the dual challenges of poverty and climate change.

Project impact

As the first funded project has been very successful, Help Self Help Centre has now received a second round of funding from IKI Small Grants. The team will extend its reforestation activities with the new funding.

Minister Habeck’s visit concluded with a pledge to continue fostering partnerships and supporting similar initiatives to ensure that reforestation efforts not only restore ecosystems, but also improve the livelihoods of local communities.

Around 40% of the community forest association members trained in reforestation are women.
Around 40% of the community forest association members trained in reforestation are women © Help Self Help Centre

Links:
Community-driven regeneration of native forests at Mount Kenya | IKI Small Grants

Community driven regeneration of native forests in Kenya | PANORAMA

Help Self Help Centre (HSHC) – Ending poverty and environmental degradation


About the organisation

Help Self Help Centre is a Kenyan development agency, registered in 1993. Its mission is to work with smallholder farmers and the food and chemical industries to eradicate poverty and environmental degradation through sustainable management of natural resources. The organisation replants native trees that have a commercial value for local people. With this the organisation wants to protect and recreate original natural forests that address the habitat requirements of local wildlife. It further aims to plant commercial relevant tree species and ensure that communities protect those trees.

About IKI Small Grants

IKI Small Grants, implemented by the German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), funds local actors which are the driving force for change and essential for effective climate and biodiversity action worldwide. It is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI), which is jointly commissioned by three German Federal ministries. IKI Small Grants fosters bottom-up solutions while strengthening capacities of local actors.

Jennifer Morgan, Germany’s State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action, unveiled the 6th Call for Proposals of the IKI Small Grants programme.

Jennifer Morgan announces new round of small-scale funding for local organisations at COP29 in Baku

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Eligible organisations can now apply for funding of up to 200,000 euros on the Applications page of the IKI Small Grants website until 15th January 2025.

At the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Baku, Jennifer Morgan, Germany’s State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action, kicked off the 6th Call for Proposals of the IKI Small Grants programme on 18th November 2024. This announcement reinforces Germany’s commitment to local action in tackling climate change and biodiversity loss. Eligible organisations can now apply for funding of up to 200,000 euros on the Applications page of the IKI Small Grants website until 15th January 2025.

Local actors close to people affected most

Part of Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), IKI Small Grants provides funding and capacity building support to local organisations in countries eligible for Official Development Assistance (ODA). The programme focuses on supporting and promoting innovative, localised approaches to the climate and biodiversity crises.

“I have been working a lot with civil society organisations my whole life and I know how much they can achieve in impact with comparatively small amounts of funding,” Morgan said during her speech at the COP29 in the German Climate Pavilion. “Germany supports local actors and organisations with funding for their local solutions. They are at the frontline of climate change and biodiversity loss and close to the people affected most.”

Up to €200,000 in funding for project ideas

The newly announced call for proposals is open to not-for-profit organisations and select private entities with non-profit objectives. Eligible applicants must have operated for at least three years and demonstrate sound financial and organizational structures. Projects must address one or more of the IKI’s key funding areas:

Funding amounts range between €60,000 and €200,000, with project durations spanning one to two years. Morgan encouraged new project applications, saying, “Get your ideas flowing, we are very much looking forward to receiving innovative concepts and project ideas.”

In addition to financial support, IKI Small Grants also works with recipient organisations, equipping them with the skills and resources to scale their impact.

Part of the IKI DNA

Morgan highlighted the importance and impact of the IKI Small Grants approach, stating, “We hear about the need for local action, and this is also part of the IKI’s DNA. In the past five years, IKI Small Grants has provided funding for projects and 125 NGOs and institutions in over 50 countries. They are essential actors of change.”

The application process is open now, with interested organizations required to send in their application by 15 January, 2025. Shortlisted applicants will then submit detailed project proposals by 12 March, 2025. Selected projects will begin implementation in early 2026.

For further details and application guidelines, visit the application page on the IKI Small Grants website.

From excess to energy: su-re.co’s biogas initiative for agriculture in Bali and Flores

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See the su-re.co videos on their work with IKI Small Grants empowering local farmers with biogas in Indonesia

In the lush landscapes of Bali and Flores, where agriculture shapes daily life, farmers have faced challenges that threaten both their livelihoods and the environment. The reliance on firewood for cooking has led to deforestation, household air pollution, and health problems. However, a project led by su-re.co, with funding from Germany’s IKI Small Grants programme, is changing this narrative.

The project: clean energy and sustainable agriculture

The biogas initiative, launched by su-re.co (Sustainability and Resilience Co), started in 2021 with less than 50,000 euros in funding from IKI Small Grants, part of Germany’s International Climate Initiative, and installed more than 40 biodigesters across rural areas in Bali and Flores. These systems convert livestock waste into biogas for cooking and organic fertilizer for farming. The project not only addresses environmental concerns for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, but also enhances the livelihoods of farmers by reducing energy costs and improving crop yields.

Through IKI Small Grants, su-re.co received support for implementing and scaling this innovative solution. The funding also allowed for developing training programmes, market connections for farmers, and advocacy with policymakers.

Transforming farming and everyday living

Farmers like Komang Mertayasa, a cacao farmer in Jembrana, Bali, have experienced the benefits of cutting use of firewood and chemical fertilisers. “I used to collect two piles of firewood, now I only need half that amount,” he shares. Now, with biogas, the household can cook with the clean energy generated from the digester. “First, I collect the cow dung,” he explains, “Then I add water and mix it well. It goes in the biogas digester inlet, and after it produces gas, I’ll use that to cook.”

The day after filling the digester, Komang then uses and collects the bio-slurry waste and uses it as fertiliser. “For my cacao and coconut trees,” he adds. “It reduces costs, so I can save money.”

Impacting the community

The programme has also fostered community collaboration. Farmers share knowledge on maintaining biodigesters and growing crops more sustainably. “Currently, I’m the only one benefitting from this in the village,” says Komang. “My friends want this too!”

Su-re.co’s work goes beyond individual households. By engaging with cooperatives and policymakers, the initiative is creating a ripple effect. Local authorities have visited villages to witness the impact, spurring discussions on scaling biogas adoption nationwide. The organization is also exploring opportunities to replicate the model in other regions.

Building resilience and sustainability

This project highlights the power of combining innovation, education, and grassroots action to address environmental and social challenges. By empowering rural communities, su-re.co and IKI Small Grants demonstrate how sustainable solutions can transform lives through local climate and biodiversity action.

For more information on this project, visit the IKI Small Grants project page.

Videos from our work in Nepal now streaming on YouTube

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IKI Small Grants presents a series of new videos from ongoing projects in Nepal streaming on our YouTube channel and on the project’s pages. The videos illustrate the innovative and sustainable methods the small organisations use to tackle the challenges of deforestation, sustainable cooking and invasive species.

From firewood to electric cooking

“Promoting electric cooking in Nepalese households” features the project implemented by People, Energy and Environment Development Association (PEEDA), in Nepal’s Baiteswor rural municipality. An estimated 70 per cent of Nepalese households cook with firewood. However, use of traditional wood-fuelled cookstoves is one of the main causes of indoor air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in Nepal. As women are the primary users of cookstoves, traditional means of cooking severely impact women’s health and well-being. Not only does the traditional approach pose a risk to health. Extracting firewood puts pressure on forests due to deforestation and loss of soil fertility. The project promotes using electric stoves to provide cleaner, healthier, and cooking with less pollution to 500 households in the municipality. At the same time, cooking with electricity is less time-consuming, helping to empower women and promote equality in Baiteswor’s communities.

Cooking with biogas in Tulsipur

“Clean energy initiatives in Dang District, Nepal” also promotes clean energy for households in rural areas in Tulsipur Sub-Metropolitan City. Besides firewood, the Nepal’s rural population uses cow dung cakes for cooking and heating. Wildlife Conservation Nepal (WCN) is working on installing up to 200 biogas plants, a sustainable source of cooking and heating. Thanks to the installations, emissions are already decreasing and the ease on forests burden has opened the path for reforestation. Up to 5,000 households benefited from trees planted on 100 hectares of community forest. A further 200 households benefit from reduced soil nutrient depletion, relevant as drought is one of the major threats in the region. To promote further awareness on climate change and mitigation strategies, a new radio programme started in coordination with Tulsipur Sub-Metropolitan City, broadcasting educational content on climate action for the local population.

Transforming thorns into manure for livelihoods

Forest conservation is at the heart of the project “Managing invasive species in community forests in Nepal” in Chitwan National Park. The local NGO Forest Resources Studies & Action Team is working on the challenge of managing Invasive Alien Plant Species (IAPS), a growing burden in many of Nepal’s community forests. Species such as Mikania micrantha, Chromolaena odorata and Lantana camera compromise biodiversity and ecosystems and people’s access to forest resources. Chitwan National Park represents 13% of Nepal’s forest area, and Forest Resources Studies and Action Team works together with local community forest user groups (CFUGs) to turn IAPS into manure for agriculture. So far, Forest Resources Studies and Action Team and other IKI Small Grants projects in Nepal have together restored 5,000 hectares of community forest, an area that equals approximately the size of the country’s capital, Kathmandu. Through methods and tools in line with local people’s traditions and ecosystem, the project also works to reduce the use of chemicals.

IKI Small Grants projects at the UN Ocean Decade Conference 2024

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Two impactful projects supported by IKI Small Grants were prominently featured at the recent UN Ocean Conference, highlighting innovative approaches to biodiversity conservation and community empowerment. Under the motto “The ocean is not only the cradle of life, it holds the keys to an equitable and sustainable future”, the Ocean Decade Week took place in Barcelona, Spain 8th – 12th  April 2024, hosted by the Spanish government. Among the many activities happening around the city, the Ocean Decade Conference was the highlight of the week, bringing together projects, communities and partners all around the world to evaluate the progress of the decade. In the framework of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), the year 2024 marked the fourth year of implementation. Under the leadership of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO) on behalf of the United Nations System, the Ocean Decade has already catalysed more than 350 national and regional projects, and formalised close to 100 contributions of financial resources to work towards the Ocean Decade Challenge.

Representatives from Sea Sense in Tanzania and Reef Check Malaysia shared their experiences, showcasing the vital role of local initiatives in achieving global ocean sustainability goals by directly engaging with communities, addressing local environmental and social issues, and implementing sustainable practices. These grassroots initiatives, supported by IKI Small Grants, are vital for translating global ocean sustainability goals into actionable local solutions.

Bridging biodiversity and gender equality in Tanzania

Dr. Lindsey West, Technical Advisor for Sea Sense, attended the conference to present the project “Empowering female fish workers for participatory coastal management in Tanzania”, an initiative that tackles the intersection of biodiversity loss and gender inequality in Tanzania. Their work aligns well with Challenge 2 of the Ocean Decade Challenge (Protect and Restore Ecosystems and Biodiversity) and emphasizes the human dimensions of ocean sustainability. Her contributions to the Challenge 2 White Paper discussions were well-received, leading to her invitation to participate in the final review.

West participated in various events focusing on Ocean Literacy and transdisciplinary approach, two of the main concepts of the Vision 2030 Outcomes Report. The sessions underscored the necessity of “understanding our individual and collective impact on the ocean and its impact on our lives”, she said.

Two key takeaways for West were the evolution of ocean literacy and its role in promoting sustainable practices, and the empowerment of women in ocean sciences. Additionally, she is aiming to contribute to the Vision 2030 process and engage with UNESCO to enhance Sea Sense’s impact.

West also showcased the importance of IKI Small Grants by discussing how the IKI Gender Strategy and Guidelines have guided Sea Sense’s projects. This endorsement highlighted the significant support IKI Small Grants provides in advancing gender equality and biodiversity conservation.

Empowering local communities in Malaysia

Adzmin Fatta, Programme Manager for Reef Check Malaysia, shared insights on their “Coral restoration toolkit for community-based action at the east coast of Sabah” project, funded by IKI Small Grants. His presentation emphasized a science-based approach to empowering local communities in marine conservation, aligning with Ocean Decade Challenge 1 (Ocean Literacy).

Before the main conference, Fatta attended a satellite event at the Institut De Ciencies del Mar, where he participated in a session on global ocean literacy initiatives. The event provided valuable insights into various efforts aimed at enhancing ocean literacy among different stakeholders, including an initiative that engaged surfers in plastic cleanup efforts and also featuring Reef Check Malaysia’s approach.

During the conference, his presentation underscored the importance of involving indigenous and local communities in marine biodiversity conservation. The White Paper for Challenge 2, which incorporated these aspects, received positive feedback and will be revised based on inputs from the conference.

The conference provided networking opportunities. It was “a good reassurance that everyone is doing their part to contribute to a global effort”, Fatta affirmed. He was able to attend the conference thanks to capacity building funding by IKI Small Grants.

The participation of Sea Sense and Reef Check Malaysia in the UN Ocean Conference, facilitated by IKI Small Grants, underscores the critical role of community-based initiatives in global ocean conservation efforts. Both Dr. Lindsey West and Adzmin Fatta demonstrated how local action, supported by international funding and strategic guidance, contribute significantly to the Ocean Decade Challenges. Their testimonies highlighted the importance of integrating human dimensions into ocean sustainability and showcased the tangible impacts of IKI Small Grants in fostering innovative and inclusive conservation practices.

Tuesday online consultations for 5th call for proposals

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Over three Tuesdays, IKI Small Grants is holding Online Consultation Hours to address queries or concerns about the application process for the 5th call for proposals. On 20th and 27th February, and on 5th March between 9-10am CET and 4-5pm CET, these sessions offer an opportunity for potential applicants to ask questions on application procedures, program prerequisites, and any other related matters. All organisations interested in submitting an application or that have created an account are welcome to join the consultation as an aid for their application process.

The Online Consultation Hours are over three Tuesdays in February and March, providing a platform for organisations to engage directly with the IKI Small Grants applications team. Whether they require support navigating application requirements or simply need further insights into programmes, the team is here to provide guidance.

Details:

📅 Dates: 20.02.2024, 27.02.2024 & 05.03.2024

⏰ Times: 9:00-10:00 and 16:00-17:00 CET

🖥️ Links:

Select the date for the 9:00 – 10:00 CET time slots

20th February 2024

27th February 2024

5th March 2024

Select the date for the 16:00 – 17:00 CET time slots

20th February 2024

27th February 2024

5th March 2024

IKI Small Grants understands the importance of a well-informed application process and is dedicated to ensuring our organisation’s journey is as seamless as possible.

For urgent questions, organisations can contact IKI Small Grants at iki-small-grants@giz.de.

Weekly info sessions for budget submissions to the 5th Call for Proposals

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On Friday 23rd February, Friday 1st and Thursday 7th March, IKI Small Grants is holding morning and afternoon online sessions to provide guidance on filling in the budget section of IKI Small Grants applications for the 5th Call for Proposals. Organisations that have created an account and are waiting to submit are welcome to join the budget information sessions as an aid for their application process.

The sessions equip potential applicants with the knowledge needed for the budget templates and give guidance on how to properly fill in the revenue template to ensure alignment with IKI’s guidelines and requirements.

Details:

📅 Dates: 23.02.2024, 01.03.2024 & 07.03.2024

⏰ Times: Morning session between 9:00-10:00 and afternoon session between 16:00-17:00 CET

🖥️ Links:

Select the date for the morning 9:00 – 10:00 CET time slots

23rd February 2024

1st March 2024

7th March 2024

Select the date for the afternoon 16:00 – 17:00 CET time slots

23rd February 2024

1st March 2024

7th March 2024

The sessions walk applicants through the specifics of the IKI Small Grants budget template, best practices and what to bear in mind when filling out the revenue template.

The sessions also provide opportunities for addressing any queries applicants have. The team at IKI Small Grants is also available at iki-small-grants@giz.de if applicants are encountering problems or have questions

5th Call for Proposals now ready for applications until 13 March 2024

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Small organisations in ODA-eligible countries can apply for funding for climate and biodiversity projects. The IKI Small Grants call for proposals is open until 13 March 2024.

This international call for proposals addresses small regional, national, and local organisations based in ODA-eligible countries (except for current and potential EU member candidates, other than Ukraine).

They are invited to apply directly for funding for local or regional climate and biodiversity projects. IKI Small Grants provides funding of between EUR 60,000 and 200,000 and is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Government.

Local initiatives and solutions for global challenges

Ambitious project proposals should focus on one or more of the following IKI funding areas:

  • Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions
  • Adaptation to the impacts of climate change 
  • Conserving natural carbon sinks with a focus on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation
  • Conserving biological diversity

We further explicitly encourage projects which:

  • Support action on the ground to contribute to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030
  • Promote a just transition of economies towards decarbonization including fair social change especially for vulnerable groups
  • Strengthen networks, knowledge sharing and cooperation of organisations working on climate change and biodiversity related issues
  • Develop and promote use of climate smart technologies
  • Contribute to awareness raising and education regarding climate change and biodiversity
  • Engage in cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder cooperation
  • Support implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

The selected organisations are accompanied and supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, which implements the IKI Small Grants Programme on behalf of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the Federal Foreign Office (AA) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV).

Small-scale projects on climate and biodiversity action worldwide

Under the IKI Small Grants programme, many projects are to be selected in the coming years via international calls for proposals and funded with up to EUR 200,000 each. Four calls for proposals have already been implemented, and more than 120 projects in over 50 countries have been selected so far.  

Further information including the funding information and application guidelines can be found at https://iki-small-grants.de/application/