The objectives of the Preparing for Assessment block were:
- Conduct a feasibility check, to determine whether SAPA was an appropriate methodology for assessing the social impacts of Kamungi.
- Plan for the assessment, to ensure that the assessment was implemented as a high-quality multi-stakeholder process
- Conduct community mapping, to help ensure that SAPA included all relevant communities within Kamungi.
- Review existing information, To ensure the assessment builds upon existing data relevant to the design and implementation of the assessment.
- Conduct stakeholder analysis, To identify critical actors that should be engaged in SAPA
The SAPA team provided an overview of the SAPA to TT and Kamungi Conservancy management, this was followed by a community visit for mapping and awareness of the SAPA process, Two facilitators from Kamungi were identified, a male and a female, and trained for 2 days on gathering data from community members on positive and negative effects TT has had in the area. TT management provided the necessary data to facilitate the assessment and identified and ranked its stakeholders, clarifying their interests and Influence, the preparation phase helped set the base for the assessment ensuring all checkboxes were catered for and paving the way for the next building block
TT management provided relevant information on their community interventions and facilitated in community mapping, they also provided a vehicle to support on logistics during the period.
TT contracted experienced consultants who conducted the SAPA process professionally within the set timelines
The good relationship between TT, Communities and Key Stakeholders made the participatory data collection process a success
Timely availing of project funds from BIOPAMA for the acities
1. Through the SAPA process the TT identified the need to conduct more frequent meetings and community engagement in Kamungi Conservancy and surrounding villages that do not form part of the Kamungi Conservancy – especially on the projects TT is implementing.
2. We learned that it is important to update Communities and stakeholders on project interventions. This ensures that there is an element of project ownership and that its impacts are felt and measurable.