World Vision Wins Ethiopia's CSO Best Practice Award
World Vision Ethiopia Humbo farmers managed natural regeneration (FMNR) project has won the first Ethiopia's Civil Society Organizations' (CSO) best practice award for its innovativeness, special significance to the general public, exemplary achievement in involving the community and partners, scalability and cost effectiveness.
World Vision Ethiopia and other winning non-governmental organizations were given certificate and award by Ethiopia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Hailemariam Desalegn on June 7, 2012 in an event organized by Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Association (CCRDA).
An independent jury established to select good practices of non-governmental organizations and the Ethiopian Quality Award Organization involved in the process announced that Ethiopian Orthodox Church Development Commission, World Vision Ethiopia, Jerusalem Children and Community Development Organisation, Tiret Community Empowerment Association, and Integrated Development Enterprise have won the award among the entries from over 45 projects submitted.
As an outcome of the World Vision's FMNR project, Humbo community is becoming food self-sufficient with more than 22,000 people graduating and moving out of safety net programme, CCRDA Executive Director Dr. Meshesha Shewarega pointed out.
Regular and reliable rainfall, regeneration of trees with medicinal and food value, returning of wild animals to the forest, availability of grass for cattle, wood and water to the community are among the impacts of the project, he disclosed.
It was announced during the award ceremony that the project was selected as the best practice to be replicated across the country and Africa to restore so many barren mountains and to develop resilience while improving natural base of the community to reduce carbon emission from the atmosphere.
The World Vision Australia funded Humbo Community Managed Natural Regeneration project was launched in 2006 in Humbo district of southern Ethiopia in collaboration with the community to promote sequestration of carbon dioxide through the technique of regeneration of native forest, improving the biodiversity, ground water recharge and reduction of soil erosion from runoff.
Starting in 2009, the first and the second carbon sales payment from World Bank amounting 82,000 USD has been transferred to the members of the Humbo community.