Project Concept Note

1. Project Profile:
1.1 Project Tittle: - Schools Capacity Building for Sustainable Development &
livelihood improvement
1.2 Implementing Agency: Ethiopian Catholic Church Social and Development

Coordination Office of Bale Robe (ECC SDCOBR)

Address: P.O.Box 19 Kofele

Telephone 251-1461120031 / 251-916581659

E-mail: Feyisa.G@gmail.com

1.3 Project Location: Ten Catholic Schools at 9 Woredas of Bale and West Arsi Zones, Oromia

1.4 Total Project Budget: ETB ------------------------------

1.5 Project Duration: - Three years

1.6 Project Target Areas: - Bale & West Arsi Zone of Oromia

1.7 Project Beneficiaries: -

 Direct beneficiaries about ------------- HHs,

 Indirect beneficiaries ---------------peoples

1.8 Stakeholders and Partners: ECC SDCBOR is working in partnership with different donors

like CRS/USAID, CRS/FAO, CARITAS international are

among the major donors, Government line offices & target

Community
2.Background of ECC SDCOBR

The Ethiopian Catholic Church Social and Development Coordination Office of Bale Robe (ECC
SDCOBR) was established in the year 1992E.C following the Organizational structures of
Ethiopian Catholic Church Social and Development Commission (ECC SDCO) National Office
in accordance with the law and regulations of the Ethiopian Government.

The governing body of the organization is the Catholic Bishop Conference of Ethiopia. There are
three services managers and are the management committee members who run the program.
There are five departments that are supported by officers and sector experts.

The main office of the coordination office is

located at Kofele town to facilitate and runs
the development goals, in the Two zones of
Oromia / Bale and East Bale/ and three
zones /Dawa, Liben, and Afdher/ of
Somalia regional States. The Coordination
Office has a guide lines for implementation
of the program that are to bring about wider
impact on the livelihoods of small holders
in its operational areas.

Based on this guiding principle ECC SDCOBR has been supporting the most vulnerable groups
of the community in their selected respective woredas and kebele through livelihood and basic
service improvement programs in its targeted areas. It has been involved in Integrated Rural
Development programs/projects like Education, Health, Women economic development,
Agriculture and Food security. It also implements emergency response projects to save lives and
protect people in humanitarian crisis.

Since in 2012 during the establishment of the prefecture, ECC SDCOBR has a total of 92-man
power at all level (Administrative, Program and Supportive). But currently ECC SDCOBR has a
total of 228-man power in different projects.
ECC SDCOBR has been working with different regional, zonal and district level government
signatories and stakeholder offices and also with International and local partners. The major
funding donors for ECC SDCOBR are Bishop Conference of Italy and different missionary
people from all over the world.

3. Justification of the Project / Problem Statement:

Since schools are the center of intelligence, d uring the last decade ECC SDCBOR has focused on
education, child and women protection, supporting orphans and vulnerable children, improving
the livelihood and food security of small holder farmers, water supply and sanitation,
environmental protection, disaster risk reduction and mitigation around its program areas.
Education lies at center of ECC SDCBOR community development endeavor. the program is
designed to empower children and other community members to enable them realize and make
use of their potential. Under education program of Robe Catholic Secretariat, there exist 10
schools which focuses on tutorial program, functional adults’ literacy, alternative basic education
(ABE), school capacity development (construction of additional classrooms, library and
laboratories, teachers’ trainings, provisions of teaching materials, school club supports, girls’
education, early childhood education, inclusive education and information services etc.).

Besides these, ECC SDCBOR primarily works to tackle urban and rural poverty, urban and rural
agriculture has been one of the elements of its community development program that intended to
promote household food security, job opportunity, income generation and better health due to
diversification of food item through bio-intensive gardening, highland fruits, small-scale
ruminants’ husbandry and backyard poultry.

Nowadays, as it is mentioned in the integrity of Creation under the Core Value of our
organization, ECC SDCBOR has planned to work on community minds and school capacity
building through the minds of their school children to shape the new generation at each of the 10
Catholic schools around 4 woredas of Bale and 5 woredas of West Arsi zone in Oromia on the
urgency of environmental protection, proper utilization of the environmental resources and
further develop capacity to protect the same for the sustainable live insurance of the target
community. These efforts can be attained through Women and youth economic empowerment
with the aim of improving the status of youth and women through promoting SHGs (self-help
groups). Through these SHGs, ECC- SDCBOR (RCS) facilitates an atmosphere wherein women
and youth can unlock their potential and work towards their own development to ensure
sustainable livelihood improvement. RCS believes that SHGs approaches entails women and
youth socio-economic empowerment and thereby contributes to gender equality. We work on
livelihood of unemployed youth and women with the aim of creating employment opportunities
and make them economically self-reliant. ECC- SDCBOR (RCS) found working with CBOs as
its prime strategy of community development to enhance the systematic, institutional and
operational capacities of partner CBOs.

4. General objectives: -to build schools capacities/assets/ through Income Generation

Alternatives (IGAs) and Livelihood improvement interventions to resolve their existing
problems and other emerging expectations of the needy community. Establish one Boarding
school of talent/excellent students

4.1Specific Objectives:

4.1.1 To Established school gardens where the variety of vegetable plants are propagated and
sold to the surrounding communities through market outlets as a contribution to diet and food
security efforts and support school feeding initiatives;

4.1.2 To Establish Nursery sites where various fruits and other Multipurpose tree species
(MPTs) are propagated and sold to internal and external beneficiaries as a contribution to
environmental protection and traditional health security efforts;
4.1.3 To Construct rentable stationary shops and Basic consumable Goods supply shops
towards the outer sides of the school fences as one of IGAs;
4.1.4 To initiate/introduce/ Fattening and breeding of sheep of improved variety;
4.1.5 To fulfill school facilities/necessities/ based on set standards of education Bureau;
4.1.6 To organized and facilitate working culture and food cultural events and awareness
creation sessions around its target school communities.
4.1.7 To contribute to socio-economic development of women and youth groups;
4.1.8 To strengthen and support various school clubs and train on Climate change adaptation
measures;
4.1.9 To support the initiatives of peace and justice including safeguarding policy;
4.1.10 Provide software capacity trainings on the appropriate IGA packages;

5. Activities

5. 1 Activities for objective 1:

Secure a parcel of land and Establish a total of 10 school gardens at Kofele, Adaabbaa,
Dodola, Kokkossa, Kortuu-Qacha and Herero Catholic schools in Westa Arsi zone and
Dinsho, Sinana, Robe, Gobba and Dalo-Mana Catholic schools in Bale Zone.
Demarcation, fencing, Layout preparation and cultivation of a parcel of land;
Purchase and distribution of tools, equipment and compost /garden inputs/ for each
school garden;
Establish one school garden at each school where the variety of ecologically required
vegetable plants are propagated for local markets as one of IGAs;
Purchase and distribution of locally preferred vegetable seeds for each school garden;
Recruit labor/ necessary manpower;
Land preparation/cultivation/ and seed beds, shades preparation & transplanting beds
preparation;
Sowing seeds, watering, weeding & cultivation, transplanting germinated seedlings;

5.2 Activities for objective 2:

Secure a parcel of land and Establish a total of 10 school nursery sites at Kofele,
Adaabbaa, Dodola, Kokkossa, Kortuu-Qacha and Herero Catholic schools in Westa Arsi
zone and Dinsho, Sinana, Robe, Gobba and Dalo-Mana Catholic schools in Bale Zone.
Demarcation, fencing, Layout preparation and cultivation of the land;
Purchase and distribution of tools, equipment and compost /nursery inputs/ for each
school nursery sites;
Establish one school nursery site at each school where the variety of ecologically
required fruit trees and other multipurpose tree species (MPTs) are propagated for
internal & local markets as one of IGAs;
Purchase and distribution of Eco locally preferred-tree seeds for each school nursery site;
 Recruit labor/ necessary manpower;
Land preparation/cultivation/ and seed beds, shades & transplanting beds preparation;
Sowing seeds, watering, weeding & cultivation, transplanting germinated seedlings etc.;

5.3 Activities for objective 3: -

Construction of stationary shops around school fences for rent as one of IGAs;
Construction of shops around school fences for rent to the basic consumable goods
suppliers and service providers;

5.4 Activities for objective 4:

Mobilization and sensitization of target communities on the IGA

Identification and selection of target beneficiaries;
Awareness creation on objectives of the IGAs and its market chains;
Organization of the selected beneficiaries in to clusters or Wijjoo;
Purchase and distribution of appropriate /locally preferred/ varieties of sheep;
Follow-up, monitoring and evaluation of the management progress;

5.5 Activities for objective 5: -

Construction of additional classrooms to bring the student’s and classroom ratio to the
standard;
Purchase and distribution of text books and student’s ratio to the standard;
Provide Supports on school uniforms and teaching materials;
Provision or fulfilling of laboratory and library inputs materials;
Support inclusive and girls’ educations as required;

5.6 Activities for objective 6: -

Awareness creation trainings on appropriate school garden, nurseries and livestock

management; and school/child feeding balanced diets;
Arrange trainings on fattening/feeding/ and breeding of sheep;
Organize the target beneficiaries into CBOs/clusters or Wijjoo or uqqub etc.
5.7 Activities for objective 7: -

Community sensitization and awareness trainings

Identification and selection of beneficiaries;
Organization of selected beneficiaries into Clusters /CBOs/; women clusters and
youth clusters;

5.8 Activities for objective 8: -

Strengthen various school clubs and provide different supports as required;

Organize and conduct trainings on various issues of their respective concerns;
Promote rain and run-off water harvesting and hand dug in case of water
shortages;

5.9 Activities for Objective 9: -

Organize and conduct training on safeguarding and peace & justice;

Organize and conduct training on appropriate IGAs;

5.10 Activities for Objective 10: -

Organize academic staff capacity building trainings during the summer to

contribute for quality education,
Construct one Boarding academic center for above 8th grade selected talent
students.

6. Goal of the Project: -

The resultant effect of these efforts is expected to be an improvement of the ecology to the benefits seen
in making these schools economically self-reliant and centers of intelligence & technology, securing
ecosystem richness in biodiversity, improved micro-climate and land productivity at each school
community levels. As environmental degradation and the climate change affect all aspects of human life,
RCS felt the need for rehabilitation of these areas to shape the social, economic and ecological aspects of
target agro-pastoral communities to ensure self-reliance in food & health security and overall livelihood
improvement.
7. Location of the Project: - Kortu-Kecha Catholic school of Shashemene, kofele Catholic
School at Kofele town, Dodola & Herero Catholic schools in Dodola Woreda, Adaabba Catholic
School of Adaabba Woreda, Kokkossa Catholic School at Kokkossa, Robe Catholic School of
Sinana woreda, Gobba Catholic School at Gobba town, Catholic Schools at Dallo-Manna and
Dinsho district.

8. Development Partners: - ECC SDCBOR is working in partnership with different donors

like CRS/USAID, CRS/FAO, CARITAS international are among the major donors; while
Ministry of Justices, Charities and Societies Agency, Agricultural Development sector,
Education Bureau, Disaster Risk Management and Food Security Sector, and finance &
economic development regional, zonal and Woreda line offices are also among the governmental
organizations and beneficiary communities at large to be mentioned.
 A. Indicative Budget

No Major Activities Unit / quantity Total Cost Budget distribution for the three years

pcs 2014 2015 2016

1 Sensitization & awareness creation on the need for school Nurseries and gardens

2 Strengthen Environmental clubs at all Schools

3 Trainings on the roles & responsibilities of environmental Clubs

4 Selection & Establishment of Nursery & garden sites at each of the 10 school

5 Demarcation, Fencing, layout, and land preparations for seed & transplanting beds

6 Purchase of nursery and school gardens inputs (Tools, equipment & seeds

7 Raising seedlings of different varieties & distribute to each student’s parents to grow
get benefit out of their efforts

8 Management (watering, weeding & transplant) seedlings and distribution of the same

9 Planting various grass & tree seedlings along blocks, buffer zones, home gardens, road
side etc.

10 Establish demonstration sites /gardens/ for different income generating packages;

compost preparations.

11 Organize and strengthen CBOs for full management of IGAs at 4 directions of the
school

12 Arrange community conferences on best land management practices, compost

preparation & utilization; high value vegetables seeds, and fruit tree varieties

13 Introduction and promotion of alternative energy saving technologies. E.g. Solar

panels

14 Construction of rain water harvesting facilities (roof and runoff water)

15 Organize and facilitate exchange visits among the selected schools

16 Monitoring and Evaluation

Sub Total
No Major Activities Unit / quantity Total Cost Budget distribution for the three years

pcs 2014 2015 2016

17 Recruit Human labor for nurseries and Gardens

18 Construction of shops for rent around school campus as income generation alternative

19 Construction of additional classrooms as required by each school

20 Purchase & distribution improved variety of sheep

21 Purchase & distribution of Text books

22 Support the school uniforms

23 Purchase & distribution of Library and Laboratory materials

24 Purchase and distribution of sport materials

25 Support girls’ education

26 Monitoring and evaluation