iSimangaliso Wetland Park Empowers Communities through Funding Proposal Writing Workshop
The iSimangaliso Wetland Park-Biodiversity Economy Project team collaborated with local stakeholders to organize a transformative Proposal Writing Workshop in response to the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (SGP). The workshop was held on July 13th to 14th, 2023, aimed to support local small business owners in completing project proposals for funding opportunities of up to USD50,000.
In a recent collaboration between the iSimangaliso Wetland Park-The Biodiversity Economy Project team and local stakeholders, a transformative workshop unfolded to boost community development. Responding to the call of the Global Environment Facility- Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP), offering a lifeline opportunity for small projects seeking funding of up to USD50 000 The iSimangaliso Biodiversity Economy Project team took the initiative of convening a Proposal Writing Workshop on the 13th to 14th of July 2023, inviting local aspiring small business holders to provide hands-on assistance with the completion of project proposals and document submissions for the small grants programme.
iSimangaliso Biodiversity Economy project team broadened the invitation to the sister Departments, local municipalities, and representatives of the SGP who provided guidance and clarified project proposal-related queries. Communities living in and adjacent to iSimangaliso welcomed this opportunity and came out in numbers to listen and fill out grant application forms accordingly. This meeting came after the SGP team visited iSimangaliso to present the call for proposals and visited some small community-owned businesses that would like to be assisted through this funding.
Upon municipalities present included the Big 5 Hlabisa Local Municipality, Mtubatuba Local Municipality, Jozini Local Municipality, uMhlabauyalingana Local Municipality, and uMhlosinga Development Agency. Beyond paperwork this initiative signifies a commitment to sustainable development as local community businesses and municipalities join forces, creating a catalyst for the workshop to become a catalyst for prosperity, echoing far beyond the borders of iSimangaliso Wetland Park.