DEVELOPMENT PARTNER: GOVERNMENT OF SWEDEN (SIDA)
This was a three year initiative of the East African Sustainability Watch Network partners: Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development (UCSD), Tanzania Coalition for Sustainable Development (TCSD) and SusWatch Kenya that was implemented from November 2011 to October 2014. It was supported by the Government of Sweden grant of USD2,766,807.
The project seeked to lobby and advocate for realization of results-based performance from the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (LVEMP II) and implementation of the East African Climate Change Policy (EACCCP). In relation to LVEMP II, the project seeks to monitor regional and national level interventions of LVEMP II under Component 1(Regional Level) : Strengthening institutional capacity for managing shared water resources and fisheries resources (focusing on harmonization of policies, legislations and regulatory standards) and Component 3 (national level): Watershed Management ( focusing on natural resources conservation and livelihoods improvement) respectively.
The project specific Objectives

To periodically monitor the implementation of LVEMP II APL1 (1st phase of LVEMP II) so as to influence respect for the time-restricted seven projects dated implementation covenants.

To periodically assess and document community beneficiary experiences, capacity, knowledge and level of adoption of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices under LVEMP II, in selected areas in River Nyando arising from the community driven development sub-projects that aim at reducing non-point sources of pollution into Lake Victoria so as to influence project implementation

To influence the operationalization of East African Community Climate Change Policy (EACCCP) provisions by LVEMP II, LVBC, LVFO and other regional institutions and interventions starting with assessing compliance of the key sectors of water supply and sanitation; agriculture and food security, rural energy supply

To further develop the EA SusWatch Network’s institutional capacity as a regional CSO network enabling environmental and natural resources- related collective quality monitoring, advocacy and watchdog roles for LVEMP II and other interventions in the Lake Victoria Basin

The Projects beneficiaries
The Principle beneficiaries were the poor communities in the LVB targeted by the LVEMP II project.
The Secondary Beneficiaries were LVBC, LVEMP II implementing teams in Kenya including LVFO and EALA among others (NGOs/ CSOs and interested media working in the Lake Victoria Basin, with the local communities on a day to day basis.) Specifically, NGOs and CSOs benefitted from enhanced capacity in knowledge, advocacy and information related skills and networking for sustainable development at a regional level. EA SusWatch particularly strategically involved Rwandan and Burundi CSO networks in some activities ahead of APL 2 when Rwanda and Burundi join LVEMP II