Evaluation of Coastal Bee Keeping Association Kibaha

Date

2005

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Publisher

Southern New Hampshire University

Abstract

Coastal Bee Keeping Association (COBEAS) was established in 1996. It was initially established to assist its members increase their income which would contribute to poverty alleviation through improved bee keeping and honey processing skills. As time passed by, the organization broadened its scope by adding to it activities that intended to support rural communities to conserve environment, increase their capacities to manage development initiatives and to assist vulnerable people cope with shocks and risks. This research intended to evaluate the extent to which COBEAS has been able to achieve its objectives and considerably contribute to poverty reduction of the target community. The findings would enable the organization to document the best practices which have enable them successfully provide its services to communities as well as working on the challenges identified to further improve its capabilities in efficiently rendering its services. The findings indicate that bee keeping is still practiced by the Organization members. Though there are potentials for community members around Kibaha to do the activity, the Organization has not disseminated the skills to them. It is apparent that participation of community members will enable them to attain income and improve their living condition. TASAF has so far been the only funding agency that has financed substantial activities of the organization in the community the evaluation was undertaken. Other applications from the organization to other financing agencies have not yet been accepted. Failure to get support is attributed to organization's inadequacy to properly appraise and integrate community needs into the project proposals that are submitted for support In addition, planning and budgeting is inadequately done which may lead to incomplete activities due to low funding that would have been avoided. Despite the aforesaid challenges, COBEAS has to a large extent managed to make community members participate in all stages of project implementation - from design stage to completion stage. Yet, it needs to be a listening organization, taking ideas from beneficiaries to avoid misunderstandings and enhance more participation. It seems that the Organization has enhanced participation because TASAF as a funding agency reiterates the need for the organizations engaged in vulnerable support to ensure that beneficiaries are given full responsibility in project implementation being technically supported by the Community based organization. This is an important action that other funding agencies need to emulate in order to strengthen community participation. The prepared Community Facilitation Guide and training that was conducted for the organization were intended to address challenges identified during the evaluation. The imparted skills are expected to ability of the organization to improve its capability to conduct community needs assessment and work out different alternatives to solve the identified needs using both internal and external resources to bring about development. (Author abstract)

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