The Climate Ambition to Accountability Project (CAAP), a partnership between WWF South Africa, the South African Climate Action Network and the Institute for Economic Justice, wraps up a capacity development program aimed at empowering civil society, youth and community-based organisations in South Africa to pioneer innovative partnership models for climate governance.
In a bid to catalyse grassroots climate action, CAAP convened a capacity development workshop on March 25 and 26, 2024, at the WWF Braamfontein office in Johannesburg.
The workshop aimed to equip civil society organisations (CSOs), youth groups and community-based entities with the knowledge and skills needed to conceptualise and implement innovative partnership models that contribute to climate governance, mitigation and adaptation efforts across South Africa.
Led by WWF representatives and experts, the workshop delved into various aspects of climate change policy, emphasising the indispensable role of CSOs in shaping climate policy and driving impactful interventions at both local and national levels.
Participants gained valuable insights into the CAAP framework, understood the importance of forging partnerships in addressing climate challenges and explored funding opportunities to support their initiatives.
“Workshops like these are important as they allow us to shed light on the role that civil society plays in climate policy. Key aspects of these workshops include building partnerships for effective climate action, encouraging active citizenship and holding our government accountable,” shared Moliehi Mafantiri, research and policy officer at SACAN.
"The voice of local communities within policy making spaces is imperative," she said.
Day one of the workshop featured sessions on the introduction to CAAP and the Incubator Fund, an overview of climate change policy and the role of CSOs, and presentations by participants on their proposed partnership projects.
Through interactive discussions and Q&A sessions, attendees deepened their understanding of partnership development and proposal writing, laying the groundwork for effective collaboration and project implementation.
Innocentia Modau, a project manager at WWF shared that "these workshops allow the different organisations an opportunity to share knowledge on the work they're involved in within their communities”.
Speaking of her experience at the workshop, Candace Davidson-Moolman, CEO of the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust (HACT), said that the organisation "appreciated the opportunity to be part of this initiative and for the challenge to align our health and community development initiatives with climate action principles”.
On day two, participants engaged in practical exercises focused on developing logframes and budgets for their proposed projects. Breakaway sessions provided teams with dedicated time to refine their project ideas, receive guidance from CAAP experts and construct robust proposals aligned with their climate objectives.
Nothile Mkhize, project administrator at the Lilitha Environment and Development Foundation, one of the non-profits in attendance, said that “attending the workshop has given me a broader knowledge in proposal writing which I believe will greatly assist with securing funding for the organisation”.
The workshop culminated in a collective wrap-up session, where participants shared insights, reflected on key learnings and charted the way forward for their climate initiatives.
CAAP is a partnership between WWF South Africa, the South African Climate Action Network (SACAN) and the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and is co-funded by the European Union and the Swedish government.