Past Community Engagement Experience

The questions asked in this section of the application are meant to get a quick understanding of how your organization engages with local communities.

In this article, we highlight each of the questions we ask in this section of the full application, why we ask them, address any common concerns around each question and (where relevant) provide you with resources/examples to help answer the question.

There are multiple questions that applicants already answered in the Expression of Interest (EOI) stage. You will not be required to answer these again but you are encouraged to update your responses based on feedback that you received on your EOI. All of the questions from the EOI will be written in green below, in case you wish to review the guidance again. 

If you have any further questions, you can add them below as a comment or submit them here, and our support team will try to address it. 

 

Q: How does your organization engage with farmers? 

Why we ask this question:
When restoration projects have a positive economic impact on a community, it is usually due to their connection with the local farming community. There are many ways farmers can benefit from restoration projects, so please select all benefits that your past project work has provided to local farmers.
Option Definition 
We provide paid jobs for farmers Selecting this option indicates that your organization engages farmers directly and not through a third party, and pays farmers when they engage in project execution through cash, stipend, salary, and/or incentives.
We directly engage & benefit farmers  Selecting this option indicates that your organization engages farmers directly and not through a third party, and does not directly pay farmers. However, farmers benefit through non-cash-related benefits when they engage in project execution.
We provide indirect benefits to farmers  Selecting this option indicates that your organization engages farmers indirectly through a third party and does not pay farmers. However, farmers benefit through non-cash-related benefits when they engage in project execution.
We do not engage with farmers Selecting this option indicates that your organization does not engage farmers in  project execution. Not all restoration projects engage farmers.

 

Q; How does your organization engage with women? 

Why we ask this question:

We would like to understand how your organization benefits women within the communities impacted by your restoration project. There are many ways women can benefit from restoration projects, so please select all benefits that your past project work has provided to women.

Option Definition 
We provide paid jobs for women Selecting this option indicates that your organization engages women directly and not through a third party, and directly pays women when they engage in project execution through cash, stipend, salary, and/or incentives.
We directly engage & benefit women Selecting this option indicates that your organization engages women directly and not through a third party but does not pay women. However, women benefit through non-cash-related benefits when they engage in  project execution.
We provide indirect benefits to women Selecting this option indicates that your organization engages women indirectly through a third party and does not directly pay women. However, women benefit through non-cash-related benefits when they engage in  project execution.
We do not engage with women Selecting this option indicates that your organization does not engage with women in project execution.

 

Q: How does your organization engage with people younger than 35 years old? 

Why we ask this question:
We would like to understand how your organization impacts those younger than and including 35 years old to create long-lasting impact in the local community. There are many ways youth can benefit from restoration projects, so please select all that apply to your past project work.
Option Definition 
We provide paid jobs for people younger than 35 years old Selecting this option indicates that your organization engages young people directly and not through a third party and pays people younger than 35 years old when they engage in your project execution through cash, stipend, salary, and/or incentives.
We directly engage & benefit people younger than 35 years old Selecting this option indicates that your organization engages young people directly and not through a third party, but does not pay people younger than 35 years old. However, young people benefit through non-cash-related benefits when they engage in project execution.
We provide indirect benefits to people younger than 35 years old Selecting this option indicates that your organization engages young people indirectly through a third party and does not pay people younger than 35 years old. However, people younger than 35 years old benefit through non-cash-related benefits when they engage in project execution.
We do not engage with people younger than 35 years old Selecting this option indicates that your organization does not engage with people younger than 35 years old in project execution.

 

Q: How has your organization mobilized and engaged with community members to restore land?

Why we ask this question:
We are interested in knowing how applicants plan to work with communities to ensure their active participation in the restoration process. Collaborating with communities ensures their buy-in and leads to sustainable and long-lasting impacts.

What do we want to know? We encourage our applicants to engage with community members at all stages of the project, from planning and implementation to monitoring and evaluation. Successfully funded projects share examples of past activities and their strategy for engaging with local communities throughout the restoration process.

This usually includes identifying and working with key stakeholders such as women, youth, smallholder farmers, traditional leaders, and others through community meetings, training sessions, and awareness-raising campaigns to ensure that local people have a voice in decision-making and benefit from the project.

We also look for evidence of long-term commitment to the communities in which the project will take place, including partnerships with local organizations and ongoing communication with community members.

Note that if you are selected and funded, we will require regular reports on your engagement activities and specific examples of how you have successfully mobilized and engaged with local communities.

 

Q: How many community members has your organization benefited over the past 36 months?

Why we ask this question:

Knowing how many community members have benefited from your organization's past projects can help us understand its reach and effectiveness.

Who is a beneficiary?

A “beneficiary” is defined as anyone who has derived a direct or indirect benefit from your organization’s projects, excluding your organization’s employees.

Note that each beneficiary is either a man or a woman, as well as under and equal to or over 35 years of age. Each beneficiary should be counted in two tallies. People who do not identify as either a man or a woman should be counted in the “women” category. Note that you must separately enter the total number of beneficiaries to ensure that the sum is correct.

Note that we ask for the raw number of beneficiaries and the percentage those people who are men, women, youth, and non-youth.

 

Category Description  Example

Total beneficiaries

This is the total number of people who benefited.

356

Women benefitted

This is the number of women who benefited divided by the total number of beneficiaries

45%

Men benefitted

This is the number of men who benefited divided by the total number of beneficiaries

55%

People including and under 35 years of age benefitted

This is the number of people in this age bracket who benefited divided by the total number of beneficiaries

28%

People over 35 years of age benefitted

This is the number of people in this age bracket who benefited divided by the total number of beneficiaries

72%

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