Climate Change Light House Projects – Mekane Yesus Church

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH) and Brot für die Welt have been working with partner organizations since 2009 as part of the Climate Change Light House Projects (CC LHPs) in areas particularly affected by Climate Change. These projects are designed to enable people in affected regions to better cope with the consequences of the negative impacts of climate change. A special focus of these projects is the combination of disaster preparedness and development work to strengthen the resilience of the most affected and vulnerable households.

The Dereba Light House Project works in four communities of the South Wollo Zone of Ethiopia. The target area is characterised by high mountain ranges with deep valleys at an altitude range between 2.500 and 3.400 meters above sea level. The main livelihood in the area is based on agriculture which is threatened by drought, frost and increasingly by land degradation, high population pressure as well as by negative impacts of climate change.

The Light House Project works in the following areas:

• Steep hill side rehabilitation for erosion control, including the layout of structures and the establishment of leguminous fodder trees and fodder grasses.
• Self-Help Groups, especially for women, as a safety-net function during times of individual hardship.
• Bee keeping as an additional source of income.
• Community Conversation Groups / Climate Field School Groups and facilitation of skills to support the understanding of natural degradation due to farming as well as the understanding of climate change and the respective impact on current and future livelihoods.
• Installation and maintenance of metrology stations.

FAKT accompanied the project with a process-based approach. This entails that the consultant’s role is to support and facilitate reflection processes together with the project staff on their work in key areas and solutions are developed in a participatory approach. This way, the partner has ownership of the outcomes of the consultancy. FAKT conducted two on-site consultancies each year, accompanied by remote support in-between.

Between the field visits, FAKT supported the project with remote advisory services via digital tools (e.g., video-calls) and conducted regular briefings with the responsible personnel at Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe and Brot für die Welt Headquarters in Germany.

The on-site consultancies included the following activities: