HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation

Central America

Main Projects and Expertise

September 2012

HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation

Country Programe Office in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation

History of Programmes in Central America:

Guatemala: Initiated in 1972•Coordination Office in Guatemala City; 4 Project Offices•Main working region: Highlands of Guatemala (Quetzaltenango, Totonicapán, San Marcos, Huehuetenango; and other highland departments)•About 35 staff

Honduras: Initiated in 2007 as Fundación Helvetas Honduras•Coordination Office in Tegucigalpa, 2 Project Offices•Main working regions: Zone of Influence of the Patuca National Park; Eastern Highlands (Lempira, Intibucá, La Paz and other highland departments)•About 9 staff

Nicaragua: Initiated in 1992•Coordination Office in Managua•Main working regions: Region of Matagalpa and other areas•About 40 staff

Working Area: Environment and Climate

1. Sustainable management and conservation of land, forests, watersheds and ecological diversity

2. Enhancing communities’ capacity to adapt to climate change

Main Projects:• ProBosques San Marcos, Guatemala: Decentralized and

integrated management of ecosystem services of forests• ProBosques Xela, Gutemala: Community and municipal

management of forest, water and climate relationships• ProPatuca, Honduras: Community-based sustainable

management for the Patuca National Park

Main expertise:• Advise on sustainable forest management practices• Strengthening community leadership in forest management• Assessing multifunctional services of forest ecosystems• Assessing payment for environmentl services• Community-based monitoring of biological diversity• Community and municipal climate change adaptation• Mitigation of climate change through reforestation

Working Area: Rural Economy1. Ecologically sound agriculture and efficient irrigation

for food security2. Access to markets and fair trade as an income source

for smallholder farmers

Main Projects:• EcoMercados, Nicaragua, Honduras: Strengthening rural

organizations in production, produce transformation and commercialization for organic and fair-trade markets

• ACCION, Gutemala: Strengthening rural value chains through improvements in production, produce transformation, organizational strengthening and marketing

• ProCacao, Honduras: Organic production, processing and marketing of organic and fair-trade cocoa through public – private partnerships

Main expertise:• Business plan preparation and advisory services• Value-chain strengthening, in particular for organic markets• Strengtheing rural organizations in value chain positioning• Developing value chains for high-quality cocoa

Working Area: Water and Infrastructure

1. Clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene for health2. Irrigation and efficient use of water in agriculture3. Rural infrastructure to access services and markets

Main Projects:• A´jin, Guatemala: Decentralized water and sanitation

management by municipalities and communities• A’jin-WIN, Guatemala: Promoting integrity for governance in

the water and sanitation sector• Blue Schools, Nicaragua: Promoting improved sanitation,

hygiene and health through adequate school environments• Micro-Irrigation for Food, Honduras: Water use planning

and effient water use for food and cash crop production with rural poor

• Forest water for irrigation: Micro-irrigation for food and cash crop production and compensation for ecosystem services

Main expertise:• Design / construction, drinking water and sanitation systems • Blue Schools for improved sanitation, health and nutrition• Water governance integrity at local and regional level• Community-based water planning and efficient water use• Rural access infrastructure (pedestrian bridges, rural roads)

Working Area: Governance and Peace

1. Strengthening local democratic governance2. Conflict prevention and transformation3. Promotion of intercultural communication

Main Projects:• Servime, Guatemala: Civil society participation, in particular

women and youths, in local governance for efficient services

• SEDULA: Civil society participation in application of environmental legislation in Central America (6 countries)

• DIR, Honduras: Decentralized and participatory planning and implementation of rural infrastructures for improved access to services and markets of rural populations

• Communication for social change, Guatemala: Theatre by youths in rural areas for communication and reflection on environmental and social challenges

• Tranvsersal themes: Participatory budgeting, Social Audit, Do-No-Harm, and others

Main expertise:• Technical asistance to strengthen local governments• Participatory planning and design of rural infrastructures• Modalities of communication for social change• Tools for promoting transparency and conflict prevention

Working Area: Skill Development & Education1. Access to Basic Education2. Enhancing Vocational Skill Development

Main Projects:• EDUCAR, Honduras: Integrating into curricula of secondary

technical schools in rural areas practical learning on market assessments, value chain orientation, business plan development and entrepreneur orientation

• FORJA, Guatemala: Vocational training for rural youths on crop, husbandry and farm management, market orientation, business plan development and micro-enterprise management

• Tranvsersal in other projects: Integrationg education on environment and climate change into school curricula; Rural education through radio

Main expertise:• Participatory curricula development based on market-

demand and competencies• Fomenting entreprenuerial orientation in youths• Tools for education on environment and climate change

Tentative Priorities, Central America

Among others, we consider the following as priorities:

Rural Economy:• Linkages through organic and fair-trade value chains• Broad-based and inclusive local economic development• Modalities for linking poor to local economic development

Environment and Climate:• Forests and water management under climate change• Protected area and biodiversity management under climate

change• Planning and action for adaptation to climate change by

communities and local governments

Skill Development and Education:• Integrating market-oriented skills and entrepreneurship into

technical education and skill development for youths

Water and Rural Infrastructure:• Participatory planning and management of water resources

for multipurpose use (drinking water, micro-irrigation, …)• Securing access to driking water and sanitation in CA under

risks from environmental hazards and climate change

¡ Muchas gracias !