International development organisations across Scotland are to benefit from grants totalling almost £450,000.
The announcement was made in the Scottish Parliament by Minister for International Development and External Affairs Humza Yousaf.
The grants, from the Scottish Government’s International Development Small Grants Programme 2014-15, total £431,279 and will be used to support the work of Scottish-based organisations abroad, which includes:
- Training for special-needs teachers in Malawi;
- Creating an emergency response system for a rural community in Tanzania
- Teaching English in Bangladesh and
- Helping a rural community in India build capacity to increase their food security.
Minister for International Development and External Affairs Humza Yousaf said:
“During my recent visit to Malawi and Zambia I saw for myself the transformative effect that Scottish organisations, with the support of Scottish Government funding, can make to everyday life for the poor and most vulnerable in these countries.
“That’s why the awards announced today are so important. They will allow this vital work to continue in Malawi, Bangladesh, India and Tanzania, taking Scottish skills and expertise to these countries and delivering life-changing improvements for communities there.
“I would like to thank the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland, the Network of International Development Organisations in Scotland and the Scotland Malawi Partnership for all their hard work in bringing this Programme to fruition.”
Reverend Professor Kenneth R Ross, Chair of the Scotland Malawi Partnership, said:
“The Scotland Malawi Partnership is delighted to learn of the six Malawi projects which have been funded in this first round of the Small Grants Programme.
"Small non-government organisations and community-based organisations have a unique and valuable role to play in Scotland’s wider international development effort.
“We look forward to seeing the wide impact, and mutual benefit, these projects and partnerships will have and applaud the Scottish Government’s commitment to this innovative new programme which sees the Government’s investment multiplied many times over by Scottish and Malawian civil society.”
Mary Craig OBE, Chief Executive of Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland, which administers the grants for the Scottish Government, said:
“The International Development Small Grants Programme attracted a wide range of interesting applications from organisations delivering good work. We are delighted to have supported the Scottish Government to deliver the first year of this programme.
Gillian Wilson, Chief Executive of NIDOS said:
“NIDOS welcomes the announcement of the eleven grants under the new Scottish Government international development Small Grants programme. We are excited to see this first step in supporting the unique and important contribution that small organisations can make to tackling poverty and inequality.
“Through the close ties they have with communities and the grassroots work they do in supporting them to improve lives locally, these types of projects can really build capacity in these communities. We look forward to working with the Scottish Government, and with the Lloyds TSB foundation for Scotland who are ably managing this grant programme for them.
“Working with small organisations in Scotland we want to help grow the response to this programme and support the development of more quality initiatives so this programme can become a regular feature of Scotland’s response in the future.”
The Small Grants Programme was launched in October 2013 and will distribute approximately £500,000 per year over two financial years 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 (with the option to extend to a third year 2016-2017), totalling £1 million over a two year contract period and £1.5 million if extended for a third year.
The Programme was specifically intended to accommodate smaller requests for funding, and to contribute to the Scottish Government’s International Development policy, including in terms of how the activities will contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (and under the post-2015 Framework in due course) and the alleviation of poverty.
The Programme aims to build capacity and upscale small international development organisations so they have the ability to bid for funding through our IDF, with awards of up to a maximum of £60,000 for project grants over a three year period or a maximum of £10,000 for feasibility and capacity building grants, over one year.
It is administered on behalf of the Scottish Government by Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland.
The organisations awarded grant funding are:
Project Grants
| Organisation | Country | Award detail | Total |
| Charity Education International | Bangladesh | For the English teaching project at Uttar Bangla College | £59,940 |
| Cerebral Palsy Africa | Malawi | For the training of special needs teachers in Malawi | £52,452 |
| Children's Medical Care Malawi | Malawi | For the ETAT training programme for 900 newly qualified Malawian nurses and clinicians | £60,000 |
| Malawi Fruits | Malawi | For the Paprika project, supporting subsistence farmers in Northern Malawi to develop a cash crop for the benefit of their families | £60,000 |
| Orskov Foundation | Malawi | For the Food Forest project to provide greater food security, nutritional diversity, a source of income and a means to increase resilience to climate change amongst rural Malawians | £50,874 |
| Gaia Education | Orissa (India) | For integrated Ecovillage Design Education and Transition Towns training to build the capacity of indigenous people in Laxmipur Block of Koraput District to increase food security, build cohesion and address climate change. | £55,000 |
| Sustainable Com Energy Network (Scene) | Orissa (India) | To build a resilient and technical infrastructure for community renewable energy in Orissa, India | £59,050 |
| Total Project Grants |
|
| £397,316 |
Feasibility Grants
| Organisation | Country | Award Detail | Amount |
| The Balmore Trust | Malawi | For the development, testing, and scoping of the manufacture of a rice threshing machine. | £10,000 |
| The Big First Aid Project | Tanzania | To design and test a mobile phone based emergency response system, which will provide rural community members with lifesaving information following an accident or injury. | £6,213 |
| Yes Tanzania | Tanzania | To design and pilot a programme using sport to deliver health education to young people. | £7,750 |
| Total Feasibility Study Grants |
|
| £23,963 |
Capacity Building Grants
| Organisation | Country | Award Detail | Amount |
| Mamie Martin Fund | Malawi | For fundraising and marketing in Scotland, and organisational strategy and development, and monitoring and evaluation in Malawi, including an impact report. | £10,000 |
| Total Capacity Building Grants |
|
| £10,000 |
