Dear partners, dear friends,
On behalf of the Czech Development Agency, let us wish you a peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year 2022.
Česká republika pomáhá
This year will see the completion in Zambia of a successful four-year project called “Agribusiness for life – livelihood, innovation, sustenance & empowerment”, the goal of which is to increase the agricultural productivity and incomes of 125 medium-sized farmers and 22 cooperatives by building capacity, developing the value chain and improving access to local markets. This project supported by the Czech Development Agency and carried out by Caritas Czech Republic also uses a mobile application that provides weather information and other valuable data for the operations of small farmers and larger local agricultural cooperatives.
The project focuses on building up the capacities of co-ops and medium-sized farmers so that they can run their agricultural businesses productively and profitably. Board members and cooperative members were trained in good governance to improve management, while support was also given to the wives of farmers to take active roles in management positions. Select cooperatives and farmers acquired technical capacities in mechanization, value chain development, food processing technology and diversification based on value chain identification and market analysis. Experts from the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague also developed diagnostic monitoring systems that guarantee the quality of technical implementation. “In Zambia we have been providing long-term help to local farmers to increase production profitability, teaching them effective farming methods and introducing agricultural innovations. The latest of these is a mobile application that provides weather information and other valuable data to small farmers and larger local agricultural cooperatives,” says Mutinta Shandele, project coordinator at Caritas Czech Republic in Zambia. The Terra Crop App was created in cooperation with Czech start-up Big Terra as part of the AgriBusiness for LIFE project financed by the Czech Development Agency. Agriculture plays an important role in Zambia and a large part of the population depends on it for their livelihood. However, climate change is bringing even more uncertainty to this already unpredictable sector. The Terra Crop App aims to help make agriculture more efficient, enabling Zambian farmers to better cope with the impacts of climate change.
“We want to contribute to sustainable agriculture on a global scale by providing an information service to farmers in various locations,” says founder of the Big Terra Company Pavel Juruš when asked about the motivation for developing the application for Zambian farmers. He goes on to add: “We obtain the information by analyzing satellite data, climate data models and models of weather and crop yields. The result is a service tailored to local needs, helping local farmers become more resilient to climate change.”
The Terra Crop Zambia app contains information about the weather, suitable crops for the given time of year, and ways to increase production profitability. Farmers receive tips on how to adapt to weather conditions that are rapidly changing under the influence of climate change, and how to ensure that the methods they use lead to long-term sustainable results. For example, the application helps farmers correctly plan sowing, crop care and harvesting, and to cope with losses caused by grasshoppers and other pests, floods or drought. The application also allows users to share important information from local authorities, experts, NGOs and the private sector.
The Android application was developed in cooperation with three agricultural cooperatives in Zambia, specifically the Katongo co-op from Mong, Kalale from the City of Nkeyema and Twapenga Multi-Purpose Cooperative from the District of Mumbwa. Now Terra Crop Zambia is available for further development and use by local partners. “Local farmers are interested in understanding the weather conditions so that they know what crops to grow and when. So far, 20 farmers have tested the application in the pilot phase. According to their feedback, the application is user-friendly and they are very satisfied with it,” adds Mutinta Shandele. By the end of the project, the application could be used by up to 50 percent of the farmers from the 22 cooperatives (more than 400 members) with which Caritas is cooperating.
The Agribusiness for LIFE (Life, Innovation, Food & Empowerment) project, which led to the creation of the Terra Crop App, supports 22 local cooperatives and 125 individual farmers in 5 regions of Zambia – the Mongu, Limulunga, Kaoma and Nkeyema districts in the Western Province and the area around the Mumbwa District in the Central Province. The project started in July 2018 and is funded by the Czech Development Agency. It helps farmers involved in the project increase productivity and income, while supporting the development of small and medium-sized cooperatives, improving financial literacy and providing vocational training.
As part of the project, Caritas Czech Republic also helps local farmers get their products to market. This is in conjunction with the Zambian start-up Lima Links, which provides a digital platform that gives farmers access to local markets.
The end of September saw the grand completion of a foreign development cooperation project coordinated by the Czech Development Agency entitled Sustainable Production of the Traditional Domestic Livno Cheese. The aim of the project was to support local cooperatives of small traditional cheese producers to enable them to supply high-quality and hygienically sound products to the market in Bosnia and Herzegovina and, in the future, to the EU, particularly to nearby Croatia, where Livno cheese is a well-established brand and is popular with Czech tourists.
Small producers of the traditional domestic Livno cheese in Bosnia and Herzegovina have long struggled with a whole range of problems. The production process, from milking to the final product, was not safe in terms of food hygiene. Hygiene standards in the production and processing of the milk were low, there was no regular veterinary monitoring of animal health or checks on the quality of the cheeses produced, and manufactories were often not secured against infestations of insects and rodents.
A group of several farmers from the Cincar association in Livno, led by the farmer Joza Bakovič, began to strive to bring about a renaissance of Livno cheese in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Back in 2016, as part of the project, the Cincar association was supplied with small equipment by the Czech Development Agency, which also provided the members with training focused on how to produce cheese in a safe and hygienic manner. In the following years the cheese factories of individual producers were refurbished and fitted out with additional equipment in cooperation with the UN Development Program. The Czechs carried out repairs and supplied equipment for the building in the city of Livno that houses the central ripening warehouse, a laboratory with basic equipment for analysing the quality of the cheese, and a shop. A series of training sessions were also held to teach staff how to produce cheese properly, under the guidance of the renowned cheese expert and chairman of the Czech-Moravian Dairy Association, Jiří Kopáček.
“The project was divided up into two main parts – the first was support for the production cooperative of small farmers, involving training in production hygiene standards, the introduction of hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) in production, and the supply of small agricultural equipment for farmers (boilers, milking parlours for sheep, etc.). Structural alterations were carried out at individual farmers’ small dairies in collaboration with the UNDP. Before the start of the project these operations were completely unsatisfactory. Most of them were untiled, with no screens on the windows or even basic hygiene precautions. A central ripening room was also built and equipped, with an HACCP system. The part of the building housing the ripening room serves as the cooperative’s administrative offices and as a cheese shop,” says Štěpán Šantrůček from the Czech Embassy in Sarajevo, describing the project.
The second part of the project comprised support for the local veterinary institute in Canton 10. The Czech Development Agency supported the institute by supplying laboratory equipment and introducing accredited methods for analysing the quality of milk. Since then the Cantonal Veterinary Institute has conducted regular checks on the production process and has explained the conditions required for hygienic production to the farmers. In addition, beyond the scope of the project it has also been in contact with the Food Safety Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has checked the entire production process. “The result is that the cooperative has succeeded in registering “Livno original cheese” under the “Protected Designation of Origin” trademark, like cheeses such as olomoucké tvarůžky have in the Czech Republic. This is the first Bosnian and Herzegovinian product to have been granted this protection. Amongst other things, protected designation of origin is proof that the production process is safe in terms of hygiene,” adds Štěpán Šantrůček, according to whom the Cantonal Veterinary Institute does a good job. The laboratory equipment supplied is used on a regular basis and the Institute is gradually expanding its range of services and accredited methods. It also conducts milk analyses on a commercial basis for two large dairies in Livno. Its activities have been made even more sustainable by its involvement in the “Increasing Food Safety in Bosnia and Herzegovina” project, which is implemented by the State Veterinary Institute of the Czech Republic.
What will be crucial in terms of the sustainability of the production cooperative’s activities is the farmers’ motivation to comply with the stipulated hygiene conditions. “By the end of the year the CzDA will have prepared a tripartite agreement between the CzDA, the city of Livno and the cooperative, which defines the cooperative’s obligations following the completion of the project. As the cheese-making season lasts from April to October, sustainability will depend on the success of the following season, when the CzDA support comes to an end,” adds Sara Miličič from the Czech Development Agency.
On Thursday 16 September, the winners of the 5th annual SDGs Awards were announced at the Czernin Palace of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. Just as in previous years, the Association of Social Responsibility awarded the best projects for meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the Czech Republic. The winners went to projects with a unique impact on various areas of life. Examples of prize winners are a mental health project for schoolchildren, a tool against wasteful procurement, a space for sharing books and textbooks or raising awareness about menstruation in developing countries. This year, one of the categories announced also focused on education.
Sustainable projects applied for the fifth SDGs Awards during March. In all there were 238 entries, and the winners were selected over July and August by an expert jury consisting of representatives of partners, the public sphere, business, trade unions, as well as experts in sustainability and education. This year was focused on education. As a result, a special Education category was created to highlight innovative projects actively fighting to improve education for both children and adults. The award ceremony could be watched via an online stream from DVTV, an Internet TV station, and on the Association of Social Responsibility’s social networks.
“This year’s event stood out due to the wide range of projects that use innovation to address topical social issues. They lead young people in schools towards sustainability, open up new and much-needed topics for debate in society, such as mental health or domestic violence, help transparency in public procurement, bring digital innovation to social services and nor do they turn a blind eye to problems that are happening far beyond our borders,” added Lucie Mádlová, founder and executive director of the Association for Social Responsibility, which has been announcing the SDGs Awards in the Czech Republic since 2017.
Six inspiring projects were awarded SDGs
This year, the SDGs had several categories. The first prize in the Public Sector category went to the Nevypusť Dušiassociation with its mental health project for schoolchildren that teaches children and teachers how to properly care for their mental health and shows them where to seek help in an emergency. Nearly 8 500 pupils have already joined the programme. The expert jury decided the winning entry in the Business category was from Datlab and its tool Control against wasteful public procurement, which seeks out violations of regulations, contracts with shell companies or politicians or firms pretending to compete but actually there is a pre-agreed winner. This year the tool was made use of by several investigative journalists and the Police of the Czech Republic.
The winner of the Young Leaders category, sponsored by Forbes Czechia, is 24-year-old Tedeáš Kula, who is behind the Reknihy project, which creates a space for sharing books and textbooks among readers and books looking for new owners. In the 2 years since Reknihy has been running, people have saved over 50,000 books from the bin, saving around 30,000 kg of paper. The expert jury award for Reporting in line with the SDGs went to Komerční banka, whose non-financial reporting clearly shows the bank’s comprehensive approach to sustainable development and describes not only its own sustainable activities, but also its significant influence in the area of financing.
The Czech Development Agency Award went to Diakonie ČCE (Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren)- the Centre for Humanitarian and Development Cooperation with a project focusing on raising awareness about menstruation to address the problem of a lack of affordable menstrual products in developing countries through the launch of a new product – reusable tampons. “The project is comprehensive in its scope in that it deals with several topics and includes components such as the educational, health, mental, sociological, environmental, entrepreneurial and innovative aspects, offering a change in thinking and a transfer of Czech know-how with a focus on women who, in many ways and areas, are on the “sidelines” and it is extremely beneficial not only for the recipients but for society as a whole. This sustainable model, which sensitively links natural human needs with local business development and self-reliance to promote reproductive and menstrual health through access to clean water, sanitation facilities and good personal hygiene, is applicable in other territories, which only adds to its benefits. The project’s quality is further testified to by the UNDP grant,” said the jury as a justification for choosing this project for the CzDA Award.
The winner in the Education category was the TEREZA Education Centre with its international Eco-School programme. It is the world’s largest education programme guiding young people towards sustainable living. TEREZA has been its coordinator in the Czech Republic for more than 15 years. Currently, more than 70,000 children and adults are involved in the Eco-School through nursery, primary and secondary schools.
Refork, a technology company that develops new natural materials based on wood flour for the production of functional and sustainable alternatives to plastic products, has been nominated to go to the final of the Moonshot Awards in New York. The winners of each category received designer trophies made by Václav Mlynář & Bomma. The trophies are loosely inspired by a flying balloon, which was the main graphic motif of this year’s SDGs. Each trophy is hand-blown without a mould, so each piece is an original. The glass balloons were hand-blown by the children who were the ambassadors to this year’s event.
Awareness of the SDGs is growing in the Czech Republic, interest in health and well-being dominates
The latest research by Ipsos for the Association of Social Responsibility shows that awareness of the SDGs has increased yearly in the Czech Republic. More than half of the population (52%) have heard of the SDGs, and 29% have at least basic information about them. For the younger generation it is even better: 58% of young people have heard of the SDGs and 35% have basic information. People with higher education have a greater knowledge about the SDGs (70%).
The most frequent communication on the theme of SDGs was from NGOs (40%). Compared to last year, communication from companies and the private sector has also increased (37%). For a long time now the most important goal for people in the Czech Republic has been Health and Well-being (39%). In second place is Decent Work and Economic Growth (25%). Compared to last year, the importance of the Quality Education goal has increased (22%), which is more often mentioned by people with a university degree (33%) and those with two (35%) or three children (38%) in the household.
According to the public, the Czech government should give priority to goals focused on health and well-being (41%), clean water and sanitation (37%) and decent work and economic growth (33%). This year also saw an increase in the call for quality education as a priority for the Czech government (29%). According to the public, the CR is successfully achieving the goals aimed at clean water and sanitation, quality education and sustainable cities and communities. Over the last 12 months, the situation has improved, especially for the clean water and sanitation target. In contrast, according to respondents’ answers, the Decent Work and Economic Growth goal has deteriorated the most.
Despite the promising pace of economic growth, access to electricity for consumers and businesses in the poorer areas of Cambodia still remains low. The predominant sources of energy here are typically expensive and environmentally unsustainable. That’s why at the beginning of last year, with support from the European Union and the Czech Development Agency People in Need launched a four-year project called SWITCH to Solar, which in total will help over a million Cambodians primarily from rural areas.
The goal of the project is to enable small, medium and micro-enterprises switch from using unsustainable energy to solar energy and thus help improve consumer habits in rural areas of Cambodia. The project will thus also support sustainable and inclusive economic growth in rural areas by reducing the environmental impact caused by the energy consumption of these businesses.
“This project will also help Cambodia meet its targets for the ASEAN Energy Cooperation Action Plan 2016-2025, in which ASEAN countries aim to achieve an overall higher share of renewable energy by 2025. The project mainly focuses on building local capacity through training or providing necessary assistance, as well as supporting links between relevant actors in the sector, such as solar energy providers, consumers and financial institutions, “says Darina Vlčková from the Czech Development Agency, which is in charge of grant support for tripartite projects.
The project aptly named Switch to Solar takes a systematic approach to developing the market by encouraging demand at the lowest level and supporting supply chain development of solar energy providers. This approach attempts to address the root causes of the shortcomings of the solar sector by cooperating with key actors such as financial institutions, investors and retailers, which will lead to long-term improvements and efficiency gains in the solar energy market.
During the four years of the project, four workshops are planned in which agriculture and fishery experts will serve as mentors to local communities and present the challenges and possible solutions related to the use of “green” technologies. The SWITCH to Solar website was also created in the first quarter of this year. The website reaches a larger number of end users through links with other program actors, project beneficiaries, stakeholders and other relevant actors.
“I believe that this project will make a significant contribution to economic independence and improve the living conditions of people in rural areas. Solar is currently one of the most easily introduced and fastest-growing renewable energy technologies. For us to build a sustainable and functional economy, we must focus more on developing sustainable forms of energy,” says Hugo Agostinho, program manager at People in Need. For thirteen years now the organization has been carrying out projects to help people in both rural and urban areas. In addition to projects like Switch to Solar aimed at developing local markets, People in Need also focuses on supporting technical education and developing the EWS1294 early warning system, which is gradually being handed over fully to the Kingdom of Cambodia and will serve as a national system for sending warning messages.
Explanation of the Tender Documentation no. 1 from June 11, 2021 can be downloaded below.
The Czech Development Agency (CzechAid) announces a Small-Scale Public Contract for supplies „Technical Equipment for Special Interrogation Room Premises for Vulnerable Victims, Lviv, Ukraine“ in accordance with Czech Government Resolution from 8 June 2020 on Czech Development Cooperation in 2021.
The subject of the public contract is delivery and installation of Audio and Visual Technology (AVT) equipment to newly reconstructed premises of Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, Ukraine, including provision of accompanying documentation (production documentation, actual state documentation, manuals) and services (testing and trial operation, training). Implementation is divided into three phases (I. Preparation of AVT delivery and installation, II. Delivery and installation of the AVT equipment, III. Commissioning and handing over for use).
The estimated value of the public contract is EUR 30,600.00 excluding VAT. The maximum value of the public contract is EUR 50,000.00 including VAT.
The public contract will be implemented based on the procurement conditions defined in the Tender Documentation and its Annexes. The Tender Documentation can be downloaded below. The Annexes to the Tender Documentation will be sent to the tenderers upon request to the e-mail address: tender@czechaid.cz. Only the Tender Documentation together with all Annexes contain all relevant information for Bid preparation.
Bids shall be submitted electronically by e-mail at the e-mail address of the CzechAid: tender@czechaid.cz. The time deadline is set to June 28, 2021 until 11:00 of CET (Central European Time, UTC+2), which is 12:00 of EET – in Ukraine (Eastern European Time, UTC+3).