Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement

Prepare for one of the project’s exciting phases—the training session where experts from various fields share their valuable insights with participants. In the first session, Mr. Eugenio Fatima Lemos, also known as Maum Ego (Maum means Mister in Timor-Leste language), shared his knowledge with a focus on “Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement” on January 18, 2024 Let’s dive into his presentation now.

Maum Ego initiated the discussion by showing the contrast between a healthy and a damaged ecosystem, emphasizing the importance of addressing sustainable water management. He highlighted issues such as water scarcity, climate change, poor infrastructure, and population growth. The key point was to identify community-specific water challenges, including sources, spring flows, household access, volumes, and catchment areas.

Moreover, community consultation and socialization emerged as integral components. Emphasizing the crucial importance of community engagement, he recommended involving local leaders, elders, religious figures, women’s groups, youth representatives, and identified land ownership. Notably, he highlighted the pivotal roles of traditional leaders and elders, citing examples from Timor-Leste where cultural activities facilitate engagement with the local community.

Transitioning to implementation, he explained collaborative activities with the community. Engaging tasks, such as renovating natural reservoirs, establishing artificial ponds and reservoirs, and tree planting, harnessed the collective strength of the local community. Simultaneously, he emphasized the necessity of monitoring and evaluation by experienced technicians.

Maum Ego also discussed successful outcomes from a sustainable management plan in Timor-Leste. Collaboration with youth and the community improved local ecological understanding, reducing water flow issues. Notably, 40% of the community, including young women, actively contributes to water management, with over 6000 youths involved in building a sustainable environment.

Maum Ego also discussed a major ongoing initiative—the reforestation program. Reforesting helps promote positive effects on ecosystems, providing habitats for wildlife and sources of food and wood fuels. This contributes to enhanced soil fertility and reduced carbon emissions.

This “Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement” training session was successfully done, thanks to Maum Ego and the teams. The idea and approach shared by Maum Ego will help the teams to develop their idea, fostering the effective plans to engage with local community.