Description
Eastern Slovakia is a region facing many challenges, with high rates of unemployment and a large disadvantaged Roma population. The objective of the project is to contribute to improving the sustainable development of the region. The project will specifically focus on developing local sustainable food and energy efficient solutions. Three community urban gardens and 17 rural gardens will be built. People will be taught basic organic farming techniques to help them grow their own produce. One hundred energy efficient cooking stoves will be installed in the homes of Roma families and training provided in their use. The donor project partner - Change the World (Norgesvel) - will contribute its know-how and many years of experience in developing local sustainable solutions. It will organise courses and workshops in organic farming, eco-friendly building techniques and the use of energy efficient devices. It will also create an online database compiling practical solutions for reducing ecological footprints. The main beneficiaries of the project will be disadvantaged groups, including Roma. The general public will also be able to learn from the online database.
Summary of project results
The project was realised in Eastern Slovakia, a region with high unemployment and numerous Roma population. The objective was to strengthen energy and food sustainability in rural and urban areas by implementation of efficient examples and thus to contribute to decreasing greenhouse gases emissions. This objective was fully reached and examples in both focus areas spread in the region. Sosna will sustain the results especially in relation to their eco-centre with a permaculture garden they are running. The project contributed to improving the food and energy situation in a number of families by direct donation of energy efficient stoves to Roma families and by inspiring them through a number of community events, informational materials and the website. The outcome was fully reached. Regarding outputs, 73 energy efficient stoves for outdoor cooking were distributed in the Roma families. 7 various examples of energy efficient devices were prepared: a solar cooler, a solar shower, a Trombe wall using sun energy for heating, a parabolic solar cooker, a solar box cooker, an interior stove as well as an exterior stove. In the eco-centre garden, so called Hobit house, an example of green low-cost building, was finished. In cooperation with local people contributed to establishment and development of 3 urban and 17 rural gardens. Sosna prepared a database of green solutions named Green Wiki and published on their website with examples from Slovakia as well as abroad. They also organised a closing conference and a number of community events and issued several printed information materials. 73 Roma families received a stove and their representatives were trained how to use them. 170 people were more thoroughly informed about green solutions at courses and through distributed materials. About 200 people were informed in the area of gardening. Visitors of the eco-centre (about 2,500 people annually) could observe examples of sustainable solutions created in the project.
Summary of bilateral results
The most significant contribution of the Norwegian partner Forandre verden to the project was transfer of knowledge at preparation and launching an open space database of green solutions named Green Wiki. The Norwegian partner co-operated at preparation of the structure of the database and contributed by a number of solutions, out of which those appropriate for Slovakia were selected and translated. Forandre verden initiated and brought information in relation to one of the categories in the database named Transition Towns on inspiration for municipalities looking for a positive change. The organisation also contributed by giving a lecture Transition Towns at a closing workshop in the ecocentre SOSNA (16 October 2014, 21 participants) as well as a homonymous lecture with discussion for a broader public in Košice (17 October 2014, 40 participants).