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Description
The project strengthens the position of the kRaj association among civic organizations, while it plans to create a common platform of organizations and within it a national plan for the protection of pollinators. The association also wants to develop public awareness in this area and follow it up with fundraising, which will also help financial stability. The project will create the Center for the Protection of Pollinators, the first of its kind. The main goal of the project is to network with other organizations, develop their own fundraising and strengthen the team of the civic association with a new employee. The project aims to get to the changes through 3 main areas: CREATION OF THE CENTER - focused on the topic of pollinators and social entrepreneurship - in Kokava nad Rimavicou - the project plans to create a center with nationwide and transnational activities, which in addition to education and awareness, will also provide space for networking or development of social entrepreneurship in one of the poorest regions of Slovakia. INTERNAL CAPACITIES - the project focuses on improving the communication of the organization''s activities towards the media, the general public and donors. The goal is to increase the financial stability of the organization through regular individual donors and corporate donations, which will provide us with new resources. CONNECTING ORGANIZATIONS. - through the project, the organization wants to create a platform that brings together organizations dedicated to beekeeping and pollinators. The aim is to start a common communication, to identify common goals that the platform will advocate at the societal level, but also at the legislative level.
Summary of project results
Wild bee species, including honeybees, are crucial pollinators for both cultivated and wild plants. Without them, there would be a decline in biodiversity and subsequent disruption of the ecosystem and food chain. The existence of bees not only impacts other animals but also has implications for humans.
The project addressed one of the significant contemporary challenges—the decline of pollinators—while simultaneously fostering collaboration among organizations dedicated to this issue. The project focused on strengthening the applicant, the civic association kRaj, in the areas of management, communication, and campaign creation within the selected topic of pollinator decline. Additionally, the project responded to the need of the project implementer to enhance its position among civic organizations and establish a common platform for organizations to create a national plan for the protection of pollinators. The association aimed to raise public awareness on this issue and connect it with fundraising efforts, contributing to financial stability.
The project significantly helped stabilize the organization internally, both in terms of management and finances. Thanks to the support from the ACF - Slovakia program, the project implementers established strong partnerships with the private and public sectors, enabling them to continue their activities even after the project''s completion. Not only did the organization itself develop, but also a Network of Organizations Educating about Bees and Pollinators was created. A notable success of the project was the collaboration with the Norwegian organization Mangfolk, where project implementers exchanged know-how, inspired each other, and received education in the field of pollinator-related projects.
The first project activity was the establishment of the Pollinator Friends Center. This eco-center is the first to conduct awareness and education on the topic of pollinators. The significance of the eco-center extends beyond the region, with ambitions to work on international projects and collaborate at least on the V4 level. The eco-center will offer programs for a wide audience, including experts, and will become the focal point for ecological beekeeping in Slovakia.
The second activity focused on fundraising and marketing, staff development, and recruitment. Through this activity, the organization secured additional funds (€10,000 through fundraising and €35,000 through additional grants), enabling the construction of the eco-center. Simultaneously, the project created opportunities to seek partners for collaboration, and the organization established long-term partnerships with LIDL and Veolia through the project. The creation of a new position, the eco-center manager, was instrumental in fundraising and marketing efforts.
The most challenging activity of the project was networking with other organizations. Initially, the project implementers offered collaboration to standard associations, but they did not respond positively. However, a path was found through collaborating with associations focused on bee education, where cooperation flourished.
The project implementers consider the main achievements within the organization to be the partnerships with the private sector (LIDL) and the public sector (the city of Lučenec). Thanks to the project, they achieved an increase in the prestige of the organization itself. This is evident in the significant number of people participating in the organization''s workshops and expressing interest in its activities. Through partnerships, the organization gained new financial resources for its work and new activities that will be sustainable even after the conclusion of funding from the ACF - Slovakia program. The primary goal was to establish an eco-center, which has been successfully created from the original apiary and now offers programs for both the general public and experts.
An important outcome is the collaboration of 11 organizations that are working together to develop a validated program and potentially influence legislative changes in the field of pollinator protection. The project created conditions for a collaborative sector in the beekeeping and pollinator protection topics, addressing a historical lack of cooperation or low-level collaboration in Slovakia. This space emerged in the form of a network—a platform for shared communication—and in the form of the eco-center, which introduces new topics. In partnership with the private sector, the organization is able to provide year-round education and training for a broad audience.
The project brought together beekeeping organizations into a unified platform, which is unprecedented in this field in Slovakia (beekeeping societies did not collaborate). The project implementers established the first eco-center focusing on pollinators and insects.
Summary of bilateral results
The collaboration with the organization Mangfolk was mutually beneficial. The project implementers gained valuable information about the quality of wax and honey, with Norway being among the countries with the highest purity of these products. For the partner organization, the collaboration was particularly beneficial in terms of learning about the funding style for organizational activities. Up until then, their events had been mostly free or with voluntary contributions.The meetings primarily took place online between the project implementers and the partner organization. Later, the meetings extended to include organizations that became members of the platform. In Slovakia, the collaboration sparked interest in creating a series of articles about beekeeping in Norway. In Norway, the results were shared with other Norwegian beekeeping organizations interested in traveling to Slovakia for inspiration.The goal of arranging a visit for Norwegian organizations was also the outcome of a personal meeting between the kRaj organization and Mangfolk in Slovakia. During this meeting, the project implementers were preparing a possible program for Norwegian beekeepers.