MESSAGE FROM THE DESK OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF ICSAP BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Br. Tony Dolan OSF Brother Tony Dolan is the Minister General of the Franciscan Brothers and chairperson of ICSAP Summit Board.
Franciscan Brothers Generalate,
P.O. Box 195,Baraka, Molo – Kenya
+254 720 101 045
info@icsap.africa
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Governance for ICSAP is provided for by a Summit Board that comprise the Major Superiors or a delegate of the Major Superior. The summit meets quarterly and is the supreme authority.
ICSAP has 9 project sites and their management is effected through a Cluster Management Committe(CMC) made up of the project managers who provide logistical support and With the lead of Franciscan Brothers
In addition, each project site has a project officer who oversees field activity implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The project officer reports to the project manager on a monthly basis. The project manager makes quarterly reports to ICSAP secretariat.
ICSAP has a lean secretariat that consists of a Chief Executive officer, finance officer and Project Site Cordinator. The three provide technical and management support to the programme managers and programme officers at project implementation sites through field monitoring and evaluation visits as well as reviewing, compiling and submitting reports to the Cluster Management Committe(CMC) , the Summit and to the funding agencies.
Due to the geographical spread of ICSAP partners and project sites and, in order to facilitate effective implementation of the Summit Board decisions, the Cluster Management Committe(CMC) is divided into two clusters: one is the Kenya cluster which is made up of Wenje; Baraka, Kamagut and Kitale project sites.
The second is the Uganda/South Sudan cluster which is made up of Adraa in West Nile in Uganda, Pabo - Gulu in Northern Uganda, Athon Duel & MAJJIS-Akol Jal in Rumbek and, Bakhita - Tonj – South Sudan.
Br. Tony Dolan OSF Brother Tony Dolan is the Minister General of the Franciscan Brothers and chairperson of ICSAP Summit Board.
In 2015 ICSAP was born out of a challenge posed by the CEO and Chairperson of Misean Cara during visits to Misean Cara supported sites in Tanzania and Kenya. Baraka Agriculture College was one of the sites visited. There both shared feedback they received from a number of Religious Congregations that indicated low level of capacities in agriculture among their members and Co-Workers
Following this visit three workshops - 2 in Baraka and 1 in Adraa Agriculture Colleges - were held to which interested members of Misean Cara in East Africa were invited. All three workshops were facilitated by Dr. Eamonn Brehony. Representatives of 7 Misean Cara affiliated Religious Congregations participated – Daughters of Charity, Patrician Brothers, Spiritans, Jesuits, Salesian Sisters, Salesian Fathers and Franciscan Brothers.
In 2016 Misean Cara provided funding for a pilot programme which ran from 01 September 2016 to 31 August 2017. At an early stage in this pilot the Salesian Fathers decided to withdraw from the programme. That left six members working in 8 project sites – 4 in Kenya; 3 in South Sudan and 1 in Uganda. Misean Cara agreed to fund a further one-year project proposal in 2019. In the same year a formal request to join ICSAP was received from the Sacred Heart Sisters of Jesus and Mary in Uganda. The application was accepted.
ICSAP was fortunate in attracting a person of William Keyah’s caliber to take up the post of CEO of the Network. William not only has the competencies but he also has the passion and vision necessary to provide the leadership required. He has been with ICSAP from the beginning. Sr. Monica Omondi joined William as coordinator of the network in January 2021. Misean Cara once again funded ICSAP for a three-year project with a generous grant of €322,000. This project started on 01 September 2021 and it is now well into the second year.
have we learned from the seven years of ICSAP’s existence? The main objectives of ICSAP are:
a) To show that Religious Congregations can work together for the common good.
b) To improve the competence of member Religious Congregations and their co-workers for the promotion of sustainable agriculture for rural development.
c) To demonstrate that the most marginalized farmer households in member catchment areas can be empowered to achieve sustainable livelihoods.
d) To document and advocate for government development policies and schemes that are pro the marginalized and environmentally sound.
Two external evaluations and many monitoring visits prove that these objectives are realizable and that much progress has been made. However, it is accepted by members that although much has been achieved much remains to be done. In the context of climate change, non-viability of high input/high output agriculture systems; lack of food security and increasing evidence of poor nutrition; destruction of biodiversity and demographic realities in Africa that point to the need for agriculture and rural economies that provide sustainable livelihoods for youth for at least two more generations.
The teaching and example of Pope Francis is calling religious and all concerned individuals and communities to be proactive in working for a better, more just, fairer, more prosperous and sustainable future for the marginalized and in the process to conserve and enhance an ecology that cares for Mother Earth. To prosper and to be a beacon of hope for our destitute sisters and brothers ICSAP needs to deepen its understanding of sustainable development and of sustainable agriculture and expand from kitchen gardening to sustainable business farming, co-operatives and other aspects of rural development. This is our challenge as we aim to be authentic, practical followers and implementers of the gospel of Jesus.