Responses to CEPA news item on 12th january2010

Following the message on the 12th January, there followed an echange of emails among list members:

Malawi is unfortunate

Hastings Maloya

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Dear Hastings,

I fully agree with you that it is unfortunate for our Malawi. Such capacity building opportunities are critical for Malawi too.

Lawrence Matiasi

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Hello Sandra,

I dont see Sierra leone on the NFP Country List.
We are unfortunate.

Regards.
Edward Bendu
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Well Just like Botswana and we need it most due to the fast developing tourism facilities on the Okavango delta - Ramsar site

Felix Monggae

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Dear Hastings,

I get information from Sandra all the time and I also noted that Malawi is not appearing on thelist of the countries qualifying for assitance under the NFP. I have always wanted to find out from Sandra but because of work pressure I have somehow played down this issue. The same was the case last year when a similar course was advertised.

By copy of this mail, Sandra why is Malawi not included on the list of countries qualifying for the NFP fellowships? Do you know? If not could you kindly find out this for us.

Just like Hastings Maloya I strongly feel that we could benefit a great deal as a country from these trainnings. We have Ramsar sites which needs people to promote and this can only be done if we have qualified trainners in wetland mangement not just biologists with general conservation knowledge. I would greatly appreciate your kind response to this. WESM as a country NGO representative would love to see that such trainning opportunites are extended to us as Malawians.

We have a common denominator with all the countries that have been listed- low income countries which survive because of kind assistance from the developed world. Should Malawian wetalnds suffer because somebody forgot that we exist?
Samuel Kamoto

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Dear Everyone:

I understand the frustration of several list members that their country is not included in the list of countries qualifying for funding assistance. Here are some facts to help explain the situation:

1. The TOT course is run by Wageningen International, a training institution based in the Netherlands.
2. The course is endorsed by the Ramsar Secretariat.
3. The Netherlands Foundation has made funding available for certain countries to sponsor a number of participants on the course (and on many, many other courses) and applications for funding must be made directly to the Foundation (but please read carefully the details concerning the application process in my original email).
4. The Netherlands Foundation is an independent body funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the development cooperation budget. Neither the Ramsar Secretariat nor Wageningen International has any control over the operation of the Foundation. Thus we do not have any say in the matter and I certainly cannot offer any explanation as to why they fund certain developing countries and not others.
5. Here are some web links for those wishing to find out more about:

The course http://www.cdi.wur.nl/UK/newsagenda/agenda/International_training_of_trainers_on_wetland_management.htm

The funding http://www.nuffic.nl and http://www.nuffic.nl/international-students/scholarships/scholarships-administered-by-nuffic/the-netherlands-fellowship-programmes

I hope that this makes everything a little clearer to list members (although probably no less frustrating!).

With best wishes, Sandra Hails, Ramsar Secretariat

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Dear people,

I am just a simple trainer in participatory wetland management planning, so for questions/remarks regarding which countries are/should be included on the NFP list please write an email to the Prime Minister of The Netherlands and not to the CEPA list. For questions regarding the training you can ask me directly (also not to Sandra Hails or by using the CEPA list; it is not necessary to disturb all the other CEPA List Members). Even if your country is not on the NFP list you can apply, because maybe we can find other sources of funding for your participation elsewhere.

And yes, please keep on contributing to conserving wetlands!

Warm regards
Esther Koopmanschap

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Hello Everyone,

While we understand how our Malawian friends feel, I can say to them that, all is not lost. This is a fee paying course and therefore can utilise other sources of funding. Perhaps the exclusion from NFP list is only temporary and you could find Malawi on the list in the future. It's a Netherlands Government's decision and am sure they do, or shall consider Malawi elsewhere.

Good morning,

Wamiti Wanyoike

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Habari yoko Wanyoke. Sasa?

Now let's put to rest this issue . Its not that we are whippering for German government money as some other people are thinking. We wanted just to find out from those that know about our observation. We dont' need caurse remarks. Its their money and they know how best to ditribute it. Can we there fore close this chapter which seem to have attracted uneccessary comments
Uwasalimiye wana inchi ote uko!! I mean all Kyukus- my ancestors

Sam Kamotho
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