Refresher courses were held for counterparts in Ermera and Liquica Municipality

In June 2025, refresher courses were held for counterparts in Ermera and Liquica municipality, the target municipalities of the project. At the municipal level, a three-day CBNRM (Community-based Sustainable Natural Resource Management) training was conducted at the start of the project, and a one-day follow-up training was held before commencing field activities such as reforestation and agricultural support in the target villages.

The training was initially planned to promote the understanding of CBNRM. However, stakeholders recognized that the initiative of the Municipal Forest Departments and the Municipal Agriculture Departments is more necessary in the future as the project activities are expanding to a wider area. Therefore, counterparts themselves assessed the activity status of each municipality and presented it to stakeholders to enhance their ownership of the project and promote their understanding of CBNRM. Facilitators (MCs) and presenters were selected from both municipalities, and they gave presentations on their activities, progress, challenges, solutions, and proposals.

At the end of the training, counterparts were honored for their contributions and presented with the Excellent Award to encourage them to be more proactive in their field activities in the future. The top three were selected based on the criteria such as high participation in project activities and good collaboration with NGOs. The award winners said, "I'm very happy. I'm young and don't have much field experience, so I can gain new experiences by participating in JICA's activities." and "By participating in this project, I can also perform my usual duties as a forestry officer, so I feel fulfilled." The project will continue to monitor the participation of field activities to ensure their motivation for future field activities.