Together for Sustainable Development (TSD)

The Together for Sustainable Development is an extended registered organization from Service & Development Department of the Mara Evangelical Church. This church is not only a religious institution, but it is also vital to the political and social life of the community. Within this context, in 1996 the church decided that it should go further in addressing the physical and social needs of their community to create a ‘Service and Development Department’ which would carry out development projects in Mara communities. This work was further institutionalized when TSD was established in 2016. TSD’s activities to-date are grouped within three ‘Units’: 1) Education – Within this unit, TSD founded its ‘Rural Research and Skill Training Centre’ in Sabawnpi Village in 2009, a centre which aims to educate youth in kitchen gardening and food processing, animal husbandry, tailoring and weaving, brick making and carpentry and family management. 2) Sustainability - The work of this unit is most directly relevant to the content of this project proposal, as it has included activities directly related to both food security and livelihoods. In relation to overall livelihoods, their ‘Rural Integrated Development Program’ has been underway since 1998, covering a range of activities in 21 villages as per each community’s priorities, including installation of mini-hydropower systems, livestock rearing, installation of rice mills, and water system construction. They have also created 70 women’s self-help groups, which encourage group savings and aim to instigate income generating initiatives Lastly, the Sustainability Unit has constructed 104 miles of road and 12 bridges which improve access to markets and thereby open up new income opportunities and reduce reliance on subsistence farming. 3) Empowerment – This unit focusses on the empowerment of ‘Differently-Abled Friends (DAF)’ (people with disabilities).