WESSA Phase 1 report to HHCT_28.10.2021

1 Background The team of consultants (Christo Fabricius, Bianca Currie and Randall Jonas) were contracted by WESSA to conduct a purpose, mission, vision, strategic focus, governance and funding review to “ensure that WESSA is playing its rightful and a significant role in addressing environmental challenges. Specific focus should also include an in-depth review of the relationship between the stakeholders and the fractured nature of some of them” . We proposed a design thinking process, consisting of 4 stages: I. Discover - understand the context and nub of the problem by analysing the situation using secondary data, and spending time with stakeholders. II. Define - synthesize and clearly outline challenges and opportunities and future Impact Paths in a desired direction. III. Develop - co-create clear solutions and recommendations; IV. Reflect & learn, communicate understandings, invite reflection and jointly map a way forward towards implementation, monitoring and adaptive management. The over-all objectives of the review are to: 1. Analyse and discover the current reality and contexts in which WESSA operates, the scope and focus of its existing operations and the roles of different stakeholders 2. Define current and future challenges and opportunities, using the Sustainable Development Goals and resilience building as frameworks for sense-making 3. Embark on a co-development process that seeks to align all WESSA’s stakeholders around a common purpose, vision, strategy, branding and practical financial and governance model 4. Co-produce a new yet practicable model for value creation – “ a roadmap to the sustainable planet we want; and the WESSA that will get us there ” 5. Recommend practicable strategies towards operationalizing the model through constantly monitoring and evaluating progress. 1.1 Phase 1 objectives This report is about Objective 1 (Analyse and discover the current reality and contexts in which WESSA operates), but also incorporates elements of Objective 3 (Embark on a co-development process that seeks to align all WESSA’s stakeholders around a common purpose, vision, strategy, branding and practical financial and governance model). The Phase 1 investigation: • Synthesizes secondary information and documents to fully understand WESSA's current interventions, governance structures and strategic plan • Assesses the social, technological, economic, environmental, political and cultural (STEEP-C) forces that influence WESSA’s value, as well as risks to the organization’s sustainability • Assesses South and southern Africa’s environmental challenges and opportunities against the backdrop of the Sustainable Development Goals • Summarizes the international and national environmental non-profit sector – and looking at investment trends, likely scenarios and scope for strategic alliances

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