By: Ilyasa Baa
The Network Movement for Youth and Children’s Welfare (NMYCW) in collaboration with the Western Area Rural District Council (WARDC) has brought together fifty vegetable farmers in the Western Rural District explaining to them about the National Adaption Plan on tackling climate change in Sierra Leone.
The objective of the one-day event was to bring together community stakeholders and local farmers to raise awareness and promote the campaign on climate change.
The event took place at the Agriculture Community Hall in Newton, Four Mile on the weekend, chaired by Jestina Boyle who happens to be the Programme Officer of the movement.
She said the event was held to commemorate the 16th Days of Activism this year. She stressed that the commemorating with the local farmers was part of the global call to action which she said is part of the Dubai Climate Change Conference where world leaders met to discuss climate change issues as a global concern.
In his statement, the National Coordinator of NMYCW, Hajie Bah expressed the need for local farmers to understand the effects of climate change on the environment. He said urgent action needs to be taken not only by world leaders but members of the community who most times become the victims.
Councilor Alimatu H. Kamara, Foday M. Sesay, Abass Dauda Conteh and the Headman of Kattu Town, Mohamed Jalloh expressed similar sentiments and called on local farmers to embrace the message in order to save the environment on which they live.
However, NMYCW aims at collaborating with the local council to evaluate the challenges experienced by female vegetable growers in the district.
The event was funded by Global Green Grand Fund (USA) and the beneficiaries came from Waterloo, Cole Town, Kuttu Town, Newton, Campbell Town and other nearby communities on the theme: Invest in prevention, End Violence Against Women and Girls.