By Abu BakarrMunu, Communications Officer, SiLNoRF
The Sierra Leone Network on the Right to Food (SiLNoRF) to establish Community Forests in three different localities in Bombali district with support from BMZ and Wealth Hunger Hilfe (WHH) has concluded rounds of Chiefdom Level Engagements at Yainkasa, Mara and Ma-sorie communities.
The chiefdom level engagements took place on diverse dates in three communities located in the Makarie, Mara and BombaliSebora Chiefdoms respectively, all in the Addax/Sunbird Bio-energy operations area, Bombali district between Thursday, May 27 and Monday, June 1, 2021,
The move was geared towards hanging heads with the different relevant stakeholders to enable them chat the way forward for the establishment of the community forests.
Also for them to form a Chiefdom Steering Committee (CSC) and identify the six acres plot of land in each of the three chiefdoms in line with the Better Livelihood Project (BLP) as support to the most affected communities.
All three meetings attracted officials from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture and the Environmental Protected Agency (EPA) including traditional leaders and other relevant stakeholders from localities in the Better Livelihood Addax/Sunbird Bio-energy Project community implemented by SiLNoRF through its network members.
This component of the project is aimed at restoring community forests destroyed over the years as a result of the company operations. The project emanated as a result of the constant monitoring of SiLNoRF on the negative impact created by the operation of the company on the livelihood of local communities.
SiLNoRF is a member of the African network on the right to food, which a global platform is born in 2008 to promote the right to food and land governance.
Over the years SiLNoRF has been closely monitoring the operations of Addax Bioenergy and has been producing annual monitoring which is one of the platforms used to portray the negative impact of the operations of Addax bioenergy and has been more effective as a result of the various advocacy and engagement.
SiLNoRF has been doing especially on the area of the Right to Food and Land Governance and the recommendations from the Monitoring Report. SiLNoRF has been awarded a three years’ project to mitigate the negativity caused by the operations of the company on the livelihood of the resident in the company operational areas that have been violated as a result of the operations of Addax/Sunbird Bio-energy.
The project will be implemented in 37 communities in the three chiefdoms that are greatly affected by the company’s operations. The project aim is to boost Food and Nutrition Security in the district.
