Words by Smiley Team
Patrons of the Planet is a weekly series where we hear from climate heroes of the global south and the world’s indigenous communities.
My journey into climate activism started after I completed my studies in agriculture and forestry at the Njala University College, Sierra Leone in 2007.
As I looked around me, I saw how communities were facing layers upon layers of challenges: local forests were getting sawed down, soils were depleting and crops were failing.
But these issues had one positive result – they drove me to act. At first, I started speaking to everyone I could possibly reach out to - young, old, men, women and children.
This outreach work evolved into a community door-to-door campaign, talking about how to better manage our environment through tree planting and sustainable agriculture.
Off the back of the campaign, I established and registered an indigenous organisation, Partners in Rural Integration and Development Organization (PRIDA). This umbrella group unites a huge variety of Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) Farmers-Based Organisations (FBOs), youth groups and women’s cooperatives.
[Discover more positive stories about initiatives to strengthen communities and protect our planet]
As national coordinator, I oversee all our environmental projects, ensuring everything rolls out successfully. But everything I do takes a bottom-up approach, involving communities in every stage of the process. I won’t take a single step without first consulting the people our projects will affect.
My primary goals are to reforest local farmland, eradicate poverty by training agricultural workers, and encourage people to plant trees themselves.
This environmental work – reforesting the land and introducing sustainable agriculture – is vital to my people and their ability to thrive. I hope above all that my efforts will eventually pay off, helping to bring everlasting change to rural areas of Sierra Leone.
To support my work donate here.
Patrons of the Planet is a weekly series to amplify the voices of heroes on the frontline of climate campaign work, as told to Blyth Brentnall. Every Tuesday, we meet individuals from the global south and indigenous groups who have risen above increasing adversity to support their communities, conserve nature and protect the planet for future generations.
