The Agency
for the Development of Women and Children (ADWAC) recently sensitized members
of the Jokadou Karantaba Youths Association and NBR Chapter of Operation “No
Back” to Europe on sustainable environment management, degradation of lost
forest cover, illegal logging, and charcoal production.
The two-day sensitization exercise was funded by UNDP Global Enviroment Facility, GEF, and held in Kerewan and Jokadou Karantaba in the North Bank region.
Speaking on the occasion, Lamin A Jarju, coordinator of UNDP GEF project at ADWAC, hailed the efforts ofOperation “No Back Way” to Europe and Karantaba Youth Development Association for their foresight in building youths’ capacity on environmental protection and sustainable livelihood development.
ADWAC is committed to facilitate sustainable improvements in the lives and livelihoods of the poor, especially women and children in the North Bank Region and by extension ensure the poor and marginalized, especially women and children, are empowered and poverty is alleviated, he said.
Jarju asserted that sustainable environment and natural resource management includes water harvesting and conservation, forest and woodlot management and establishment, as well as erosion control.
He said the GEF project would work with youths to address serious forest and land degradation in Lower Baddibu and Jokadu, citing the establishment of beekeeping, as well as building the capability of young people in the sustainable management of land and forest resources.
He thanked the GEF small grants project for partnering with ADWAC in implementing the one-year project to build community resilience to environment and sustainable livelihood, through working with Operation “No Back Way” to Europe, North Bank chapter, as well as the Karantaba Youth Development Association.
Almameh Fatty, representative of the alkalo of Kerewan, thanked ADWAC and GEF for taking this imitative of involving youths in the restoration of the environment.
He described the environment as a critical determinant of our livelihood, noting that our daily survival depends on the resources found within our environment.