SHADE is currently empowering rural youths (males and females) to lead in the monitoring and patrolling of their community forests – See six Community forest Monitors (3 males and 3 females) in their patrol suits just from the a two hour patrol in Pambela Community Forest.
SHADE’s target is that by 2030, 100 community forest would have been established and sustainably managed with alternative livelihood initiative to add strengthen to the forest protection. Each participating community often appoints or elects 15 man committee (7 females and 8 males to lead the management of the forest, any initiaitve and that of the Community Forest Association.
Honey beekeeping isn’t just a tradition; it’s a sustainable livelihood that’s transforming communities.
Economic Empowerment: Honey production and beekeeping provide a steady income source for rural communities. By selling honey, beeswax, and other hive products, local beekeepers are not only earning a livelihood but also contributing to the local economy.
Environmental Conservation:Bees are essential pollinators, playing a critical role in agriculture and ecosystem health. Through beekeeping, communities are not only safeguarding bee populations but also promoting biodiversity and sustainable farming practices.
Education and Skill Development: Beekeeping projects often come with training programs that equip community members with valuable skills in hive management, entrepreneurship, and marketing. This knowledge empowers individuals to take control of their futures and build resilient communities.
SHADE through its partnership is currently reducing the wide spread and dorminance of elephant grass an invasive species that has almost dorminated the landscape of Sierra Leone. Ten communities in Tambaka Chiefdom, Karene District have been trained on how to remove the grass with the root, cut it into sizeable shape, born and carbonize it into charcoal briquette using local technology.
Similar training was done conducted in the ten communities in Yawei Chiefdom to convert cacao empty pod, rice straw and groundnut piles or wastes into charcoal briquette.
With Trocaire and SHADE intervention, rural women are now financial empowered to access funds from the local funding scheme with little or no constraint. With the start funds and personal contributions, members can loan any amount not exceeding $300 with minimal interest to solve their children’s educational needs, provide food, meet their household health needs and embark upon business.
Enhancing restoration through community tree nursery management
SHADE is currently empowering rural farmers to embark upon the replacement of their old and unproductive cacao plantation with improved varieties that take up to three years to start producing. This technique allows each plantation with the cacao, coffee, kola, oranges, mangoes and forest trees etc. in each plot to still remain untouched while the new varieties are planted near the old and unproductive ones. Each of these nurseries contains – forest trees, cash/economic tree crops
With Trocaire and SHADE intervention, rural women are now financial empowered to access funds from the local funding scheme with little or no constraint. With the start funds and personal contributions, members can loan any amount not exceeding $300 with minimal interest to solve their children’s educational needs, provide food, meet their household health needs and embark upon business.
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