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Green Scenery Sierra Leone, with funding support from Protection International, has conducted a one-day community engagement with beneficiaries of its Strengthening Legal Literacy and Collective Protection for Environmental Rights Defenders in Sierra Leone project.
The engagement, held at the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation office in Pujehun Town, brought together representatives of the Malen Land Affected Owners Association (MALOA), civil society organisations, and the media.
Speaking to Sierraloaded, the Project Officer Ahmed Tejan Bashir said the engagement forms part of Green Scenery’s broader efforts to promote environmental justice and increase awareness of Sierra Leone’s two key land laws—the Customary Land Rights Act of 2022 and the National Land Commission Act of 2022.
Mr Bashir explained that the engagement was designed to empower community members with knowledge about their environmental and land rights, while strengthening their ability to safely document, report, and communicate issues affecting their communities.
He noted that Green Scenery had also conducted training on safe advocacy and digital security under the project, aimed at equipping community members in Malen Chiefdom with the knowledge and skills to advocate for their rights while operating within the law and minimising risks to their personal safety and security.
Mr Bashir reaffirmed Green Scenery’s commitment to supporting vulnerable communities on issues relating to land governance, environmental justice, climate justice, and other related concerns.
Meanwhile, Chairlady of MALOA, Hannah Deen, expressed appreciation to Green Scenery for organising the engagement, describing it as timely and important.
Madam Deen said the knowledge gained would be shared with other members of the community across Malen Chiefdom and encouraged participants to cascade the information within their respective communities.
The engagement also included a monitoring and evaluation session, during which project beneficiaries discussed the objectives of the project, activities they had participated in, challenges encountered, and recommendations for improving implementation and achieving the desired outcomes.
The engagement is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen legal literacy, community protection, and the capacity of environmental rights defenders to effectively and safely engage on land and environmental issues.
