He lamented that the issues of climate change are underreported in the region while hoping that henceforth, there will be more coverage on climate change.
For his part, Mr. Nfamara Jawneh, Executive Director of Beakanyang, reaffirmed
his organization’s commitment in empowering journalists for effective climate
change message dissemination.
“The challenges we are facing today as a result of climate change are numerous and according to experts concerted efforts are needed to mitigate the impact,” he said. “On our part, since 2013, we have been working with communities across this region to mitigate the effects of climate change. Thanks to the effective coordination of our Environment Unit, over the years, we have established woodlot gardens, provided women with startup capitals to support their small-
scale businesses, planted hundreds of trees and raised awareness on the impact
of climate on vulnerable communities among others,” he revealed.
Speaking earlier, Mr. Alasana Camara, President of URR Journalists’ Association
commended Beakanyang for building the capacity of their members.
He noted that building the capacities of journalists to ensure the dissemination of
relevant and timely climate related information will greatly contributed in minimizing the effects of climate change especially on vulnerable communities.
In his keynote address delivered virtually, Mr. Omar Malmo Sambou, (PhD candidate), board chairperson of Beakanyang and climate change expert, expressed appreciation to the trainers and the Netherlands Embassy in Senegal
for making the training possible.

“Environmental issues are quite essential and for me, they are human rights issues. When a society lacks food, potable water and other basic life essentials that are driven by climate change and its impact, that is really considered as a human rights issue,” he said.

He encouraged participants to put the skills and knowledge acquired from the training into good use by helping to disseminate and communicate effectively
climate change related happenings in the region and beyond.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Nfamara Jawneh, Executive Director of Beakanyang said over the years their NGO has expanded its activities to new intervention sites such as Jarra West and Kiang West respectively in LRR.

“In Jarra West we focusing on human rights while in Kiang West our intervention is focusing on the environment especially climate change,” he revealed.

According to him, the outreach activity seeks to engage communities in Kiang West to brainstorm on their environmental challenges and take local actions to mitigate the impact of climate change.

“We are equally concern about the preservation of Kiang West National Park, KWNP, and we hope that by working with communities living around the Park we would be able to preserve it for posterity,” he said.

Mr. Jawneh, a personate development practitioner however stated that in order to prevent people from intruding into the parks, communities living around them should be supported with alternative livelihoods improvement options.

“Earlier on today, we were at Jiffarong for a mangrove restoration exercise and I have seen once more the negative impact of climate change there as well,” he noted.

For his part, the Alkalo of Sankandi Fabakary Darboe commended Beakanyang for its commitment to the preservation and protection of the environment.

He urged the community members to work closely with the NGO to create a climate resilient community.

The lady president of Sankandi Mrs. Salimatou Darboe lamented the numerous challenges they face as women of the community.

“We are definitely suffering a lot as we lack enough water in our garden, some of us are being forced to venture into cutting down of trees for charcoal production just to take care of our families,” she said.

“Even our garden is not properly fence as such animals always destroy our plants. We therefore need your intervention to help live a better life,” she stressed.

She further lamented salt intrusion and low crop yield over the years as some of the major challenges facing the community.

Other speakers include the VDC chairman Sutay Darboe and youth leader Ebou Jallow who calls for concerted efforts to protect the forest from further destruction.

At the end of the meeting, the NGO signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the community of Sankandi through the Sankandi Youth Development Association (SYDA) to tackle climate change challenges confronting the community.

The ceremony was chaired by Ansumana Darboe, Chief Executive Officer of SYDA who reaffirmed their joy and commitment to working with a credible organization like Beakanyang.

Speaking at the start of the caravan in Nyakoi Taibatou, Nfamara Jawneh, the Executive Director of Beakanyang said that climate change is real and communities including in those Wuli are also affected.
According to him, rainfall patterns have changed over the years with limited and unpredictable rains resulting in poor harvest by farmers.
According to him, communities in Wuli have been experiencing the effects of climate change such as flooding, extreme weather and erosion. “If you could recall at the beginning of the raining season last year, several houses and animals were washed away by windstorm in many communities here in Nyakoi and in some communities we are visiting have in fact lost their loved ones during those disasters. For us all these are effects of climate change,” he declared.
He called on communities to desist from the indiscriminate felling of trees and to stop setting the bush on fire.
Jawneh called for concerted efforts in preserving the environment while encouraging locals to plant more trees.
Fanding Barrow, a board member of Beakanyang thanked the Global Environment Facility Small Grant Programme for supporting the climate change sensitization tour.
According to him, the tour which includes traditional communicators locally known as Kanyellengs, climate experts, staff and board members will cover ten communities in Wuli east and west respectively.
For his part, Mr. Omar Malmo Sambou a lecturer from the University of the Gambia and a climate change expert told the communities that climate change is really happening and people need to take serious action to mitigate its impact.
According to him, due to climate change, reports have shown that we will be experiencing increase in temperatures while food production will also significantly reduce. He told the people of Wuli to jealously guard their remaining forest cover while encouraging them to build a culture of tree planting.
Mr. Sambo blamed the government for failing to effectively implement the environmental legislations and conventions and treaties the country has signed.
Meanwhile, from community to community, the Department of Forestry is alleged to be the biggest threat to our forest cover. Many communities blame foresters for giving permits for tree felling or compromising the law and their responsibilities for personal gains.
Mbembanding Jabby, Alkalo of Taibatou thanked Beakanyang for the tour noting that the impact of climate change can be reduced but required concerted efforts by all and sundry.
He expressed their readiness to work with Beakanyang in developing their community forest while calling for support to establish an ecotourism centre in the village.
Fatou Ceesay, lady president of Bajonkoto and Jambo Camara of Sutukonding applauded Beakanyang for alleviating the suffering of the people in the area.

Our ED was on the ground and encouraged the youth in the community to take good care of the trees.

Mr.Jawneh told the gathering the devastating impact of climate change on the country could be drastically mitigated if all Gambians and non-Gambians resident in the country are fully committed to planting more trees each year.

He said that involving local communities in the climate change mitigation is essential for sustaining the successes registered in the campaign.

He said that humans and trees need each other for survival; as human beings we need oxygen, which is the waste product of trees, while trees need carbon dioxide, which is also waste from human being, for survival.

He lamented the problems of flooding, droughts, rainstorm and rise in sea level, rainfall pattern resulting in poor harvest as some of the effects of climate change.

Mr Jawneh said the immediate and long-term impacts of climate change are threatening social and economic progress of the country, adding that such impacts are already being felt in a number of real and recognizable ways in the country.

He thanked the regional forestry office in Basse for their continue support to the Environemnt Unit of Beakanyang.

Ansumana Makalo, president of the youth group Kutay Jombulu Kafo thanked Beakanyang for the support and promised that they will take good care of the trees.

Speaking at various meeting grounds, the climate change project coordinator of Beakanyang, Nfamara Jawneh, said the objectives of the meetings were to discuss with various communities the scope of the project, their roles and responsibilities and to help thrash out any possible challenges in their implementation process.

According to him, since January 2013, they have had series of meetings and activities with representatives of the intervention communities, village heads, and other interest groups in the villages but bringing the entire community together to discuss the project was equally necessarily.

“We want everyone in the communities to actively participate in this project and to have a sense of ownership over the project,” he said.

He reminded the meetings that the project, dubbed: “Mitigating the effects of climate change at grassroots level”, is a 12-month undertaking being implemented by Beakanyang with funding from the Global Environment Facility Small Grant Programme under the UNDP.

According to Jawneh, the objective of the project is to create the much needed awareness about climate change among rural communities and to encourage them to work on mitigation strategies.

“Before I conclude my introductory remarks, I would encourage you all to listen attentively and to share the knowledge with those who could not make it to this meeting,” Jawneh told a gathering in Jah Kunda.

For his part, Tumani Danjo, President of Beakanyang, disclosed that in the coming weeks they would provide thousands of trees to be planted in the intervention communities as well as fencing materials for communities working on wood-logged gardens.

He stressed the need for communities to take proper care of the trees to be planted as their benefits would in future be enormous for them and the next generation.

“During the past couple of days, we have been crisscrossing communities across Wuli trying to mobilize local people in the fight against climate change thus complementing government’s efforts,” Danjo told a meeting in Gunjur.

In his address, the project field assistant of Beakanyang, Alhagie Lamin Touray, said the meetings were also meant to thank the communities for their level of commitment and support since the commencement of the project.

Yahya Sumareh, board chairman of Beakanyang, reaffirmed his organization’s commitment towards ensuring sustainable environment.

He said their intention is to replicate the success story of the project to other communities in the region come next year.

Meanwhile, the Alkalo of Limbambulu, Fodalimang Fatty, thanked Beakanyang for considering his village for the project and assured the CBO of their commitment to ensuring its successful implementation.

Chamoi Bunda alkalo Ebrima Touray said they were pleased to have in their community a high-powered delegation from Beakanyang sensitizing them about the effects of climate change.

At the Barrow Kunda meeting, a women leader, Matta Fatty, said they are every grateful to Beakanyang for championing sustainable environmental management and practices in communities.

Uncle Makalo, a youth leader in Jah Kunda, thanked Beakanyang for supporting the establishment of a community wood-logged garden in the village.

Aja Satu Waggeh of Gunjur Kuta encouraged her community members to put the knowledge gained from the meeting into good use and help Beakanyang in their environment-sustainable efforts.

Aja Fatou Drammeh of Draman village told the meeting in Draman that their village is out to take first among all the intervention communities.

Attended by traditional communicators known as kanyalengos, who sang songs about climate change, the meetings were punctuated by questions and answers between the villages and the Beakanyang team.