Our environmental project in Senegal is supporting young people to re-train and reorient their livelihoods to more sustainable, green alternatives to previous activities that damaged the environment.

For instance, we have trained people who used to sell wood-based charcoal to reorient to ‘green’ jobs, such as processing of non-timber forest products, and making bamboo furniture. In this video, former carpenter Malick tells us how retraining in farming has helped him and his family:

Video transcript:

“I used to be a carpenter but I faced so many problems finding wood. It was hard to make ends meet. But now I make so much more money from my allotment, there’s a real difference. I’m now able to buy enough food and take care of my family without any issues”

Context:

The EU-funded ‘Gouvernance Environnementale Communautaire’ (or ‘Community based Environmental Governance), began in 2018 and has been instrumental in reducing illegal logging and bush fires in the Casamance area of Senegal. With significant impacts on the environment, value chain addition and people’s livelihoods, this project has contributed to the increased commitment of the community to protect their natural resources.