BUCHANAN,GRAND BASSA – At least 49 volunteers have been trained under the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Project in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, in an attempt to tackle the effect of climate change along that county’s coastal line.
The training was conducted by the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia (SCNL) during a two-day community-based adaptation workshop funded by the Green Climate Fund through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The training, amongst other things, was focused on how to adapt to climate change and take action necessary to thwart the risk and threats that it poses to human survival.
Society for the Conservation of Nature (SCNL) Executive Director Michael Garbo said the volunteers under the NAP project were selected from various communities in and around Buchanan.
Garbo said the volunteers will serve as peer educators in their respective communities aimed at educating their colleagues on how to adapt to climate change, by planting trees along the coast line and clean drainages and other proactive measures.
He said incentives will be given to individuals that are selected and trained under the NAP project for their volunteerism as a means of encouragement to them.
He explained that the project will be carried out in Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Montserrado and Margibi Counties and could be extended to other coastal counties to reduce the impact of climate change.
UNDP Gender Consultant Chantal Ekambi urged the volunteers to take the project seriously by working together in the realization of the goal and objective of the project.
Madam Ekambi emphasized the importance of the issue of gender sensitive to be at the core of the selection and implementation of the project.
She praised SCNL for the level of organization in the implementation of the project and called on strong collaboration with coastal communities to ensure that they get the needed results regarding the people understanding the concept of adapting to climate change.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the National Disaster Management Agency, Henry Williams, expressed excitement for the project in which he pledged his entity’s resolved to work along with the volunteers in the case of responding to any disaster outbreak in Grand Bassa County.
Williams noted that the fight against climate change is everyone’s business, because according to him, when disasters strike, they affect everyone.
Meanwhile, Grand Bassa County Development Superintendent Flee Glay said he’s happy with the initiative as sea erosion is a major challenge for the City of Buchannan.
Glay said so many homes and facilities have fallen prey to the effect of climate change through sea erosion. He said with the training of the volunteers, community dwellers will now understand how to brace themselves to adapt to climate change.
At the close of the two-day training, several cocoa nut trees were planted along the beach in Buchanan City in honor of President George Manneh Weah and other personalities and institutions, including UNDP, Green Climate Fund, and EPA Executive Director Nathaniel Blamah amongst others.
Several homes and businesses had been wiped away in Buchanan City, 88 miles away from Monrovia, due to sea erosion cause by climate change. In order to batter the impact of sea erosion, the Government of Liberia and Partners in 2016, constructed a coastal defense wall to prevent the destruction inflicted on the City by sea erosion.
Support Independent Journalism
Your support helps FrontPage Africa continue delivering independent, credible, and impactful journalism. Every contribution strengthens our ability to investigate, inform, and hold power accountable while keeping quality journalism accessible to our readers.
Support our journalism or subscribe to receive the latest FrontPage Africa stories and updates.
