Community Audiovisual Climate Action

The Project would educate locals on changing their narratives about climate change through the development of documentaries explaining the reasons behind their current environmental challenges.

The Community Audiovisual Climate Action and Environmental Protection Project would educate locals on changing their narratives through the development of documentaries explaining the reasons behind their current environmental challenges. The project would also work with schools to produce community theatrical performances focused on changing agricultural and mining practices at the root of the problems. Finally, the project would organize key stakeholders to develop community action plans aimed at identifying and addressing the key climate change and environmental problems.

This is aimed at shedding light on how destructed their environment has become through the documentary and educate them with good practices to mitigate climate change and influence behavioral change for environmental protection. 

Traditional slash-and-burn agriculture and large-scale diamond and gold mining operations have degraded the land and water quality in (Kangama, Massabendu, Lauma and Tefeya Towns) so badly that residents are beginning to experience hunger and malnutrition due to lower crop yields and waterborne illness from contaminated water sources. Unfortunately, local communities see these negative impacts as punishment from God and not related to their own actions and behaviors. The Sierra Leone Diamond Company (SLDC), Russia Mining Company, and swarms of local miners are few of the contributing agents to our current social and environmental disaster. Deforestation and the tampering of river flow for mining purposes have resulted in unfavorable and harsh weather conditions such as fluctuating rainfall, warmer sun rays and heavy wind flows causing damages to properties and agricultural productivity. 

This project will solve environmental hazards, hunger, and malnutrition due to climate change and environmental degradation for the general population - inclusive of men, women, children, and persons with disability in the targeted communities (Kangama, Massabendu, Lauma and Tefeya). We aim to stimulate the  community stakeholders and members to take action for environmental degradation and climate change. It will mitigate climate change by 50% through awareness raising, and  enhance the communities with sustainable environmental practices and reduce the harmful extraction of minerals especially close to the community and river paths. Moreover, it will address misconceptions and change their narrative from a traditional perspective to a more visible and proactive method in addressing the situation.  

This project won $1000 cash prize  from the 2021 GEEP Youth Innovation Challange to address climate change and marine liter. see the link for reference: https://bit.ly/YouthInnovation...   

The fund would be used to conduct a research (baseline survey data collection) in February 2022 at the targeted communities, to know the population levels of understanding about climate change and it impact.  With this data, we will engage stakeholders to highlight them about our intervention and establish partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Sierra Leone who have been a potential partner to the projects.

The solution is a feasible concept/idea because it has went through a rigorous selection process by the GEEP and was selected one of four winners by young leaders and environmental education experts from creditable institutions, and presented to global leaders at the Asia Pacific Virtual  EE forum. 

To produce standard documentary videos of the degraded environments we will make use of high quality camera, drone, mic, computer etc. And to showcase and sensitize the people with the content, we will make use of Television or Projector which are all technological products. 

Each one of the four communities has a population estimate of over 3000 people. Overall, we expect to reach 10,000 people by next year from the following age category; 10-18 ( adolescents), 19-35 (youths), 36 and above (elderly), who would gain knowledge about climate change and environmental protection during the documentary showcase and theatrical performances.

1. In one year, we expect to reduce the negative impact of  climate change by 50%  through our awareness raising methodology (Audiovisual). 

2. We expect to reduce mining activities within the communities and river paths by 25% in each of the four communities,  by empowering and stimulate stakeholders and community members to take action against climate change. Hence, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emission. 

 3. In one year, we expect 30% of farmers in the four communities to adopt a climate friendly and sustainable farming practices through awareness raising on sustainable farming techniques. 

4. In one year, we also expect to change their narrative about climate change from a traditional perspective to a more realistic and visible approach in solving the problems of climate change and environmental degradation. 

1. Progress will be measured by the population level of understanding about climate change and it negative impact. If more people have increasing knowledge about climate change and environmental protection issues  then we are making progress. 

2. We will measure progress by the Amount of farmers who will accept and practice a climate friendly farming techniques. If more farmers changes their farming method from traditional Slash-and-burn system to an Agro-ecology farming method then we are making progress. 

3. The project will also measure progress by the reduction of harmful mineral extractive activities within the communities. If the people are able to  diversify their  economic activities from town mining to other sustainable means, then we are making progress. 

4. Progress will also be measured by the stability of the temperature and weather conditions in the environment. If scientific research proves that there is a stable rainfall and low greenhouse gas emission in the environment then we are making progress. 

1. Insufficient team members (staff) to implement the project in the four communities. 

2. Insufficient fund for salary, transportation communication cost etc. All members of the team are currently volunteering and using their personal resources. 

3. Insufficient fund for equipment to produce documentary, Mobilize the communities and sponsor the theater trainers and performers 

4. Lack of capacity building opportunities to up-skill the current project team to deliver the project activities.

5. Legal Registration documents and office for the project and organisation headquarter. 

As the team leader and project manager, I hold a Bachelor's Degree in community development studies from the Earnest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology. I am a descendant from one of the target communities (Kangama) I have a deeper understanding of the problem, and the culture and behaviours of the beneficiaries which makes me the best fit to address the problem through this project. I have over three years of experience in sensitization project implementation specifically at local Community level. In 2019, I volunteered as a community mobilizer in the Saving Lives II project with Restless Development— where I was working in one of the hardest to reach Hub communities (Kurubola) with 33 catchment communities to cover. Working as a volunteer helped me gain strong communication, mobilization, and interpersonal skills with community people and stakeholders, I was able to successfully implement the project aiming at the drastic reduction of maternal and child mortality. See the link to know more about my volunteering journey https://wearerestless.org/2020... 

The project coordinator, Edward Johnson Thullah is a graduate of Public Health Bachelor from the Earnest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology. He over four years of experience in project management, he has worked as a Monitoring and Evaluation officer for Restless Development in the Business Brain project 

To successfully implement this project, we partnered with an environmental impact documentary film maker - Emmanuel Lavalie who has more than 5 years of experience in impact documentary film production — for reference, use this link:   

Emmanuel has a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communication from Fouray Bay University, he is an Ambassador at the Global Youth Climate Network (GYCN) a World Bank initiative to breed global climate leaders. He has been offering consultancy services in the development of the project proposal.

We are not partnering with any organisation at the current stage.

We are qualify and we would like to be considered for the Pozen Social innovation prize because our project goals and objective align with the the key criteria to obtain the grant, and the fund would be used to implement the project successfully. 

• Our solution aims to improve quality of life for women and girls by protecting and solving an unmet social and environmental disaster which has negative impacts in the lives of women and girls.

A desktop research evidence to support this claim is narrated below;

Studies have shown that women disproportionately suffer the impacts of disasters, severe weather events, and climate change because of cultural norms and the inequitable distribution of roles, resources, and power, especially in developing countries. 

When the severe impacts of climate change befalls an already marginalized community, women and girls undergo the worst due to their existing vulnerability status in society. If the problems of climate change and environmental degradation are left unsolved in these targeted communities (Kangama, Lauma, Tefeya and Masabendu) women and girls will continue to suffer more because of the following reasons; 

1. Their child bearing status  has increased their vulnerability, women are still engaged in traditional roles as mothers and family caregivers in these communities. Men may be able to migrate for economic opportunities, but women are more likely to remain home to care for children and elderly or sick family members. Climate change has a significant impact on securing household water, food, and fuel—activities that usually are the responsibility of women and girls. In times of drought and erratic rainfall, women and girls must walk farther and spend more of their time collecting water and fuel. Girls may have to drop out of school to help their mothers with these tasks, thus continuing the cycle of poverty and inequality.
2. Lack of independence and decision-making power constrain women’s ability to adapt to climate change. Women often have limited or no control over family finances and assets. In many communities, women are under-represented in community politics, and thus have little influence over community strategies for adapting and over policies that support women’s rights and priorities. Without participation by women, programs to replace traditional crops with those better suited to the changing environment might focus only on the needs of men’s fields and not address the problems women face with household gardens. Cultural restrictions on mobility can impede women’s access to information and services. In addition, during extreme weather events, women may not be able to relocate without the consent of a male relative. 
3.  A 2007 study found that, on average, natural disasters kill more women than men and lower the life expectancy of women more than men. The stronger the disaster, the stronger the impact on the gender gap in life expectancy. In the Asian tsunami of 2004, survival was much higher among men than women. This inquality can be attributed to many possible and interrelated causes, but the fact that this effect is most pronounced where women have lower socioeconomic status and power leads experts to believe that the causes are more cultural than biological or physiological. The indirect effects of climate warming and increased humidity have greater consequences for women. For example, in some regions, rising temperatures mean an increase in the transmission of malaria. Various physiological changes, such as increased exhaled breath and heat dissipation, make pregnant women more appealing to malaria-carrying mosquitoes, leaving them particularly vulnerable to malaria. Early childbearing and high fertility are associated with poor health and lower levels of education, and limit women’s ability to earn and save money and to adapt to climate change. Nevertheless, reproductive health and family planning are largely absent from strategies for adapting to climate change, as are activities that address rapid population growth and high fertility that result from unintended pregnancies and an unmet need for family planning.

Reference; Population Reference Bureau (Article)

https://www.prb.org/resources/...