Green Scenery Leads Land Rights Advocacy in Pujehun

Non-governmental organization Green Scenery Sierra Leone, with financial support from Protection International, has concluded a one-day community engagement initiative under the project Strengthening Legal Literacy and Collective Protection for Environmental Right Defenders in Sierra Leone.

The event, which took place at the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation office in Pujehun Town, brought together key stakeholders, including members of the Malen Land Affected Owners Association (MALOA), civil society representatives, and local media.

Speaking to Radio Wanjei, Ahmed Tejan Bashir, the Project Officer for Green Scenery, highlighted that the engagement is part of the organization's broader efforts to educate Malen stakeholders on environmental justice and Sierra Leone's landmark 2022 land legislations—specifically the Customary Land Rights Act and the National Land Commission Act.

"Our goal is to empower local communities with critical knowledge regarding environmental justice and their legal land rights," Bashir explained. "We also want to strengthen the capacity of community members to safely document and communicate issues affecting their localities."

Under this project, Green Scenery has also conducted specialized training on Safe Advocacy and Digital Security, aiming to equip community members in the Malen Chiefdom with the skills to advocate safely and within the bounds of the law. Bashir reaffirmed his organization’s steadfast commitment to supporting vulnerable communities on land governance, environmental justice, and climate justice.

Hannah Deen, the Chairlady of MALOA, expressed deep gratitude to Green Scenery, describing the engagement as both timely and essential. She pledged to cascade the knowledge gained from the session across the Malen Chiefdom and encouraged other participants to do the same.

The engagement also featured a monitoring and evaluation session where project beneficiaries provided feedback on the project's overall goals, discussed their participation in activities, highlighted current challenges, and shared recommendations to ensure the project's long-term success.

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