Promoting women empowerment and inclusion in forest administration
The women of Domboma village in the Desse Chiefdom, Moyamba district feel very much excited because of their inclusion in the administration of forest in the community.
This was achieved through the pilot phase of Community Based Forest (CBF) Concept, a new forest management approach implemented in four communities in Sierra Leone.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has been supporting the development of CBF Concept as a foundation for strengthening forest tenure rights in order to generate meaningful socio-economic and environmental benefits from sustainable forest management.
Before the introduction of the CBF project, the forest in Domboma community was mainly benefitting men, who have the strength and skills to leverage the use of resources. At some points, the forest was even cultivated by strangers without any permission from the community. The main benefit for women from the forest was firewood, which was sometimes even difficult to fetch.
FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture worked with the selected communities, including Domboma to demarcate their forests and formed Community Forest Committees, which included women members. The committees, among other things, are responsible for enacting by-laws for responsible use of the forests and protecting the forests against encroachers.
In Domboma, there are three women among six Community Forest Monitors (CFM). Also, there are two women (vice chairman and treasurer) in the village savings and loans association. There were two women out of three persons that represented the village in the CBF project sponsored study tour to successful forest sites in the country.
According to Mamie Lahai, the Vice Chairperson of the Domboma Development and Forest Association (DDFA) fund, the women are now very key in making decision and are being placed in strategic roles. “I am one of the two women signatories to our village savings account. I have never opened a bank account and nobody in this village has any. I have never signed any bank or financial documents but the CBF project has uplifted me to this standard,” she boasted.
She lamented that many organizations have worked in their village since pre-colonial era but never encouraged them to open bank account. All members in Doboma village belong to the association and they meet every Friday to discuss development issues and contribute the sum of SSL1, 000 in to the association funds. At the end of the month, the amount is then deposited into the organization’s account at the nearest Community Bank.
Lahai stated that their inclusion into the committees have enhanced their confidence and active participation in community development projects.
The women of Domboma acknowledged to be more empowered and included in forest administration since the inception of the CBF project in their community. They view the sustainability and benefit of the project activities to be more dependent upon their cooperation.
Contact:
Keifa Jaward
Communication Consultant