Sierra Leone do not have indigenous people however there are various groups of disadvantage people such as people with disabilities and vulnerable women and children. The media engagement will make special provision for the engagement of these groups and the selection of beneficiary will be flexible to ensure the participation of these groups. The project communities are predominantly people of mende ethnicity in Tunkia and Mende Vat ethnicity in Makpele. The project will recognize indigenous knowledge and utilize it extensively. Meetings will be held in indigenous languages and audio and audio-visual materials will be used to disseminate information and endowment key decision passed by community. Such audio-visual endowment will be recorded in indigenous languages to accommodate maximum participation and understanding by community members.

The grant will be received by Green Africa SL but the grant will be jointly implemented with the Bandagboimei Community Based Organization in Golahun Tunkia and the Forest Management Committees of Tunkia and Makpele. Both of these are resident in project communities and are perfectly placed to support the Gola south management and conservation in the longer term. However, they are very limited in their capacity to formally manage projects, write periodic reports, and following financial retirement process. The project over the one year period, will porsue capacity building for both groups in these areas of their capacity need. Green Africa SL can also do with some capacity building in the area of land use planning that the organization hoes to include in our work

The project will approach knowledge management in a manner that is sensitive to the realities of users of the knowledge resource. For locals, farmer field schools will ensure a learning- by-doing approach that suits the needs of both the literate and non literate. Audio recordings will be used to ensure that literacy levels do not affect participation of beneficiaries in deliberations. The language of the locality, including especially Mende and Krio will be used for communication in project localities. Green Africa SL will issue periodic newsletters to stakeholders including conservation relevant offices and organizations as well as the relevant line ministries. The organization will also participate in coordination forums at the district level to ensure synergies and sharing of information with like-minded entities is maximized. End of project report will record all the lessons that are learnt over the implementation process. GreenAfrica?s annual report that will be widely distributed will also bear a section that highlights the major activities, outcomes and impacts. The annual report will be widely distributed in the country to partners, CSOs, CBO and other communities groups and members.

The project will have implication for policy at the local and national levels. Co-management is a component that might yet be explored to inform other forest management or conservation efforts across the country. Making bye law and the means of achieving their effectiveness will be a key objective of the project.

The project will work in direct partnership with youth (and women) in all project communities. The project?s official implementing partners include the Bondagbomei organization in Tunkia. Seventy percent of the organization?s 85 members are youths. The project is designed such that community participation is indispensable at every level of implementation. Firstly, the activities for livelihood have been identified in consultation with the communities in question. Green Africa?s carried out pilot in a number of smaller communities in both chiefdoms during 2013 yielded good lessons that have been used to inform the proposed project.

The project?s choice of activities have taken into consideration the particular interests of women and ensured that they stand to benefit as much as their male counterparts. Similar consideration has been given to vulnerable members of the community including, pregnant women, suckling mothers, children, persons with disabilities as well as the elderly and frail. All activities proposed have been found to be approved by women and to have no negative implications for women. For example, the rearing of goats and sheep was not included among project activities as women farmers voiced concerns that such small ruminants are a threat to backyard gardening which is an activity undertaken almost exclusively by women. Data on benefits derived from project will be disaggregated to determine impact on women separately from impact from men. Date will also indicate implications for the vulnerable including the elderly and frail. Women voices will be particularly sought out in community meetings and decision making.