Solidaridad West Africa has been honoured with the prestigious 2025 Award for Excellence in Service by the Sierra Leone Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (SLANGO). The recognition was presented during SLANGO’s Annual Fundraising and Awards Night held at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown.
According to SLANGO’s National Coordinator, Alice N. James, the award celebrates Solidaridad’s exceptional contribution to food security, agricultural productivity and rural livelihood transformation in Sierra Leone. She commended the organization for its consistent support to farmers through training in sustainable agricultural practices, market linkages and gender empowerment initiatives that target women and youth.
Alice N. James explained that Solidaridad emerged as Best NGO in Agriculture for its work under the Resilient Food and Nutrition Security (RFANS) project, implemented in partnership with the Nutrition Unit of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. The project focuses on improving rice and vegetable production while enhancing nutrition and infant feeding among farming families, lactating mothers and caregivers of children under five.
Another major initiative acknowledged was the Boosting Agriculture and Food Security (BAFS) project, through which Solidaridad has empowered 7,818 smallholder farmers across 16 districts. The project has led to the establishment of cashew processing facilities for the Waterloo Women Cashew Processors in the Western Rural District. In addition, farmers have benefited from the cultivation of improved cashew, cocoa and coffee varieties on more than 5,182 hectares nationwide.
The organization has also supported the creation of over 200 Farmer Field Schools to enhance knowledge in farm management and 280 Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) to improve access to rural finance.
SLANGO further highlighted Solidaridad’s Responsible Agriculture Initiative (RAI) programme, implemented in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which empowers women in agriculture and promotes their participation in land governance. The initiative aims to build resilient food systems and support national agricultural policy frameworks.
“Through their efforts in Sierra Leone, Solidaridad has significantly advanced food security, improved livelihoods and promoted environmental sustainability,” SLANGO noted in its citation. “Their work goes beyond immediate agricultural support to address long-term poverty reduction and national development goals.”
Receiving the award, Andrew, Country Representative of Solidaridad Sierra Leone, expressed gratitude to SLANGO for recognizing the organization’s continued efforts to complement Government priorities in agriculture and rural development.
“On behalf of the entire Solidaridad team, I am deeply honored to receive this Award for Excellence in Service,” he said. “This recognition belongs to the smallholder farmers who adopt innovative practices, our dedicated staff working in rural communities and our partners who share our vision of inclusive and sustainable agricultural development.”
He reaffirmed Solidaridad’s commitment to empowering farmers and supporting Sierra Leone’s journey toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 1 – No Poverty.
“Together, we will continue to cultivate a brighter, more sustainable future for Sierra Leone,” Andrew concluded.
The RFANS project is supported by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, while the Developing an Inclusive and Sustainable Cashew Agroforestry Value Chain (DISCA-VC) and BAFS projects are funded by the European Union in Sierra Leone.
Other organizations recognized at the event included the Rainbow Initiative, SEND Sierra Leone and BRAC, for their outstanding contributions to national development and humanitarian service.
