Welthungerhilfe (WHH) Sierra Leone through the Nutrition Smart Community Project- SLE 1118, funded by Irish Embassy has held a Nutrition Smart Community Day in Makpele Chiefdom PDC Field, Zimmi Town in Pujehun District on Tuesday 17th December 2024.
Nutrition Smart Community Day is a celebration of progress made by beneficiaries of the project and a chance to showcase the fruits of their work for all to see. The atmosphere was frenzy, and the event featured booths for product showcases by each community.
In his welcome address, the representative of the Paramount Chief, Speaker Gandi Malo, thanked Welthungerhilfe for bringing the project to their chiefdom. He shared that evidence of the impact of the Nutrition Smart Community Project is visible in the transformation of the lives of their people. Speaker Gandi Malo said the Paramount Chief is impressed with the work of WHH and that they are always ready to give their support as traditional leaders to development. “On behalf of the Paramount Chief, I want to ask Irish Embassy, the donor of the project to continue to support WHH to replicate these project interventions in other chiefdoms in the district”.
The District Agriculture Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Lucy Koker informed the gathering she is pleased to be in attendance. She said she is not surprised with the work WHH is doing in the district as the organization has supported farmers in many ways. She cited that not too long ago she was present at the launching and handing over of two rice processing plants with stores in two chiefdoms.
“WHH did not only build the structure but also bought rice milling machines for the communities’ and gave them start-up kits and support to begin operation immediately. This is the kind of support we at the Ministry of Agriculture love to see” Lucy shared. In her closing remarks she thanked WHH for fully supporting the government’s flagship Feed Salone initiative in their projects and that the ministry will always give the needed support to WHH and its programs.
Joseph Gando, Chief Administrator of the Pujehun District Council, reported that he is aware of the work WHH has done and continues to do in Pujehun and other districts. He lamented that WHH is a true reflection of what it means to impact the lives of communities and influence change. Mr. Gando thanked Irish Embassy for providing the funds and asked that more funds be provided to WHH to continue their good work. “I also want to request that WHH considers replicating its famous Waste Management project in Pujehun, as the urban towns in Pujehun pose a solid waste management challenge”.
Hawa Bockarie, Head of Project Nutrition Smart Community Project-SLE 1118 thanked everyone for their participation and attendance. She thanked the local authorities for always providing the support needed when called upon. She expressed joy to see that the project participants have successfully put into practice what they learned and carefully managed resources provided to them. “I am filled with joy to see that change has occurred in the lives of the people and WHH will continue to work with them to multiply that positive change in other communities. Thank you, Irish Embassy, for making this possible” she ended.
The Senior Adviser on Nutrition and Food Security at the Irish Embassy Dr. Sulaiman Sow on his part assured the people that they will support WHH to continue working in Pujehun District. He noted that as an Embassy they are pleased with the way WHH managed and used the funds provided for this project. “For this reason, we have provided WHH with more money to continue this project in other chiefdoms for the next four years” Mr. Sow announced. Our partnership with WHH will continue, he assured.
Representing the Country Director WHH Sierra Leone, Mr. Santigie Kanu Area Manager WHH gleefully thanked all stakeholders present for making the Nutrition Smart Community Day a success. He gave special thanks to Irish Embassy for providing the funds for the project. “We are here today because Irish Embassy made it possible by providing the funds needed. On behalf of the country director Emmanuel Octave Bananeza, I say a big thank you to the Irish Embassy”. At WHH, our focus in our interventions is to change the lives of the people we work with and build their resilience against poverty and hunger” he stated.
The event was punctuated with other activities including cultural performances, award of prizes for quiz competition on nutrition, best VSLA group, Community with the best agricultural products booth and more. The event was well attended by stakeholders and was a picture of happy faces and joyful hearts showing a community happy to be trained and involved in the development process.
