Planting 3,000 Trees in Sierra Leone

A Groundbreaking Victory for Women in Conservation: Sierra Leone’s First-Ever Grant Win!

A monumental achievement—Women for Conservation Sierra Leone has won its first-ever external grant! Thanks to the support of Women for Conservation, our Sierra Leone team has been awarded €10,000 from Conservation Connect’s Women for Conservation Circle Grant, a game-changing step in protecting endangered wildlife and empowering grassroots women conservationists.

This funding will expand vital conservation efforts, allowing women to lead reforestation, wildlife protection, and sustainable livelihood programs. In 2024 alone, Women for Conservation Sierra Leone trained 100 women and planted over 3,000 trees to restore vital habitats for the endangered Pygmy Hippopotamus and Chimpanzees. With this grant, they will scale up their impact—training more women, restoring more forests, and strengthening advocacy for stronger conservation policies.

What This Grant Will Achieve: A New Era for Conservation in Sierra Leone
This new funding brings incredible opportunities to expand Women for Conservation Sierra Leone’s work in groundbreaking ways:

Scaling up reforestation: The project will expand tree-planting efforts beyond the initial 3,000 trees, restoring degraded land and creating vital wildlife corridors for the Pygmy Hippopotamus and Chimpanzees.

‍ Empowering more women leaders: More women will be trained in conservation, wildlife monitoring, and sustainable land management, equipping them to become leaders in protecting their forests and biodiversity.

Stronger wildlife protection initiatives: The team will launch community-based conservation patrols to deter illegal logging and poaching, directly safeguarding endangered species.

Increased advocacy and awareness: Educational programs will reach more schools and local communities, inspiring the next generation to protect their forests and wildlife.

Sustainable livelihoods for women: By expanding eco-friendly income opportunities—such as reforestation-based agroforestry—this initiative will provide alternative sources of income, reducing reliance on deforestation for survival.

A Movement Fueled by Hope—And You Can Help!
This victory proves the power of investing in women-led conservation. With continued support, we can grow this momentum, training more women, restoring more forests, and saving more wildlife.

Join us in celebrating and supporting these incredible women—your donation fuels their impact!

Links:

• Read this article on our website!

Dear Supporters,

We are overjoyed to share the remarkable progress of our Support Women Saving Baobabs project, made possible by your incredible generosity and commitment. Over the past two years, the six dedicated women leaders you supported have been steadfast guardians of the ancient baobabs, reducing incidents of harm to these iconic trees by over 90%. This outstanding achievement reflects not just their unwavering dedication but also the profound impact of your support.

In addition to protecting these majestic trees, these inspiring women have spearheaded reforestation efforts, nurturing and planting tens of thousands of saplings from the native tree nursery that Women for Conservation (W4C) helped establish. These saplings are revitalizing the landscape, ensuring that future generations can enjoy the splendor and ecological benefits of a thriving forest.

We invite you to hear firsthand from Soary, one of our local women leaders, as she shares her heartfelt experience and the transformative impact your donations have had on her community and their cherished baobabs. [Insert video link]

Your support empowers these women to continue their essential work, safeguarding the baobabs and creating a legacy of resilience and conservation for generations to come. Thank you for being a vital part of this journey and making these incredible achievements possible.

With deepest gratitude,
The Women for Conservation Team

Links:

• Local leader Soary talks about W4C's work conserving Boababs