In December 2012, EFA organised a consultative meeting with the Banga Farm Community to discuss possibilities for a partnership, to design and implement this project. The community people were informed about the GEF Small Grants Opportunity and specifically about the thematic areas, which corresponded well, with many of the ideas that had been part of an ongoing discussion with them, as construction of the Centre progressed. During the meeting, it was agreed that a project submitted by EFA would include the following components: capacity development for the community people to serve as forest guides; set up a permanent tree nursery to re-afforest degraded community lands and establish a fruit orchard, as well as a vegetable market garden and an eco-tourism enterprise including construction of a beach front eco-lodge adjacent to the mangrove swamp. The concept note submitted to the GEF SG Programme in January 2013, was shared with them for endorsement. The community were also informed when EFA got the green light to proceed with development of a full proposal. Following several engagements with the Banga Farm since then, including visitations to the future vegetable garden, nursery and eco-lodge sites, a formal meeting was held on Thursday 21st March to discuss roles and responsibilities for implementation of the project, in the event that the proposal is approved for funding. The Banga Farm Community people understand that submission of a project proposal does not imply availability of funds to implement the project. However, there is a general agreement for now that the community will organize themselves into three groups: Forest Guides; Garden and Nursery; and Eco-tourism. During the meeting held on 21st March, it was generally agreed that the role of forest guides will be predominantly for the men, while women will champion the garden and tree nursery. The eco-tourism component will involve both men and women, with very clear definitions of roles and responsibilities, to be formalised through a formal agreement that will be signed between EFA and the Banga Farm Community through its Development Committee. The Banga Farm Community people will be involved in the Permaculture Design taking place at the Learning Center in various ways. Their knowledge, values and vision will be asked and used during the Context Analysis and the Solution Design. They will have an income generating activity as part of the technical solutions implementation team. They will participate in the ?Resilience Sensitization and Permaculture Design Workshop? that will bring them knowledge and tools to improve their ways of life. On financial management, it was understood that, in addition to establishing remuneration rates for those community members directly involved with the work, a dedicated bank account will be created to ensure that all revenue generated will be deposited in this account and that expenditure of these funds will be determined by the Community Development Committee (CDC), focusing on the community?s development priorities. EFA intends to monitor this during project implementation It is generally understood that the Banga Farm CDC will facilitate the creation of a project management committee (PMC) for the entire duration of the project. EFA will be working closely with the PMC to ensure compliance with the established rules and regulations governing implementation of the project, as outlined in the agreement that will be signed with the CDC. This agreement will also indicate in very clear terms the community?s responsibility for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the project, as well as regular reporting in close consultation with EFA. For the purposes of the GEF SG administration, EFA will be responsible for the overall monitoring, evaluation and reporting to the GEF SG Programme .

Overall sustainability of the project outcomes will depend mainly on the extent to which the target communities own and manage the resources made available to them and build on these to establish a thriving business. The privileged location of the Learning Centre and Banga Farm Community on a busy tourist route, close to very popular beach resorts, provides ample opportunities for good clientele. Also, the transformation of the WAPF into a National Park, promises increased visibility of the forest edge communities and their role in protecting the forest. Thus, there is a real possibility of increased numbers of visitors to the area, especially after the Peninsula Road (currently under construction) is completed. Additionally the Learning Centre, when fully functioning, will require a range of services (including forest guides & gardeners) and supplies of local food products (fresh fruits and vegetables), for its visitors, which the Banga Farm community is best placed to provide. In recognition of the fact that the Banga Farm Community could greatly benefit from the increased opportunities for income generation and improved livelihoods, EFA intends to establish strict financial procedures, to ensure that the micro-enterprise aspect of the project is adhered to and fully transparent. This component will focus on building the relevant skills needed for the community people to manage these resources and the spin off opportunities. People?s active participation will be encouraged throughout the entire project lifetime, including design, activities, decision-making, management, monitoring and evaluation. EFA will promote pro-poor assessment mechanisms at community level and support the development of bottom-up planning systems that amplify the voices of the poorest and disadvantaged members of the community. EFA will also seek to build the capacity of the communities, generating activities that lead to diversified livelihood opportunities. As a direct result of the project activities, the Banga Farm people will be better equipped to take responsibility for resolving their own problems, and contribute tangibly to the sustainable development of their community, and ultimately to the protections of the WAPF. The Permaculture Design process and the ?Resilience sensitization and Permaculture design workshop? will have long-lasting consequences: The Learning Center will remain as a Permaculture demonstration site for communities. In addition, a permaculture resources document center will be set up with a lot of technical resources. Members of the EFA and members of the Banga Farm Community will acquire competences in resilience building, sustainability thinking, permaculture design and some technical solutions.

The laws and policies governing NRM in Sierra Leone are not well known and understood by the vast majority of the country?s population, including many of the law enforcers. During the PRIDE Campaign for the WAPF, conducted by EFA in 2003-2005, a survey of all the categories of stakeholders of the WAPF was undertaken, to determine, among other things, their knowledge and understanding of the existing laws governing the protection of WAPF. The results of this survey (report available) suggest that only 48% of the respondents from across all the stakeholder groups were aware of the existence of any laws forbidding the activities, mentioned in the previous section. In recognition of this gap, the education and outreach programme of the Learning Centre will provide a platform for creating awareness about the current laws and policies, while also helping communities to understand these laws and policies. By establishing practical demonstration sites for sustainable environmental management practices, the project will help to create awareness and a local skill base for promoting suitable and sustainable alternatives to the current destructive practices. In this way, the project will have shifted the emphasis from law enforcement to responsible behaviour, through learning and deep understanding. This will help to reduce the burden on the GoSL for protecting the forest, while enhancing the knowledge-base and abilities to the communities to sustainable utilise the forest resources.

The visibility and communication strategy of this project is intended to contribute to the awareness creation among the direct and indirect beneficiaries of the project as well as general audiences in Sierra Leone and elsewhere, of the reasons for the project and support from the GEF Small Grants Programme, as well as the outputs, outcome and impact of this support. The targeted audiences should gain a good understanding of the rationale for this project, its outcome and the role of GEF. The strategy is expected to enhance a positive image of the project within its target communities, while promoting the work of EFA and Banga Farm Community. The strategy is complementary to the project?s efforts in communicating for nature conservation and sustainable livelihoods for the alleviation of poverty and capacity development of unemployed youths. Target groups 1. The public and the direct and indirect project beneficiaries in the project area. 2. The wider audience in Sierra Leone in particular the international and national development community (e.g. UN, NGOs, GEF, WB, AfDB, ), relevant government institutions (especially Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security), national polytechnics, community based organizations, farmer organizations, academics of the university and research institutions, media as well as the interested public. Specific objectives for the direct beneficiaries, indirect beneficiaries and wider audiences ? Enhance the understanding for the project, its strategy and achievements (outcome) at different stages of the project cycle. ? Raise the awareness of GEF?s supporting role and the specific collaboration of GEF SG Programme with its partner EFA in promoting access to opportunities for improved livelihoods through micro-enterprises, in poor communities, in the immediate vicinity of a protected forest and other natural treasures in and around the WAPF and elsewhere in Sierra Leone.