A non-governmental organisation in Gombe State known as ‘Foundation for Youth Awakening and Empowerment’ (FOYAE) has launched an initiative to combat devastating environmental degradation and gully erosion in Kundulum, a community in Akko Local Government Area of the state.

As part of the initiatives, the foundation sensitised community members on Tuesday about the implementation of their intervention in addressing the disaster.

Executive Director of the organisation, Linda Alabura, said the project would be carried out with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP).

She said the sensitisation aimed to build resilience and combat land degradation within the community.

According to her, the sensitisation programme united community members, including their district head, farmers, youth, women, and religious groups, to educate them about the project and the role they will play in its implementation and sustainability.

“A community environmental protection committee will be set up, comprising representatives from various community groups, to oversee the project’s implementation and ensure its sustainability,” she noted.

Also speaking, the programme officer of the NGO, Eskebe Ishaku, stated that the organisation would, during the sensitisation meeting, teach community members measures and strategies to improve land capacity and tackle land degradation.

She also said other interventions include building stone walls and planting approximately 1,500 trees to prevent the escalation of erosion in the area.
Ishaku further pledged that water boreholes would be drilled for irrigation purposes and also as a source of water for the community.

“The project was initiated based on community demand, following an assessment that revealed serious erosion and land degradation issues in the community,” she said.

One of the participants, Sani Usman, a traditional leader for farmers in Kundulum and holder of the title ‘Sarkin Noman Kundulum,’ promised that farmers would assist in planting, irrigating, and nurturing the plants provided by the foundation to ensure the project’s success.