Joliba Trust helps make a big difference in Africa

Last year, The Moorlander was proud to promote the work of Chagford-based charity, Joliba Trust, which has been working with some of the poorest people in Mali, West Africa for the past 30 years. They work to improve the livelihoods of rural communities in one of the toughest environments in the world through a variety of projects which include midwifery training, clean water provision, micro-credit, tree planting and regenerative farming to increase food security. In the last year, they have worked in 322 villages.

Joliba was founded in 1984 by Chagford resident Caroline Hart. An outstanding feature of Joliba’s work is that it achieves an enormous amount at low cost due to their many years of experience and all their projects are carried out by local volunteers.

During the week of April 22nd – April 29th, Joliba Trust will be running a fundraising campaign with Big Give. All donations given during that week in April will be doubled.

The money that is raised will be used for dune stabilisation in Mali to save farming livelihoods. Sand dunes are covering fertile land so that people cannot grow crops and they are destroying ponds and waterways which people depend on for fishing, rice and vegetable cultivation and watering their livestock. It is vital to control the dunes to prevent villages from having to be abandoned.

Joliba Trust provides technical training and planting materials to local volunteers so that they can reclaim the land being destroyed by the dunes. This is followed by planting trees and shrubs that are vital to daily life, and which provide an income for women, fodder for livestock, and which restore biodiversity.

A team of dune stabilisation volunteers

The campaign aims -

• To work in seven villages to stabilise their dunes and restore their farming land and livelihoods. This will provide a future for c11,000 very poor people who would otherwise be forced to migrate if their land is destroyed.

• To regenerate natural resources such as firewood for cooking fuel; and fruit, nuts and livestock fodder which raise valuable income for women. Training will take place in the care and harvesting of these resources so that they regenerate through coppicing and sustainable management.

• To generate income for women who collect resources for dune planting, such as the seeds of deep-rooting grasses; and who grow saplings in tree nurseries for the planting. The women gain 95p for each kilo of seeds collected and 15p for each sapling grown for the dune planting.

• To restore the habitat of streams and ponds so that people can fish, grow rice, water their livestock and vegetable gardens. To restore forest resources in the dune areas to provide a secure future.

Caleb Wadiou, a volunteer where work has already been carried out, said: “The dune stabilisation has more than met our expectations. Firstly, our farmland that was ruined with sand is regenerating - so we can grow more food, the ponds that were filling with sand are retaining their water. We now have plenty of grass for our animals. We are very happy.”

If you/a group of friends/a club you belong to can help, please go to www.jolibatrust.org.uk or use the QR code to make a donation. Anything you can give will make an enormous difference to the lives of people in Mali. Please support Joliba Trust with a donation between April 22^nd and April 29^th – when every donation will be DOUBLED!