Davephine
Tholley

I am a young vibrant Sierra Leonean and Civil Engineer with the relentless drive to effect change. I have a willingness to lead and commitment to serve. I currently work with Water4ever - a social enterprise that strives to solve the water crisis in Sierra Leone by enhancing access to affordable, clean and safe drinking water through a variety of data-driven sustainable water solutions. I am a graduate member of the Sierra Leone Institution of Engineers.

I have been involved in the education, nurturing and protection of young girls and women, as a member of national and international women and children's rights activist organisations including- Sierra Leone Association of University Women (SLAUW), Federation of University Women of Africa (FUWA), African Women's Development and Communications Network (FEMNET).

As a result of my passion and love for the arts, I co-founded Afere SL, a non-profit movement aiming to promote arts, culture and entertainment through volunteering.

I also enjoy volunteering, reading, movies, hiking, good music, swimming, writing and painting.

PROJECT

Water sources provide water for domestic use with minimal-no treatment at all. In Sierra Leone water catchment areas should be managed and conserved properly so that they can supply good quality water all year round. Many water catchments are undergoing depletion of water levels as a result of human encroachment.

My project’s goal is to build a tree nursery with the aim of reforesting water catchment areas. I aim to distribute information about the benefits of reforestation and how people can use land without destroying the environment.  

I started a farming project with two friends, Yorseh Koroma and Vernon Hastings-Spaine, in May 2019 called Blu farm. Blu Farm has the aim of incorporating climate smart agricultural methods - hence the idea of doing a tree nursery.

Working in the water sector, I started to think about how this project would be beneficial. In January 2020, I was part of a survey conducted by National Water Resources Management Agency. The goal was to evaluate the current status of water catchment areas around Western Area. This sparked the idea to focus on doing a tree nursery to reforest a water catchment area.

MOTIVATION FOR AND COMMITMENT TO CREATING A BETTER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE PLANET

Many communities and regions in Sierra Leone are developing but haphazardly and without proper access to water and basic sanitary facilities. There are lots of irregularities concerning how authorities enforce policies in our urban planning sectors. Planning should be inclusive and sustainable. Working in the water sector for the past 5+ years I believe making sustainable use of our water resources is vital to solving our water crisis.