Haja Marie
Bob-Kandeh

Haja Marie Bob Kandeh is a Sierra Leonean focused on improving lives of women who work in the informal sector. She has extensive volunteer experience in work with human rights organisations supporting their women’s enhancements projects and providing civic education on environmental issues. She believes that the effects of collaborative work will reduce climate-induced threats to lives and property loss. Haja is also an experienced farmer who understands the climate impacts first-hand.

PROJECT

My project aims to provide civic education to market women as a means for their professional, academic and personal growth. It will also ensure that they know the collective responsibility of climate action. One of the first initiatives as part of my project will be to organise a participatory exercise of tree planting in the Western Municipality. It will focus on working with young women on different aspects of environmental protection, health, childcare and education, as well as promoting food safety and nutrition to reduce malnourishment among women and children.

Through this project, I would also like to collaborate with the Freetown City Council to support the work it has done in beautification.

I have worked on climate change-related issued, from cleaning market places to planting trees programmes. I am also a farmer who understands that in order to increase productivity and food sustainability in Sierra Leone we need stable climate conditions. If not addressed, we will face destructive changes to food production, the environment and a possibility of a malaria outbreak which might devastate communities.

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

As a woman who has travelled a fair amount, I admire the beauty that countries have to offer. This is particularly evident in countries that take care of their landscape and respect the rule of law. I recognise that we, as Sierra Leoneans, are not different and can attain a landscape to be proud of if we work collectively.