The Adaptation to Coastal and Climate Change (ACCC) project, on Tuesday donated fencing materials to the Kartong community village, at a presentation ceremony held at the NEA Head office along Jimpex Road.

The donated materials included 50 bags of portland cement, 2trips of crush stones, 44 pieces of galvanised circular poles, 8 pieces of 12mm rods, 6 pieces of 6mm rods etc.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Ndey Sireng Bakurin, the director of the Inter-sectoral Network at the National Environment Agency (NEA) expressed delight at witnessing the handing over ceremony of the fencing materials to the Kartong community for environmental protection.

"These fencing materials as stated in the signed Memorandum of Understanding are  meant for the fencing of the old sand mine quarry at Kartong village. The target is to fence an area of about 1km with access gates for vehicles and  movement  of people while at the same time protecting the fragile environment" she added.

"Climate change is one of the biggest challenges to sustainable development. The magnitude of  climate change risks to coastal assets is also large. The value of coastal assets exposed to the impact of climate change is immense. Therefore effective approaches to coastal adaptation will have many interdependencies, and it is crucial for community participation and behaviour change. We must not postpone addressing major challenges that we know are coming. The impacts of climate change are already beginning to be felt in developing countries. Whether it is mitigation or adaptation, inaction is not an option. Therefore mainstreaming adaptation is critical", she remarked.

"Working together through such an initiative, the problem and a possible solution are identified by people in the community. Our role is to provide the necessary resources to the community for implementation.It is a simple approach but works well because it is built around the obvious fact that each community has its own  endowed  opportunities and challenges that must be taken into consideration, By definition, this puts the people at the centre of the effort, from design to implementation.In this way, the immediate and most urgent response  is reaching out directly to the most vulnerable, and empower them to adapt and build resilience to  the effects of climate change." She concluded.

Kanjura B Samba the second vice president of the Kartong Youth Association, thanked the ACCC project for the gesture and promised to make good use of the donated items.