Environmental Foundation for Africa

Description

The Environmental Foundation for Africa is a non-governmental organization protecting and restoring the natural environment in West Africa.

It was founded in 1992, around the time of the Rio Earth Summit, as the Environmental Foundation for Sierra Leone. War in Sierra Leone forced it to move operations to Liberia in 1997, where it supported refugee and displaced-persons camps as a partner of the UN refugee agency. It returned to Sierra Leone once the war ended and has operated there since.

The foundation works through community-led programs that address the root causes of environmental degradation. It focuses on repairing land through tree planting and restoration, protecting forest wildlife, and educating children and the public about the environment. In 2005 it proposed linking environmental groups across the region into a network called the Green Actors of West Africa, aiming to coordinate efforts and speak with one voice on threats such as deforestation, water shortages and climate change.

It runs a Biodiversity and Renewable Energy Learning Centre in Sierra Leone and works with partner organisations on current and past environmental projects.