By: Leila B. Gbati
Volunteers for Sustainable Development in Africa (VOSIEDA), a non-governmental organization that is empowering smallholder farmers across Liberia to adopt to climate-smart agriculture and sustainable farming practices, now has a 20kilowatt solar energy at its Paynesville office.
This significant achievement of the institution is in a bid to strengthen its activities.
Funded by the Embassy of Sweden near Monrovia, the 20kw solar panel installation is part of the organization project “Building Community Resilience to Climate Impacts through Climate Smart Small-Scale Farming.
The solar panels installed by Elsie Renewable Power Solutions. on the roof of the building will generate electricity, be stored in a 225 AHR battery, and supply the entire Headquarters.
At the official dedication of the project on Monday, September 4, 2023, Johan Romare, Head of Development Cooperation and Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Sweden in Monrovia highlighted the beauty of government, civil society organizations, private sector, and development partners working together to achieve a common goal.
“We are all facing a global climate crisis and this is not a small issue. From where I come from, last month we experience climate change with heavy rain, drought and increase temperature due to the life style of human. This is not cause by Liberians or Africa”, he added.
According to him, Liberia contributes 0.4% to climate change but Liberia, Sweden and Africa are experiencing climate change that have been manmade because of the lifestyle of individuals to where I come from.
“I am very happy to see VOSIEDA engagement in the battle against climate change, for which we are a financing partner,” he said.
Romare further further stated that the organization is building community resilience to climate change impacts, which is for smallholder farmers that are feeding the climate changes to be resilient and change their way of doing agriculture that will enable them to continue sustaining themselves and their families in Liberia.
“VOSIEDA, you are both mitigating climate change, and we are very proud to be a part of it. By installing this solar energy here, you are also reducing the carbon dioxide emissions from your operations by switching from diesel to solar and from carbon dioxide to renewable solar-based clean and sustainable energy”, said Romare.
He mentioned that the Embassy of Sweden is very happy that the organization have accepted this opportunity to be part of calculating and seeing the way to go adding that “going green is the way forward and little by little together every choice and decision counts by trying to beat the planet prosperity that we all can live together”.
Furthermore, he asserted that they are see VOSIEDA leading the way and serving as a good example for others to follow.
For his part, Timothy Kortu, Team Lead of VOSIEDA in a statement said that since the establishment of the organization 20 years ago, the installation of a 20kilowatt solar energy is a major milestone that they have achieved.
Kortu emphasized that the installed solar energy has significant impact on the organization, the comm unity and global community at large.
He noted that Sweden as a nation has started a great job in Liberia and they have been urging institutions to follow her example as such they are hoping to mitigate similar exercise with the farmers they are working with in Nimba County that by the end of 2023 the level of carbon dioxide that will be produced by those farming communities will never be produce e any longer because they have been converted to sustainable farming practices.
Moreover, he used the medium to thank the Embassy of Sweden for the Financial support as well as other national partners.
VOSIEDA is a non-governmental organisation that is empowering smallholder farmers across Liberia to adopt to climate-smart agriculture and sustainable farming practices.
