Dusty Nyanagbanta Ward lies on the fringes of the Sahara Desert in central Gambia, a region beset by rising temperatures and erratic yet diminishing rainfall. Pastoral farmers are increasingly struggling to keep their animals alive, so when an adaptation grant became available through the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility, the local community decided to focus on constructing new climate resilient water infrastructure.

Following community consultations, led by the Ward Development Committee, a menu of eligible investments was drafted in line with the LoCAL Performance Based Climate Resilience Grant approach. Actions eligible for funding as part of a LoCAL PBCRG included activities such as climate-proofed water projects, drought management and flood protection. The labour for the work is provided by villagers themselves, using a Cash for Work system.

“Once the land was selected for the project, construction of a large water storage tank was built through the Cash for Work beneficiaries to ensure availability of water for both human and animal consumption,” said Khady Sowe, who sits on the Ward Development Committee. “The ward was content because people were benefiting from the project by earning monthly savings and saving hours of waiting in line for the well that we had before.”

“The well was shared by three villages and because of the limited supply the cattle had to be taken several kilometres away to drink in the river,” added Ms Sowe.

In The Gambia, LoCAL is being rolled out as part of the Jobs, Skills and Finance for Women and Youth in The Gambia, or JSF Programme with funding from the European Union. The JSF Programme is a whole of society approach to climate-resilient development, incorporating skills training, job creation and inclusive finance with a focus on the needs of women and youth. As well as investments in water supply and management, some communities are focusing on agroforestry, agro-processing, improved energy efficiency or climate smart agriculture, depending on locally identified needs.

Mariama Bah, a native of Madinakula which lies within Nyanagbanta Ward, took part in the Cash for Work water supply project. The Cash for Work model aims to provide temporary employment for the most vulnerable groups in society, with the added objective of skills development that promotes resilient livelihoods. Unusually for a woman in The Gambia, Ms Bah had the opportunity to learn construction skills, including laying of pipes, distribution of sand, mixing of cement and learning plumbing.

As well as such trade skills, workers like Ms Bah were also supported in accessing financial services through micro-finance and training opportunities. The Gambia has one of the lower financial inclusion rates in West Africa and the government recently set a target of raising financial inclusion to 70% of the population by 2025. The broader of the financial training to boost the medium to long term resilience individuals and communities by unlocking potential for local economic development.

With the inclusive financial component of the programme, Ms Bah was able to save some of the money she gained using her new training on the digital service platform. Some of her savings she spent on school supplies for some of her children, the rest of the money she invested in a sustainable business.

To date the JSF Programme has delivered climate adaptation investments benefitting over 45,678 Gambians in over 20 wards.

For more information about LoCAL in The Gambia:

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