EU PAPFor supports the training of environmental education facilitators in Guinea

Club PAN, an environmental education programme, is in its second consecutive year of implementation in selected schools in the future Pinselli-Soyah-Sabouyah national park. Offering the programme to students in the Soyah, Oure Marella and Madina Oula communities during the 2023/2024 academic year is one of the benefits for communities within and around the proposed park. The project is supported by the EU-funded Programme for the Preservation of Forest Ecosystems in West Africa (PAPFor) project being implemented by the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF) in the Outamba-Kilimi-Kuru Hills-Pinselli-Soyah (OKKPS) transboundary forest landscape between Sierra Leone and Guinea.

To train educators in the communities, and as part of its environmental education and awareness raising activities, WCF and its partners organised a 3-day workshop from 13 to 15 December 2023, for 12 supervisors, 6 directors, and 6 teachers from six target schools in the localities of Diandian, Ouré-Kaba, Farenta, Saférin, Soyah and Sabouyah.

The training focused on teaching techniques for 11 environmental lessons prepared by WCF, namely: the non-living environment, the living environment, biodiversity, endangered species such as chimpanzees, the role of animals in nature, conflicts between humans and animals, protected areas, the future Pinselli-Soyah-Sabouyah National Park, hygiene and practical conservation actions.

The training was structured over 2 phases: the first phase covered theoretical topics, to boost the capacity of facilitators for environmental education lessons. The second phase included animation practices to enhance effective learning and participation during the delivery of lessons.
At the end of the training, participants were assessed and awarded certificates certifying the quality of the new Club PAN facilitators.