The National Steering Committee of the ROOTS Project today began its monitoring tour of project sites across the country, starting with the Kanuma Women’s Garden in Lower Nuimi, North Bank Region.
At Kanuma, members expressed their gratitude for ROOTS interventions in water supply, fencing, agroforestry, and capacity building.
“ROOTS brought a lot of positive changes in our lives. Before, we had water problems and no proper fencing, but that is now a thing of the past. From 662 beds of lettuce, we earned D786,800, and from 1,377 beds of onions, we made D1,636,800. We also earned D190,557 from our tricycle services,” said Secretary Abdoulie Saho.
The garden now has a sustainability plan where each member contributes D200 every year after harvest. Women have also benefitted from live fencing in collaboration with Hope Foundation a beneficiary of the ROOTS Project and training in GALS and Farmer Field Schools, which have transformed farming practices and household dynamics.
“ROOTS has changed our lives. We now have our own homes and stronger family relationships. We are living happily with our husbands and supporting each other,” shared member and GALS facilitator, Jainaba Fofana.
The women, however, highlighted challenges in marketing and space, appealing for an extension of the garden onto an available but unfenced plot.
From Kanuma, the delegation visited Albreda, meeting young entrepreneur Binta Sonko, a beneficiary of the ROOTS Youth-Based Matching Grant. Binta, who started her agro-input business in June 2025, shared her success story:
“ROOTS took me from grass to grace. With the D465,000 support in seeds, tools, and materials, my business is booming. I now employ one person, save regularly, and plan to acquire a vegetable processing machine to expand further.”
The day continued at the Bakang-Karanta rice cluster, where farmers expressed joy over the project’s support and projected a bumper harvest, though they appealed for a tractor to ease production.
The team also paid a courtesy call on the Governor of North Bank Region, who was deputies by his Deputy, who hailed ROOTS as a “people’s project” and one of the best initiatives in the country. He commended the leadership of the ROOTS North Bank Regional Unit, described as the project’s strongest coordination hub with two of its top-performing sites.
The visit ended at Palleh Amdallie community, beneficiaries of 20 Jambarr cooking stoves. Women testified to the transformative impact:
“The Jambarr stove is fast and reduces the number of times I fetch firewood,” said Khaddijatou Camara. 
“Before, when it rained, I struggled to cook. Now, I can cook inside my room without smoke,” added Amie Sillah.
The delegation included representatives from MoA, DoA, MoFEA, MoTIE, NYC, NARI, NACOFAG, and GCCI.
Day 1 ends with inspiring testimonies of transformation, innovation, and sustainability driven by ROOTS interventions.