Tacugama, in partnership with World Hope International’s (WHI) WASH project and funded by Christ Wesleyan Church, has provided clean tap water to Mansonia, a village in the Loma Mountains National Park. Residents no longer need to carry water from the stream or wash in the same source. WHI protected a spring, laid pipes, and used gravity to deliver water to the village, health facility, and schools. The project is now complete.
Access to clean water boosts productivity, public health, and school attendance, especially for girls. It also educates communities on environmental protection for future water access. Tacugama’s efforts aim to shift perceptions on environmental value, prevent deforestation and poaching, and support alternative livelihoods. By changing narratives, communities gain clean water, and species like the western chimpanzee can thrive.
Commissioned by Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, this film shines a spotlight on the country’s bold environmental ambitions, innovative conservation strategies, and long-term vision for a greener, more resilient future. Produced to inspire and engage global investors, policymakers, and development partners, it premiered at the 2025 International Environmental Conference — an event supported by the World Bank and dedicated to strengthening international collaboration, investment, and collective action in tackling the climate crisis.
In 2020, Tacugama partnered with the Dutch Sunday Foundation to build a secondary school in Mansonia, a village near the Loma Mountains National Park, home to the country’s largest population of wild chimpanzees.
In rural Sierra Leone, many villages lack schools, and transport fees are often unaffordable. Before the Sunday Foundation School, children in Mansonia had to walk hours to attend classes in neighboring villages.
The school building, named The Jane Goodall Building to honor the primatologist and Tacugama's founder, now serves 121 students with 6 teachers, all part of a Roots & Shoots nature club. Since 2007, the Sunday Foundation has built 42 schools in marginalized communities. Tacugama is now partnering with the foundation again to build two more schools near Loma Mountains National Park.
November 2023 marked National Animal Week, a vibrant, action-packed week dedicated to raising awareness about chimpanzees, our closest relatives in the animal kingdom. This event, held for the second time, aimed to highlight the critical state of chimpanzee populations and promote the socio-economic benefits of declaring the chimpanzee Sierra Leone's National Animal.
Throughout the week, over 250,000 people engaged through social media and events. More than 15 sponsors supported various activities, while over 60 national influencers shared their messages about the importance of protecting the chimpanzee.
Mount Bintumani, at 1,945 meters, is the tallest peak in Sierra Leone. It’s located in the Loma Mountains National Park, an area with the highest density of wild western chimpanzees found in the country. Climbing to the top is an adventurous journey that takes you through steep vertical slopes through the bush, passed huge, ancient old trees and waterfalls. Wild chimps and stone hyraxes screech in the distance, a reminder of the wilderness that dominates this challenging hike. The full journey can be done in about 3 days, and includes rustic camping by small creeks and a lot of sweat and perseverance. But the view at the end and the sense of accomplishment makes it all worth it. Documenting this treck was a part of promoting Sierra Leone’s eco-tourism potential.
Celebrating 30 years of Tacugama – from rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife to pioneering ecotourism, driving sustainable community development, and protecting Sierra Leone’s natural heritage. This special video was screened in Barcelona and London as part of Tacugama’s international fundraising events, honoring three decades of impact, resilience, and hope for the future. Jane Goodall was the keynote speaker.
Produced for Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, this video highlights the critical issue of deforestation and its direct impact on Freetown’s water supply. The city relies primarily on dams that are increasingly threatened by illegal encroachment, deforestation, and environmental degradation upstream. The video underscores the urgent need for sustainable land management and community engagement to protect these vital water sources and secure a resilient future for Sierra Leone’s capital.
With the support of WABiLED, a USAID-funded project, Tacugama has been working in Outamba Kilimi National Park (OKNP) to train eco-guards on bio-monitoring activities through camera traps, GPS and Smart phone applications, construct fire belts to prevent the spread of wildfire, conduct Natural Ecological Regeneration programs (NER) to help restore the connectivity of a forest and conduct sensitization workshops for the community to further engage all stakeholders.
OKNP is an area rich in biodiversity where you will find wild chimpanzees, hippos, forest elephants and more! Conserving this landscape is important to protect the habitat of all these species.
Tacugama launched its first-ever all-women's eco-guard training and recruitment initiative, bringing together 15 women from 28 villages in the Loma Mountains National Park in partnership with the NPAA. The opening day in Mansofinia village featured an inspiring speech by field officer Samuella Bayo, setting the tone for a new chapter in empowering women.
In rural Sierra Leone, women often bear the brunt of domestic responsibilities like cleaning, cooking, and childcare, with few opportunities outside traditional gender roles. Challenges like early marriage, pregnancy, lack of education, gender-based violence, and FGM are widespread.
This initiative aims to tackle these issues by providing women with knowledge, practical skills, and employment opportunities, enabling them to join the growing conservation and wildlife protection efforts in the region.
On May 17th, Tacugama celebrated Endangered Species Day with a special video produced by its multimedia team for WABiLED, focusing on the protection of endangered species. The video highlighted Tacugama's sanctuary work and WABiLED's efforts to protect wild chimpanzees.
The day was marked with TV appearances on AYV and SLBC, along with live radio shows in Freetown and the OKMO Landscape.
The Western Area Peninsula National Park (WAPNP), the beating heart of Freetown, is disappearing at an alarming rate. Over 550 hectares of forest were lost between December 2023 and March 2024 alone—equivalent to 785 football fields. Since 2000, over 4,000 hectares have been destroyed. If this continues, soon nothing will be left. This forest is Freetown’s life source, providing clean water, preventing landslides, reducing floods and wildfires, and sustaining biodiversity.
The Tequiama Dam has dried up for the first time ever, directly threatening water supply for thousands. Meanwhile, illegal deforestation increases the risk of disasters like the Motome landslide, which claimed over 1,000 lives. Despite direct orders from President Maada Bio to halt these illegal activities, destruction continues. We must act now to enforce the law, protect our forest, and secure a sustainable future for generations to come.
Produced for Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change for COP24, this video documents Project Sapling, an ambitious reforestation initiative led by UAVAID and Crown Agents in collaboration with the Ministry and Tacugama. The project aims to plant 30 million trees by 2030 and employs an innovative tracking system to monitor each sapling, measuring the impact of large-scale reforestation projects. Initiatives like this not only restore ecosystems and support local communities but are also sparking interest among many organizations in Sierra Leone, who see carbon credit programs as a key part of the country’s climate and economic future.