Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary’s Community Outreach Programme (TCOP) delivered a targeted education and engagement mission to communities surrounding Outamba-Kilimi National Park (OKNP), aimed at strengthening youth awareness of chimpanzees, biodiversity conservation, and the role healthy ecosystems play in sustaining local livelihoods.
TCOP works at the intersection of conservation and community development, delivering formal and informal environmental education, supporting sustainable livelihoods, and building long-term stewardship among communities living alongside critical habitats. This mission formed part of TCOP’s strategy to engage schools in high-biodiversity landscapes, where pressures on wildlife—particularly chimpanzees—are closely linked to human activity.
The team departed Freetown on March 22 and implemented a structured programme combining classroom-based learning, interactive competitions, community outreach and field-based experiences.
A two-day Environmental Day (one for Primary School students and one for JSS and SSS students) was held in Fintonia and served as the core platform for youth engagement, designed to reinforce environmental knowledge while building confidence, creativity, and leadership among students. The day was aimed at Primary, Junior and Senior Secondary School pupils who are enrolled in Tacugam’s Conservation Education Programme (TKEEP) within the Outamba region. TKEEP is a formal education programme that supplements the national curriculum, with its focus on human-wildlife coexistence. TKEEP is delivered by the students own teachers with support and mentorship by Tacugama’s own education specialists.
The secondary school programme brought together students, educators and community leaders, including the Section Chief, ensuring strong local ownership and visibility.
Students participated in:
Debates on environmental issues
Speech presentations on conservation themes
Poetry reflecting human–wildlife relationships
These activities encouraged critical thinking, public speaking, and personal connection to conservation topics discussed and learnt about in class during TKEEP lessons. All participants received certificates, with top-performing students awarded prizes.
In the evening, boys’ and girls’ football matches created a high-attendance community event. These matches served as an entry point for broader outreach, with conservation messaging delivered to large audiences in an accessible and engaging format via set and commentary provided by DJ Buju. This integration of sport and education strengthened community-wide awareness beyond the classroom.
Primary school pupils from surrounding communities (Sumatha, Yana, Kotor, and Fintonia) were supported to attend, ensuring inclusivity and early engagement with conservation education. Activities included: Wildlife-themed colouring and word games to build early ecological awareness and spelling bee and quiz competitions to reinforce key concepts learnt in class.
All pupils received certificates and prizes, promoting positive reinforcement and a sense of achievement. Safe transportation and meals ensured full participation and accessibility.
Further to the Environmental Day, the TCOP Education Team was joined in Outamba by Mr. Renato Granieri and guests, a world-renowned wildlife photographer and long-time supporter of Tacugama, to learn more about the work of TCOP in Outamba.
Key highlights of Renato’s visit included:
Observing a forest ecology workshop, delivered by TCOP Education specialists to the JSS and SSS students, titled “The Lung and Heart of Our Planet,” which deepened understanding of ecosystem services such as climate regulation, water cycles and biodiversity support.
Field visits to crops suffering from recent elephant disturbances, otherwise known as Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC). Here Renato observed tracks, dung, and movement corridors of the elephants between the community forests and farmers’ crops. Human–Elephant Conflict (HEC) occurs when elephants and people compete for the same space and resources, often in areas where farms and settlements border or overlap with elephant habitat. One of the most common forms of HEC is crop raiding, where elephants enter farms to feed on crops such as rice or bananas, sometimes destroying entire fields in a single visit. This can lead to significant food insecurity, loss of income, and increased frustration among farmers, occasionally resulting in injury or loss of life for both people and elephants, highlighting the need for effective, community-based solutions.
Monitoring of beehives linked to alternative livelihood initiatives, illustrating how conservation can be aligned with income generation.
Renato’s visit also facilitated collaboration with external partners, reinforcing TCOP’s role as a platform for integrated conservation action.
The mission reached a broad cross-section of students and community members, delivering multiple layers of impact:
Increased environmental awareness among both primary and secondary students, particularly around chimpanzees and ecosystem functions.
Strengthened youth engagement, with students actively participating in and leading conservation discussions.
Enhanced community sensitization, using sport and public events to extend messaging beyond schools.
Improved understanding of human–wildlife interactions, particularly in relation to elephant activity in the landscape.
Reinforced links between conservation and livelihoods, through exposure to initiatives such as beekeeping
By combining education, recreation, and hands-on experience, TCOP continues to foster a new generation of environmentally conscious individuals equipped to contribute to conservation efforts in their communities.
This work highlights the value of TCOP’s integrated approach—linking education, community engagement, and practical conservation—to drive long-term behaviour change and support the protection of chimpanzees, elephants, and their habitats in Sierra Leone.
