By Olimatou Coker
Bakary Kamaso, a RICAR Change Agent from Ali-Makk in Diabugu Ward, Sandu District (URR), says the Rural Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resilience Building (RICAR) Project is “part of my upliftment history,” crediting it with transforming his livelihood, supporting his family, and delivering tangible benefits to his community.
He was speaking during a visit by the National Nutrition Agency’s Social and Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) team, which is documenting success stories from grant-supported Change Agents to promote best practices in climate-smart, income-generating activities. Under RICAR, Change Agents are trained to lead SBCC in their communities—promoting climate mitigation and adaptation—and are equipped with grants to launch climate-smart enterprises and agricultural ventures that build resilience and generate income.
Kamaso received a D250,000 grant to establish a consumer shop. Beyond providing start-up capital, the project supported formalisation—helping him register the business and adopt proper invoicing and receipts for staple goods such as rice. He said demand is strong and he plans to expand into a larger outlet. “This has brought a lot of betterment and blessings for my community,” he noted, explaining that before his shop opened, residents had to travel long distances or wait for weekly lumo markets to buy basic condiments and supplies. “With this project, I have been uplifted from one level to another—on a scale of 1–10, it uplifted me to 8.”
He emphasised that the project has changed the lives and livelihoods of his household, his village, and neighboring communities: “When writing my personal history, I will include the RICAR project.”
Another beneficiary, Ismaila Sanyang of Gadafaro in Kantora District (URR), who invested his grant in animal husbandry, thanked RICAR for enabling his self-employment.
He urged fellow Change Agents to champion climate-friendly practices and discourage behaviors harmful to the environment.
RICAR is a five-year initiative funded by the World Food Programme through the Adaptation Fund and executed by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources (MECCNAR). It operates in URR and CRR North and South, in partnership with NaNA and the Multidisciplinary Facilitation Teams, to couple SBCC with grants that diversify livelihoods and strengthen climate resilience at community level.
