Odette Sambou: Community Focal Point (CFP)
GREAT Institute would like to highlight our dedicated CFPs, who underwent training with the GREAT field team on how to collect and record data effectively every week. Our CFPs play a crucial role in contributing to environmental monitoring and conservation as main advocates for our citizen science network. This opportunity allowed many of them who are seasonal farmers, to generate alternative income to support their livelihoods.
Odette Sambou, a dedicated oyster farmer has worked with GREAT Institute on several projects. As a member of the TRY Oyster Women Association, Odette spends much of her time cultivating, harvesting, and selling oysters during the season to make a living. Over her year-long involvement with the GREAT Institute, she collected weekly aquatic data from various tributaries and meticulously recorded it in her data logbook. Her dedication to her work and the project made her an exceptional partner. She brought a strong willingness to learn and understand the dynamics of the river. Odette’s goal is to one day have her own oyster farm to be able to harvest year-round.
~Fatou Sowe
Santa Jarju: Community Focal Point (CFP)
Santa Jarju, a hardworking oyster harvester and a member of the TRY Oyster Women's Association, also served as a Community Focal Point during the GEMS and PCG Project at GREAT Institute. Throughout the project, Santa was an advocate for our citizen science network, collected aquatic data in Fajikunda, and diligently recorded her findings in her logbook. Her commitment to her role as a CFP made her a vital part of the project. Having worked with her for the past few years, we have seen Santa's passion for her work and her growth.
She views every experience as a learning opportunity to better understand the health of the oysters she harvests and to apply this knowledge to monitor the oysters more effectively during the season. While she sees the Oyster off-season as a challenge, she still makes the best out of it by engaging in other businesses like selling crabs and other means of livelihood.
~Fatou Sowe
