Glowing Testimonies, Results and Impacts as ESLF Successfully Winds Up GEF-SGP Biodiversity Project in Benue.

The Founder of Eunice Spring of Life Foundation (ESLF), Dr. Eunice Erdoo Ortom has said it was a thing of joy and fulfilment for her and her highly committed and hardworking team that the ESLF-implemented environment-based project funded by the Global Environmental Facility-Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP) to address biodiversity loss and improve traditional medicinal practice in Benue State has positively impacted the lives of the people of Ugbe and others in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State in line with ESLF’s vision and mission to improve the lives and livelihood of people in the society.

Dr. Ortom who disclosed this on Monday during the Close Out ceremony of the project, charged beneficiaries to make the best use of the opportunity and encouraged them not to hesitate to reach out to ESLF on issues that might crop up even as the Foundation was handing over the baton of the management of the rest of the project to the community.

The ESLF Founder, represented by the Programme Coordinator of the Foundation, Dr. Comfort Abaa thanked GEF-SGP for the opportunity given to her Foundation to implement such a life-impacting project that has appreciably improved the practices and processes of preparing traditional medicine among the people of the community who, on their part, had displayed remarkable spirit to own the project and run with the rich knowledge of biodiversity conservation and sustainable medicinal practices learnt.

Speaking on behalf of the Project Implementation Committee, Secretary of the Committee, Mr. Cephas Ternenge Yongo who stood in for the Chairman, noted that the project recorded a number of remarkable achievements including campaign sensitisation/awareness creation on biodiversity conservation, composition of Project Implementation Committee (PIC), a 5-day training of 50 traditional medicine practitioners and another 1-day training of 150 mentors and mentees in traditional medicine practices. Other key achievements, he said were the training and inauguration of 50 Ugbe Community Forest Guards, drafting, reviewing and printing of Community By-laws on biodiversity conservation as well as the all-important planting of 1000 economic tree seedlings in the community and construction of a Community Seed Bank.

Earlier delivering his welcome address, District Head of Moon Council Ward, Chief Gabriel Awua Wende thanked GEF-SGP and ESLF for the project in his community and underscored its impact on the welfare and well-being of the people of Ugbe in Kwande, the entire Benue State and Nigeria in general.

On his part, the Ter Kwande HRH Engr. Timothy Tavershima Ahile who was represented by the Mue Ter Ichongo, Chief Simon Baver commended ESLF and GEF-SGO haven monitored the implementation of their highly impacful project from the onset until its close out.Speaking in his personal capacity as the son of a traditional healer, Chief Baver advised the traditional medicine practitioners not to see money-making as priority in their practice but make honesty their watch word in dealings with clients as was obtainable in the olden days.

He said traditional rulers in their domain had resolved to ban bush burning to preserve the forest and propose to the government to make and implement policies to protect forests.

In their various remarks some project beneficiaries including a Traditional Medicine Practitioner, a member of the Community Forest Guard, representative of Persons with Disability, one Woman Representative, a Youth Mentee and a member of the Project Implementation Committee (PIC) urged their fellow beneficiaries to make the best use of the training they received and, in the true spirit of the project, plant and nurture trees to conserve biodiversity for the benefit of both present and future generations.

Rendering his reflections and way forward, the Project Manager of the UNDP GEF-SGP project, Mr. Tine Agernor who was represented by Mr. Fanyam Tyoakosu gave a recap of the project journey highlighting areas of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.Other attractions during the event were rendition of songs in Ugbe indigenous language and a dance performance by the Ugbe Dance Troupe.

ESLF Media ReportJuly, 2025