Environmentalist Society

ES is primarily a conservation organisation, but emphasises the links between environmental issues, develoment and peace in Sudan.

Overview

The Environmentalist Society was founded in 1986 and is registered with the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) as a non-governmental organisation. The establishment of the Society was a result of the need to involve graduates of the University of Khartoum Institute of Environmental Studies in community work and to implement environmentally sustainable programmes.

The activities of the society expanded in the field to forging partnerships with community-based organisations in different parts of the country, with the objective of raising their capacities to conduct development projects. As a result of these activities, the society has more than 400 active volunteer registered members, with branches in Khartoum, western Sudan, and Eastern Sudan.

ES believes that conflict resolution and peacebuilding can be achieved through social work and the creation of appropriate links between the different tribes and conflicting groups, and by making use of traditional norms and regulations that maintained harmony and coexistence for generations in the country. With this vision, ES designs its activities in close collaboration with local communities that guide the means of implementation.

The overall goal of the Environmentalist Society is environmental conservation but its activities cover all aspects related to development projects with emphasis on capacity building, raising awareness and peacebuilding. The main objectives of the organisation can be summarised as follows:

• to support local communities in implementing environmentally sustainable development projects;
• to mobilise its members to help local communities in their development;
• to raise awareness about the global, national and local environmental problems with emphasis on hot issues faced by local communities;
• to carry out research and studies on environmental issues that affect people's quality of life;
• to create partnerships and working relations to combat local environmental problems with emphasis on hot issues faced by local communities;
• to promote the issues of human rights, conflict reconciliation and peacebuilding in different parts of the country;
• to promote women’s participation in environmental issues.

ES has successfully conducted a number of activities in the pursuit of these aims:

• Awareness raising - workshops, seminars and festivals attended by the general public, publication of newspaper and magazine articles, a monthly newsletter and regular television and radio coverage.
• Capacity-building - a range of training workshops to enable community-based organisations to improve their planning and management of small projects.
• Conflict resolution and human rights workshops.
• Poverty reduction - projects assisting small farmers and women nomads to introduce improved methods of water harvesting and use of dairy products.
  
  

What services are provided?

Raising awareness through workshops and seminars; capacity-building through training workshops; conflict resolution and peacebuilding training workshops.

Geographical area of operation

Khartoum, Blue Nile, Nuba Mountain, western Sudan (Kurdfan and Darfur), and Eastern Sudan.

Funding resources

Membership subscriptions; National Endowment for Democracy (USA based NGO); Heinrich Boll Foundation; Ford Foundation; Funds generated from consultancies; Friedrich Ebert Foundation (Sudan office).

Associated Organisations

International
National Endowment for Democracy; International Rivers Network; Corner House; Member of African Network of Environment; The Friedrich Ebert Foundation; OXFAM UK; Women in Law and Development in Africa – Sudan chapter; Women Desertification Caucus; International Network to Combat Desertification; Food for Sovereignty Network for North Africa and Central Asia.

National
The Sudanese Environmental Conversation Society; Gender Centre; Women’s Society for Peace; Sudanese Development Association; Edge Consultancy Group; Institute of Environmental Studies, University of Khartoum; Sudanese Industrial and Consultancy; Desertification Control Society; Dar El Salam Development Association (CBO); Mayo Women Development Association (CBO); Sudanese Women Civil Society Network for Peace; Founding member of National NGO Committee to Combat Desertification; Civil Society Project for Peace; Founding member of Women Development Network; UNDP Information Network for Peace.