Candlelight For Environment Education and Health

Soil and water conservation practices prevent soil erosion and ensure the sustainable management of water resources.

Candlelight team organized meaningful discussions and debates in Burao aimed at promoting a strong culture of zero tolerance against violence and harmful practices, while creating a safe and respectful space to highlight the experiences and insights of survivors and activists.

The event brought together community members, local leaders, and change-makers to engage in open dialogue, share real-life stories, and challenge attitudes that enable harm. Through these conversations, participants strengthened awareness, inspired collective responsibility and reinforced the importance of standing together to protect rights.

Community awareness raising is fundamental to successful landscape restoration, especially in regions affected by land degradation, deforestation, soil erosion, and climate change. Recognizing this, Candlelight prioritized community awareness initiatives to ensure that local people understand the importance of landscape restoration and their vital role in protecting and restoring natural resources.

1. Encouraging Community Ownership and Participation
Raising awareness helps communities understand why landscape restoration matters for their livelihoods, food security, water availability, and resilience to climate change. When people recognize the direct benefits, they are more likely to take ownership of restoration initiatives rather than seeing them as external projects. This sense of ownership leads to stronger participation, better protection of restored areas, and long-term sustainability.

2. Promoting Sustainable Land-Use Practices
Awareness programs educate communities about sustainable practices such as agroforestry, soil and water conservation, controlled grazing, and tree planting. Many land degradation problems result from lack of information rather than bad intentions. By improving knowledge, communities can shift from harmful practices to methods that balance environmental conservation and economic needs.

3. Reviving Indigenous Knowledge and Local Solutions
Community engagement creates space to recognize and integrate traditional and indigenous knowledge related to land management. Awareness raising encourages dialogue between scientific approaches and local experience, leading to restoration strategies that are culturally appropriate, cost-effective, and well adapted to local conditions.

4. Strengthening Behavior Change and Environmental Stewardship
Lasting restoration requires behavior change, such as protecting seedlings, avoiding tree cutting, or managing water wisely. Awareness campaigns—through community meetings, schools, media, and demonstrations—help shape positive attitudes toward the environment and foster a culture of environmental stewardship, especially among youth and women.

5. Supporting Conflict Prevention and Collective Action
Land and natural resources are often sources of conflict. Awareness raising improves understanding of shared benefits and common responsibilities, encouraging collective action and cooperation among different community groups. Clear communication also reduces misunderstandings related to land use, access, and restoration rules.

6. Enhancing Long-Term Sustainability of Restoration Efforts
Projects that ignore community awareness often fail after external support ends. In contrast, when communities are well informed and motivated, they continue maintaining restored landscapes independently. Awareness raising ensures that restoration is not just a short-term activity but a long-term investment in people and ecosystems.

Rehabilitated key water infrastructure in Sheikh‑Aware village—including a water tank, an animal trough and a 1 km pipeline extension to the water kiosk—is now fully functional.

This project was implemented by Candlelight, with support from the Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) through United Nations OCHA Somalia.

The new dam constructed by Candlelight in Masalaha Gorod village, Togdheer Region is now filling with lifesaving water following the recent rains, marking a significant milestone for the local community and their livestock.

This important water infrastructure was developed using a comprehensive and sustainable approach including:
✅ Geomembrane plastic sheet lining
✅ Solar-powered plumbing system
✅ Animal drinking troughs
✅ New concrete water tank
✅ Water kiosk and caretaker room
✅ Solar-powered security lighting
✅ VIP latrine facilities
✅ Standpipe for community water access

Together, these facilities will greatly improve access to clean and safe water, support livelihoods and strengthen community resilience to recurrent droughts.

Special thanks to the European Union for their generous support through the EU BREACH Project, which made this vital intervention possible.

TVET Graduation Ceremony, Candlelight proudly celebrated the successful graduation of 72 trainees who completed their training in Tailoring, Carpentry and Henna & Beautification at Halbeeg TVET Center in Burao.

Throughout the training period, the trainees acquired valuable practical and employable skills, marking a significant milestone in their personal and professional development. The trainees received startup toolkits to support them in starting their own businesses.
We congratulate all the graduates on this remarkable accomplishment and wish them continued success as they move forward into employment, entrepreneurship and self-reliance.

Special thanks to the European Union for their generous support through the EU BREACH Project.

Under the EU BREACH Project, Candlelight, in collaboration with the Burao Local Government, has successfully launched Phase II of the Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) Plans.

This phase includes key activities such as the clearance of Prosopis juliflora and sanitation interventions in selected sub-villages of Burao District and its surrounding areas.

The project is funded by the European Union, with Candlelight implementing the activities in partnership with Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and ACTED.

Special thanks to all partners, local authorities, and community members whose actively participated these activities.

Environmental Day | 15 April 2026 🌱
Today, we celebrate Environmental Day by reminding ourselves that protecting nature is not an option, it is a responsibility.

Our land, water, forests and wildlife are the foundation of life for current and future generations. Small actions like planting trees, conserving water, reducing waste and protecting ecosystems can create lasting change.

Let’s work together to protect our planet today, for tomorrow and for generations to come.

🌿 Protect Nature. Restore the Environment.