About Us | FACRP

Who We Are

Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project

FACRP is a community-based, women-led NGO founded in 1982 in the Fondes Amandes hillsides of St. Ann's, Port of Spain, Trinidad. For over four decades we have been at the forefront of bush and forest fire mitigation — transforming fire-ravaged landscapes into flourishing, resilient ecosystems through community action.

Through community-driven fire prevention, firebreak maintenance, rapid response patrols, and the propagation of over 200,000 native trees from our Clean Trees Organic Nursery, we protect critical watersheds that serve the surrounding communities of Port of Spain and beyond.

FACRP combines traditional ecological knowledge, modern fire management techniques, and citizen science to safeguard biodiversity, strengthen local climate resilience, and educate the next generation of environmental leaders. As an award-winning NGO, we invite donors, researchers, and partners to invest in a proven model of fire prevention, forest restoration, and community empowerment.

Mission

"To sustainably manage the St. Ann's watershed and use it as a model of community forestry."

Vision

A healthy agro-forestry environment in Trinidad and Tobago, providing sustainable livelihoods based on the FACRP participatory model of Community Forestry.

Legal Registration

Registered NGO under the Companies Act of 1995 and the Not-for-Profit Organizations Act, No. 7 of 2019, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Our Journey

Four Decades of Impact

1982 FACRP Founded — Co-founded by Tacuma and Akilah Jaramogi in response to devastating dry-season bush fires destroying the St. Ann's hillsides.

2000 First EMA Green Leaf Award — Recognised by the Environmental Management Authority for pioneering watershed protection and sustainable development.

2001 Second Green Leaf Award — Continuing recognition for sustained environmental management leadership.

2003 Third Green Leaf Award — WASA and SWMCOL recognition for watershed protection and waste management innovation.

2006 National Reforestation Programme begins — FACRP launches its National Reforestation and Watershed Rehabilitation Programme (NRWRP), running continuously to 2025.

2007 President's Hummingbird Gold Medal — Awarded by the President of Trinidad and Tobago for "Loyal and Devoted Service in the sphere of Community Service."

2009 Green Fund Community Forestry Initiative — Multi-year programme through the Green Fund (Ministry of Finance) focused on sustainable community forestry (2009–2013).

2011 Women as Agents of Change Award — NGO Network for the Empowerment of Women / Friends of the Commonwealth, March 2011.

2012 EMA Sustainability Award & Fifth Green Leaf — Recognised for outstanding service to responsible environmental management across Trinidad and Tobago.

2013 Community Heroes Award — Ministry of Community Development, for transformative community-based natural resource management.

2014 Atlantic Environmental Education Series launches — Annual field school programme in partnership with Atlantic LNG, running continuously to present.

2020 Amazonic Programme launched — FACRP's Forest Defender educational character and storybook programme debuts for schools and communities.

2023–24 Gayap Toolkit & Spirit of Gayap Documentary — Traditional knowledge documented and shared; new 24-foot fire tower completed at Fondes Amandes.

2025 Gold ADDY Award & Women in the Environment Award — International recognition for creative fire prevention campaigns and women's environmental leadership.

What Makes Us Unique

A Community-Built Model

FACRP doesn't import expertise from outside. We build capacity from within our own community — creating an environment that supports professional growth, traditional ecological knowledge, and long-term environmental leadership that outlasts any single project or grant cycle.

Our model is participatory: community members are not beneficiaries of FACRP's work — they are FACRP. From firebreak clearers and nursery workers to field school educators and citizen scientists, the work belongs to those who live on the land.

This is why our model has endured for over 40 years — and why it has become a template for community forestry across the Caribbean.

Global Goals

Supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals

FACRP's community forestry model directly advances multiple UN SDGs — demonstrating that grassroots environmental action creates ripples across social, economic, and ecological dimensions simultaneously.

SDG 6 — Clean Water

Watershed protection and check dam construction sustaining clean water catchment for Port of Spain.

SDG 13 — Climate Action

Fire prevention, reforestation, and climate resilience species research building ecosystem buffers against climate change.

SDG 15 — Life on Land

Native species propagation, wildlife habitat restoration, and biodiversity monitoring through ReWild Watch citizen science.

SDG 4 — Education

Atlantic Environmental Education Series (2014–present), field schools, and the Amazonic programme building environmental literacy.

SDG 5 — Gender Equality

A women-led NGO creating environmental and economic leadership opportunities for women and girls across Trinidad & Tobago.

SDG 17 — Partnerships

International, regional, and national partnerships with CANARI, CCCCC, EMA, Atlantic LNG, UWI, and the Green Fund.

In the Field

Community Gallery

Ready to Make a Difference?

Together we can stop the fires, grow resilient forests, and protect life for generations to come. Join our community of Forest Defenders.

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