Community organization digs up information on extractive oil projects

UK Photojournalist Dennis Morton initiated his “Let Us Talk” awareness campaign on Crowdfunder.com to raise funds for communities in Turkan, Kenya impacted by extractive oil ventures brought on by industry moguls.

“Funds raised through the organization will be used to assist the affected communities,” said Morton, the owner and campaign coordinator of the UK-based Let Us Talk, a Community Interest Company.

Only £60 of the £40,000 target has been raised by two backers. The funding campaign will go until 10:44 a.m., September, 05 2016.

According to Morton “Let Us Talk” will help fund various projects in place that are working to aid affected communities in other ways: establishing a community resource hub where community members and other stakeholders can discuss issues rising from oil and gas projects that affect them. The funds will also be used to manage a monitoring program that analyzes environmental and social impacts. Finally, it will fund a citizen/community/journalism program. 

“‘Let Us Talk’ is working with indigenous people to promote social, environmental and human rights of communities impacted by the extractive industry,” Morton said. He said they also wish to ensure that all stakeholders in any given community are allowed to participate in all relevant procedures with their governments, industry, civil society and non-government organizations, and traditional authorities.

Other concerns include promoting Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) “to ensure a level playing field between communities and the government or companies and, where it results in negotiated agreements, provides communities with lower impact and higher benefit-sharing agreements,” Morton said. 

Morton said the organization will also work to inform citizens living in the affected communities of their rights under the law in addition to information about the various projects underway, processes and impacts.

More detail about the Let Us Talk project is found at http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/let-us-talk

Crowdfunder is an online platform that helps people develop ideas and advance  them into the public awareness. It is a resource used by community groups, businesses, charities, sports clubs, and individuals who have a creative idea they want to promote.

“Crowdfunder enables you to setup your crowdfunding projects, create your crowd and collect payments from your backers,” stated the website organizers. “Everything you need to fund your great idea.”

Dennis Morton began his career as a photojournalist in 1985 in South Africa. He joined the extractive industry in 2000, managing field for ten years in Rajasthan India, Syria, Guinea and Kenya, where he, also, worked with community stakeholders advocating engagement and social responsibility.

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