45 “clean up” days, the project included capacity building work with local authorities to strengthen the waste management system so that once trash was removed, the waterways would stay clear of new pollution. We held four successful clean up days, mobilizing nearly 100 local people to help clean up trash and plastic waste that normally line this section of the Senegal River, gathering over 46 tons of waste in total. The local artisanal fishing council, the mayor’s office, local government departments, the Saint Louis Development Agency and the municipal cleaning service all participated, along with representatives from the fishing communities. We also donated equipment such as forks, shovels and personal protective equipment (PPE) to community waste management organizations. Unfortunately, trash quickly returned to the river banks in some of the neighborhoods. After a review of the project, we concluded that waste management on the Langue de Barbarie is complex and the solutions are not straightforward. Le Partenariat held several workshops with local leaders to try to work towards a more sustainable solution. Djoudj National Bird Park The Djoudj National Bird Park in Senegal, located along the border with Mauritania, was created in 1971 as a natural bird sanctuary in the adjoining backwaters, lakes and rivers of the Senegal River delta. The 16,000 hectare national park is home to approximately 365 different species of birds, 80 species of fish, 10 species of mammals, and 132 species of plants. The area is also a resting place for nearly 1.5 million migratory birds crossing the Sahara Desert to the north. The park is located onshore from the area where Kosmos made the Tortue-1 well natural gas discovery and is bordered by eight villages with nearly 25,000 inhabitants. Kosmos worked with the Djoudj Park authorities to design a project that aims to conserve the habitats of the park through a participatory approach to land-management activities involving the neighboring villagers. The project, which began in 2017, reinforces the ecological monitoring and surveillance of the Park and supports the socioeconomic development activities of the Djoudj Inter-Village Committee. This committee is made up of national park officials and community leaders. Our support goes toward: 1.  Habitat restoration and the management of invasive plant species. In total around 16 hectares of degraded natural habitats will be restored and rehabilitated. 2.  Biological monitoring and tracking the health of the park’s ecosystem – including equipment for 50 ‘eco guards’ that volunteer from the park’s surrounding villages. 3.  Providing risk huskers as an income-generating activity for community volunteers that work with the park. 4.  Bird spotting guides, binoculars and other equipment to support the villagers that work as guides in the park. Responding to Natural Disasters As a responsible corporate citizen in Senegal, Kosmos understands the need to partner with communities when disaster strikes. In August 2017, seventy-three families living along the coast in Saint Louis had their homes destroyed during a severe storm. As a result, they were forced to shelter in local schools while rebuilding their homes. Kosmos donated food and mosquito nets to these families and to local mosques to help support them while displaced. Capacity Building Universities and academia are important stakeholders for the oil and gas industry in countries that are relatively new to oil and gas like Senegal. These institutions are home to our future workforce and often help inform the national policy conversations and legislation. Kosmos sponsored professors from the University Cheikh Antar Diop in Dakar (as well as representatives from the University of Nouakchott in Mauritania) to attend the GetEnergy conference on local content in oil and gas in London in 2017. The GetEnergy event was designed specifically for providers of education and training to learn from companies, governments and service providers, with the goal of increasing the number of local people working in the oil and gas industry. Kosmos aims to contribute to the development of linkages between educational offerings and the needs of the oil and gas industry in Senegal as well as all the countries where we are in the development and production stage of the project lifecycle. In 2017, Kosmos and BP began working together to support the Senegalese government in the creation of a National Institute for Petroleum and Gas to provide higher education and training to develop the leaders, managers, and operators of Senegal’s new petroleum industry. The initial scoping for the Institute included a jobs and opportunity assessment to inform curricula and goals for the proposed institute’s future growth, including technical English language training for a range of stakeholders in the academic system, government, suppliers and our workforce; leadership, management and technical training for the first cohort of a national workforce; and partnerships with international universities and training providers. We are also coordinating with other oil and gas investors in Senegal on this initiative to leverage partnerships and ensure a streamlined industry approach. Through our partner BP, we also engaged the British Council to launch a multi-year English-language training program for university students, professors, and staff in key government departments relevant to the oil and gas industry. A pelican hunts for fish in the Djoudj National Bird Park along the coast of Senegal.