A Cameroon Fulbright TEA Alumni Association’s Initiative to Combat Climate Change in Cameroon -- By NTETA Philip, Project Communication Lead
In Cameroon, like elsewhere in the world, weather patterns have swayed from normalcy, and daily temperatures altered with an increase in floods, the effects of desertification, food insecurity, and other negative consequences on the environment and population. This phenomenon has been triggered by several natural and anthropogenic factors - notably deforestation, overgrazing, unconventional farming methods, poor waste management, and air pollution. In reaction to this disturbing situation, the Cameroon Fulbright TEA Alumni Association (CAFTAL) initiated the project “Promoting climate justice through school communities” which is in its second phase today. Sponsored by the US Embassy in Cameroon, its goal is to train, mandate, and coordinate local and secondary school actors in the country to educate the public on Climate Change in order to take action in combating and mitigating its effects in communities.
The Project Team
Being an initiative of CAFTAL, the team at the centre of the project is naturally made of members of the organization who are alumni of the Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) program - specifically:
FAI Mercy: 2014 TEA Alumna from Winthrop University.
NTETA Philip: 2015 TEA Alumnus from Appalachian State University.
Sam CANISIUS: 2017 TEA Alumnus from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.
TABOT Delphine: 2022 Fulbright TEA Alumna from the University of Nevada, Reno.
JAFSIA Elisée: 2022 Fulbright TEA Alumnus from the University of Nevada, Reno.
The project workshops
The current phase of the project is coming up after it was initiated last academic year in the North West, South West, West, Littoral, and Centre Regions of Cameroon. This year’s workshops took place in the remaining five regions of the country – notably in the administrative headquarters of the South, East, Far North, North, and Adamawa Regions for some 250 participants from the Administrative Divisions of those Regions.
1) The workshop in the South Region at EBOLOWA
The project launching events for the 2023/2024 academic year started in Ebolowa, the capital of the South Region, on 03 November 2023, with a workshop that brought some 50 participants together. During the workshop’s inaugural, speakers, including the Regional Delegate for Secondary Education for the South, urged participants to be actively engaged in the project, whose intention is to make our planet safer by contributing to the workshop and ensuring that the competencies they gain should be transmitted to others. Following the inaugural were several other sessions of activities where participants were equipped with the expertise in contributing to fighting Climate Change; and a closing event where they were commissioned as Climate Change Crusaders and encouraged to develop strategies to implement the competencies acquired upon their return from the training.
2) The workshop in the East Region at BERTOUA
On 07 November 2023, the East Region officially joined the project caravan following a training workshop that took place at TEERENSTRA Bilingual College in BERTOUA. Participating in the event were several lead secondary school educators and local actors who brainstormed on Climate Change and drew a roadmap for action against its effects in the communities across the Region. That workshop was marked by presentations, group activities, and workgroup sessions coordinated by the CAFTAL project team. At the end of the training, the participants were urged to return from the workshop and utilize the competencies gained in fighting Climate Change in their communities using school-related activities.
3) The workshop in the Far North Region
The project’s workshop in the Far North Region took place on 20 November 2023, at the Government Bilingual Teacher Training College in Maroua. In attendance at the inaugural session of the workshop, were the Regional Delegate of Secondary Education for the Extreme North's representative, the Sub-Director of Exams at the Delegation, and the Director of the host institution. They all joined the Deputy Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy in Cameroon, Karen Tang, (who addressed the participants online) to thank the participants for their involvement in the project and encourage them to put in their best to realize the project’s goals of contributing to ensure that our planet is safe from Climate Change.
The training was marked by project team-led presentations, work group brainstorming sessions, and project work activities. At the end of the training, the participants were commissioned and mandated to carry out activities that aimed at reinforcing the project’s objectives upon returning to their communities.
4) The workshop in the North Region at GAROUA
The ceremony to mark the official launch of the project in the North Region took place on 22 November 2023, at Government Bilingual Technical High School in Garoua, in a dazzling, radiant, and vibrant atmosphere. Among those present at the event were participants, the Principal and some teachers, and students of the host institution, the Divisional Delegate for Secondary Education for the Benoue, a representative of the Regional Delegate, and other dignitaries.
The inaugural phase of the training was marked by remarks from the Divisional Delegate, a keynote from TEA alumna, Mercy Fai, in the capacity of the Project Team lead, and the Regional Delegate’s representative. All the speakers resonated with the Deputy Public Affairs Officer at U.S. Embassy Yaounde, Cameroon, Karen Tang, in thanking the participants for accepting to participate in the project. They equally encouraged them to put in their best to realize its goals by contributing to ensure that our planet is safe from Climate Change whose effects are increasing and are becoming more visible. After a short break following the inaugural session for photos, networking, and media exchanges, the training phase of the workshop continued with CAFTAL Project Team-led presentations, project work, and workshop group activities. The training culminated with the commissioning of the participants as Climate Change Crusaders with a mandate to carry out activities to reinforce the ideals of the training in their communities.
5) The workshop in the Adamawa Region at NGAOUNDÉRÉ
The launching of the project in the Adamawa Region took place on Friday 24 November, 2023 with some 50 secondary school and local actors in attendance. The event took place at the premises of Lycée classique et moderne de Ngaoundéré, and during its inaugural, top Regional, Divisional and Local Administrators called the participants to immediate action against Climate Change given its growing challenges in their communities. They joined the CAFTAL President, the Project Team Lead, and the Deputy Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy Yaoundé, Cameroon to congratulate the participants for their interest in the project. Their remarks were followed by the training phase of the workshop which was characterized by CAFTAL Project Team-led presentations, project work, and workshop group activities. The training culminated in the commissioning of the participants to promote the project’s goals in their communities upon their return from the training.
The post-workshop phase of the project - some participants’ activity reports from the Regions
1) The composting and school garden project activities at Government Bilingual High School Pintchoumba, in the North Region
Upon his training and commissioning as the Climate Justice Crusader for Government Bilingual High School Pintchoumba, in the North Region, on 22 November 2023, GAIMATAKON André committed to implementing the competencies gained through an action plan. In this light, he set up a garden and initiated the production of compost from kitchen, animal, and yard waste, on the school campus, to inculcate the values of environmental protection, materials recycling, and organic waste management in his students.
By 01 February 2024, the compost was about 85 % mature, the soil had been tilled, and the planting plot was fenced with reusable biodegradable materials to keep the farm safe from stray animals.
2) Project activity on the planting of trees at Government Bilingual High School Banyo in the Adamawa Region
In the heart of the dry season in most parts of Cameroon, Government Bilingual High School Banyo in the Adamawa Region prides itself on being located in a watershed region of the country. Due to this geographical advantage, our Climate Justice Crusader in the school, Oumarou Oussseini, and his students have embarked on promoting afforestation in the school. Baptized “operation one student one tree for a green school campus” the campaign was at its mid-phase by 25 January 2024 with 8th-grade students of the school in action. It was to culminate during the youth week in Cameroon when every student in the school ought to have played their role in the project.
3) Project activity on the production of environmentally-friendly charcoal at Collège Privé Technique et Professionnel Agricole de Maroua in the Far North Region
After the training phase, our workshop participants who have become Climate Justice Crusaders are now in action to ensure that communities in Cameroon are engaged in fighting Climate Change. In this light, our Climate Justice Crusader at Collège Privé Technique et Professionnel Agricole de Maroua (COPTAM), Haman Marcus, has embarked on a project activity with his students. The activity focuses on producing environmentally friendly charcoal for cooking. If fostered, it will reduce the reliance on ordinary charcoal cooking and heating, limit the cutting of trees and help to fight climate change.
4) Project activity on the planting of trees at Government Bilingual High School Batouri in the East Region
In continuation with the implementation of his action plan for the project in Government Bilingual High School Batouri, Our Climate Justice Crusaders, WHASS Moses SONG, and BAYANG NDIKOUA, coordinated a tree-planting project in the school. The project was officially launched on 04 December 2023, by the school’s administration and students were encouraged to actively participate in it for its goal is to enhance the fight against Climate Change. Some students, Environment club coordinators, and school administrators accompanied the Crusaders in the tree-planting exercise.
5) Project activities on the planting of 65 ornamental plants, sensitization of students and human investment to raise awareness on Climate Change at Lycée Classique et Moderne de Garoua in the North Region
During the week of January 29 to February 02, 2024, a series of project activities took place at Lycée Classique et Moderne de Garoua. Under the coordination of our Climate Justice Crusader in the school, VICHE MOUTSINA, students and teachers participated in an information session on climate change, a human investment program and were engaged in the planting of 65 ornamental plants on the school campus.
End
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