In the foothills of Mount Mbam in Cameroon’s West Region, a new wave of young environmental stewards is rising. Through the EcoKids, an annual Youth Climate Advocacy Programme, Voice of Nature (VoNat) and Meg Wah (My Earth) are inspiring over 120 children and youth to understand and act on climate change. Supported by the Earth Rising Foundation, the initiative is equipping learners from over 10 communities in the Mount Mbam area with practical knowledge of climate science and empowering them to champion local solutions.
During interactive sessions at Government Bilingual High School (GBHS) Bangourain, recently, the youngsters explored how deforestation, bush burning, and poor land use are fueling droughts, floods, and soil degradation in their communities. “I learned that the prolonged droughts and rainfalls we now experience in our area are a result of climate change, which is also caused by deforestation among others. I am leaving today’s session inspired and determined to plant trees in our farms and public spaces to reduce the impact of the climate change crisis. I will sensitize my friends and parents against bush-burning and deforestation,” says Nangong Rosine , a student at GBHS Bangourain.
For Assang Moussa, another participant, the experience was equally transformative. “From what I have learned here today about climate change, I am going to teach my mother, father, and siblings that it is good to plant trees, stop slash-and-burn farming, and adapt regenerative agriculture. If we don’t protect our environment today, we will be the ones to suffer tomorrow. I want to be part of the solution” he says.
By nurturing awareness and action among these young learners, VoNat and Meg Wah are sowing seeds of hope for a more resilient and sustainable Mount Mbam, one young climate champion at a time.