Cameroon is host to over 56,000 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from both English and French speaking regions of the country, playing a crucial role in accompanying the government in the country’s development. One of Cameroon’s leading national daily newspapers, The Guardian Post, in its issues of Monday December 02, 2024, recognized the Executive Director of Voice of Nature (VoNat), Ndimuh Bertrand Shancho and 32 other Anglophone civil society leaders in Cameroon for the tremendous impact they are making fostering nature protection, climate change, democracy, human rights and sustainable development amongst others.
“These are community actors who have either through multiform or uniform actions or area of activity changed the course of several issues affecting people daily and making the future of humanity uncertain. It is a network of persons with unique inspiration, stamina and charisma, who have ventured into as many areas of life as one can think of. They have done so diligently, oftentimes without any public applause but living in their various corners with a sense of satisfaction that, if it were a calling, they too have made and are still marking their marks in moving the nation forward,” an article titled: “Anglophone Civil Society Shakers Movers”, which chronicles some of the achievements of the leaders, reads in part.
The newspaper is also recognising these non-profit leaders for standing the test of time in their service to communities in Cameroon. “Service is the reason they engage funders and others to make certain things real for the good of communities. Others have all the more become more exemplary, withstanding shocks in the over seven years and still counting ugly armed conflict in the North West and South West Regions,” the newspaper further discloses.
As one of the 33 “movers and shakers” in Anglophone Cameroon, the Executive Director of VoNat is particularly recognized for the significant impact he has led the organization to achieve in species conservation and climate actions at the grassroots.
“Ndimuh stands out with his VoNat through inspiring engagement with young people to drum the need to protect the environment and endangered species. Through the VoNat Amphibians Conservation Initiative, he has, with support of other organizations, engaged hundreds of young people around the Mount Nlonako Area in the Littoral Region on the preservation of amphibians. When it comes to protecting the Goliath Frog and other endangered species, VoNat, under Ndimuh’s leadership, has raised awareness among at least 10,000 Cameroonians. Outside conserving species, his organization is also into landscape restoration. It is particularly engaged with local communities to restore degraded land, wetlands and forests so as to keep the ecosystem functional”.
“Ndimuh has through his organization been powering communities to adapt to the realities of climate change. VoNat has also, through its ECOKIDS project, trained hundreds of children to become climate change ambassadors. The expert in natural resources and environment management cum journalist trained at the University of Buea, is also in the training and initiation of young graduates,” the newspaper expounds.
The Executive Director of VoNat appreciates The Guardian Post for recognizing the great impact the organization is making it its mission of building a greener, safer and more sustainable planet for wildlife and humanity to thrive, which have over the years gone unrecognized. He re-states VoNat’s commitment to continue saving Cameroon’s endangered species, restoring degraded landscapes and mitigating climate change and its impacts in coastal, peri-urban and urban areas in Cameroon.