Ahead of COP29: Feminist movements engage students, grassroots people in climate actions.

It was in collaboration with GenEgaliteECCAS, a movement of women’s rights activists and allies, working to advance women and girls’ active involvement and meaningful participation in key strategic spaces in the CEMAC Sub-region. The project was supported by Women for a change Cameroon. 

The members of both associations, took their campaigns for climate change to MINFANG college, located at PK14, in the Douala III Subdivision as well as to local government officials and grassroots women in the North West Region. 

The associations’ visit to Progressive Bilingual College, PROBICOL, in Ndobo a suburb in Bonaberi, Douala on October 31, was featured lessons on what climate change is all about and proposed solutions States can adopt to mitigate hazards. 

Nancy Makeoh, a member of GenEgaliteECCAS, said their outreach is in prelude of the upcoming climate conference in Baku, Azerbaïdjan. As world leaders will be gathering to review the impact of climate change, she said, they thought to engage grassroots people and students in the discussions. 

"We want them to come up with their own propositions as to what they think that COP29 should focus on this year," she said.  

The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, more commonly known as COP29, will be the 29th United Nations Climate Change conference. COP29 will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 11 to 22. 

Makeoh noted that nobody understands the experiences challenges of grassroots people than themselves.  As such, they can better propose solutions to the realities they face. 

Commenting on the upcoming climate conclave, Makeoh enjoined world leaders, particularly in Africa and Cameroon, to be precise, be more intentional and commit to meaningful, equitable action. She also urged them to ensure that grassroots voices of women and girls are not only heard, but prioritised in shaping sustainable development and achieve climate justice. 

The school visited in Ndobo, is found in a semi-swampy zone. Teachers said it has witnessed environmental changes due to climate hazards. 

The head of master of geography at PROBICOL, Tambi Maurice, noted that the level of rainfall and floods perturbs the effective learning of their students. 

However, she added that they have introduced climate change in the curriculum so that students would get abreast with the new realities and also contribute to protect their environment. The students, in their intervention, showed proof of learning. 

One of them, 15-year-old Etongwe Cecilia, believes tree planting is one of the indisputable solutions to climate change. Etongwe, talking to reporters, called on all stakeholders to plant more trees than they fell. 

“I think the government should teach us more of recycling and do more of afforestation, making the environment more oxidizable for the current and upcoming generation. Though the government has been planting trees, it's not enough as compared to the amount that are being cut down daily. So, more trees should be planted," she said.  

Meanwhile, her peer, Ngatcheu Briallan, thinks checks on gas emissions from large companies in urban areas  could be the more suitable solution to climate change.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3282 of Wednesday November 06, 2024