SPATH

Aaron Kaah Yancho

Chuye Violet is an award winning farmer delivered on Heifer international Cameroon’s training and goat support project through her Binju farmer’s common initiative group in Nkambe of Donga Mantung Division of the North West region in 2005.

Violet and her husband Thomas have 5 children (4boys and a girl). They are subsistent farmers who had being glowing with the abilities to move mountains in their community. “I was farming food crops and vegetables with my family on large scale” she said. The out of the food crops were not good enough as her family wished even though Edna and her family fed enough and had won some prizes in Agro pastoral shows on maize and Irish potato production in her division. Their financial situation was pitiful despite their efforts. “There was never enough money to pay for the children school fee and take care of some basic needs” she said of her past. In the quest to keep her family in a better financial situation, Edna registered her membership with the Binju farmer’s common initiative group with 23 members in 2009. ‘I was fortunate to get to the group at a time Heifer international Cameroon had retained the group members for a goat support project” violet recalled. Violet and members of her group were initiated in to the support project with a series of trainings covering livestock management, pasture establishment, pen construction, integrated livestock management, manure making, gender equity, sanitation and hygiene and the Heifer international Cameroon 12 cornerstones of love and sharing.

By Ignatius Nji

Some four trainees in Bamenda undertook a training to teach children arts and craft that promote environmental protection as used materials are being recycled and put in to use. This laudable initiative by a German Trainer, Renate PERNER from the Senior Expert Service (SES) Bonn, under the supervision of Prof PINTSCH of the Society for the Promotion of Appropriate Technology and Housing (SPATH) as coordinated at the Center for Appropriate Technology (CAT) is coming at a time that the government of Cameroon has ban the use of non biodegradable plastics.

Providing alternative this training shall empower children in the schools and at home with the know-how to make shoppers’ bag from cheap materials such as newspapers and old textile which can not be harmful to environment. This environmental friendly arts and craft can be learned and practice by everybody to ensure that the environment is protected and safe especially in local communities. The main goal of this training is to foster sensitization on environmental protection and appropriate technology to as important solutions in local communities. The practice can go a long way to reverse the rapidity with which the climate change is affecting the biodiversity. Home made paper bags for shopping would replace the use of non biodegradable plastic that has taken a tool on the environment.