Garbage Bin Donation, Waste Segregation and Sensitization - May 11th, 2022
The waste management campaign in Cameroon aims to address environmental issues caused by improper waste disposal, starting with a pilot in Limbe City (Batoke and Mokundange). The initiative also seeks to encourage recycling businesses by ensuring waste is properly segregated for material reuse. The Waste Segregation Project was launched on May 11th at the Limbe II Municipal Council, attended by local officials, media representatives, and volunteers from the Numfor Solange Foundation. To tackle the lack of awareness about waste management in Cameroon, the foundation is educating the community on the importance of waste segregation and proper use of donated garbage bins through outreach efforts in neighborhoods.
A survey of around 200 people was conducted during a project aimed at raising awareness about waste segregation. The sensitization campaign helped educate the population on how and why to separate waste. However, segregation alone is not effective without a proper recycling system—otherwise, the separated waste still ends up in landfills. People expressed interest in seeing tangible benefits from segregation, such as converting food waste into biogas for cooking. To ensure sustained public participation, a supportive system that includes recycling infrastructure is essential.
A total of 48 communal garbage bins were donated to the council. The launch of the project was followed by a door-to-door sensitization campaign and a survey to gather feedback from the community regarding the initiative. This effort took place in the Batoke and Mokundange localities of the Limbe II Council, which are the beneficiaries of the donated bins. The garbage bins were received at the chiefdoms of these localities in the presence of local chiefs and village councils, and the event was attended by various media outlets, including My Media Prime TV, Hi TV, Vision 4 TV , TFY News, The Eye Newspaper, News Upfront, as well as reports from Kamer Info and Mimi Mefo Info. The local authorities and residents welcomed the donated bins with enthusiasm.
Beach Cleanup - June 7th, 2023
The beach clean-up campaign was organized to commemorate the 48th edition of World Environment Day. Its primary goal was to address the negative impacts of ocean pollution and raise awareness about the importance of such activities. The local community, including students, young people, representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection, and staff members, joined the Numfor Solange Foundation to participate in the beach clean-up.
On June 8, 2022, Iliki Beach in Bobende-Limbe was cleaned by the Numfor Solange Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection for the Fako Division and Gigi Capital, an import-based business based in Douala, Cameroon. The CEO of Gigi Capital generously donated funds to support this clean-up campaign. Students from Favor Bilingual Technical Secondary School also took part in the event. The initiative successfully cleaned the shores, and local fishermen praised the effort, acknowledging their role in maintaining the cleanliness of Iliki Beach. The clean-up left the shores clean, and the local fishermen congratulated the Foundation for such an initiative and recognized its role in maintaining the cleanliness of the Iliki Beach.
The beach clean-up campaign garnered significant media attention, with numerous reports and broadcasts covering the initiative. Outlets such as Hi TV, Vision 4 Television, the Cameroon News Agency, and The Guardian Post highlighted the campaign. This clean-up activity was not just a one-time event; it aimed to address the issue of marine litter. It is essential to prevent waste, particularly plastic waste, from entering water bodies and oceans. The Numfor Solange Foundation plans to implement preventive measures as part of its future action plan.
Computer Donation - April 19th, 2023
To improve the learning conditions and capacity development of the youth, The Numfor Solange Foundation (based on Sustainability and Waste Management), in partnership with Change Agent Inc. (a Japanese consulting firm on Sustainability, learning development, and Systems Thinking), donated ten computers to equip the computer laboratory for the students at Favour Technical and Comprehensive College, Limbe, Cameroon, on April 19, 2023.
Change Agent Inc. donated five laptop computers and contributed 25000 yen towards the purchase of three additional computers for a school in Cameroon. Meanwhile, the Numfor Solange Foundation facilitated the shipment to Cameroon, purchased two more laptops, and donated all ten computers to the school.
System Thinking
Dr. Numfor Solange had a workshop with the students to drill them on the basics of systems thinking, including causal relationships, polarities, and interpretation, and the application / usefulness of the model to solving problems (waste management in particular) considering our complex systems. This workshop aimed to promote the youths’ capacity development, including their problem-solving skills, awareness and inclusive participation to achieve concrete results. The students were grouped and assigned projects on Systems Thinking and Global Warming, Good Waste Management, and Computer Education.
More of the system thinking pictures can be found on the gallery page.
Tree Planting
With the support of MINEPDED, who sent some delegates, the Limbe II Municipal Council, who donated 20 tree seedlings, the Numfor Solange Foundation carried out a tree planting exercise with the students. The trees were planted along the road stretch of Bobende – Mokundange – Limbola localities and around the school premises. This tree planting exercise was aimed at the inclusive participation of the youths in environmental conservation and nature protection as climate action and a drive towards the achievement of the UN SDGs. The students and the nearby residents are catering for the trees. Two national Television stations (Hi TV and My Media Prime TV), three newspapers (The Guardian Post Newspaper, The Post Newspaper, and The Dawn Newspaper), and two renowned bloggers (K-News and Atlantic Chronicles) covered this project. We received support from the Member of Parliament for Bafut Tubah, Hon. Agho Oliver, to ensure the above media were present.
Computer Donation, Systems Thinking, Upcycling and Tree Planting Project II
The Numfor Solange Foundation run by Dr Numfor Solange, on Wednesday, November 1st, 2023, donated five computers to assist the teaching of students at Government Technical High School (GTHS) Bakingili, West Coast and another five to Faith International Comprehensive College (FICCOL) Isokolo – Limbe II Subdivision. Wednesday’s donations came to add up to a total of 20 computers that The Numfor Solange Foundation in partnership with Change Agent – a Japanese Consulting Firm, have donated to schools across Fako. It is worth recalling that on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, The Numfor Solange Foundation was at Favour Technical and Comprehensive College Mukundange, they did their first computer donation to the benefit of the students and teachers.
On Wednesday, Nov 01, the Foundation was out again to help improve the quest for computer literacy education for students at GTHS Bakingili in the West Coast Subdivision, a purely village locality. After donating five computers at Bakingili, there was also a tree planting exercise which the Foundation has been using to encourage an inclusive environmental education in schools. This was followed by the donation of five more computers to FICCOL in the Limbe II Subdivision and other environmental awareness exercises. The donations to the two schools were done in the presence and appreciation of Clarisse Mbotiji, the Chief of Bureau for Conservation and Environmental Monitoring, Fako.
The principals of both school with their students expressed profound gratitude to the Foundation and to Change Agent Inc., for the donations. The 10 computers donated have the following characteristics: Dell Desktop and Monitor, 500GB HDD, Windows 10, 4GB Ram, Core i5 1.80GHz CPU, 64bits.
The project also involved an introduction to systems thinking, upcycling of waste materials, and tree planting with the students and teachers, to create an awareness and to ensure an inclusive participation of the youths in environmental conservation and the achievement of the UN SDGs. The students were able to present their basic systems thinking models on four topics, including Tree Planting, Computer Education, Global Warming, and Good Waste Management. They also presented their upcycled items from waste materials, as a way of igniting their innovative and creative capacities. Our long-term goal is to work with the students, particularly those doing technical education, to innovate solutions and equipment for recycling waste locally.