Citizens of Cameroon have increasingly suffered from the effects of climate change. Global warming produces different effects in the various regions of the country. In southern Cameroon it’s the farmers that have faced new challenges. Rain has become rare. Farmers don’t know when the rainy season will begin, nor when the dry season will come.
At the coastal regions climate change manifests itself in the destruction of the mangroves. This affects the ecosystems, on which many fishermen depend. In the north there has been drought. Water points have decreased, leading to conflict among the local populations. This also causes harvests to fail and wildlife and some humans to face starvation.
The World Bank estimates that Cameroon could lose up to 10% of its GDP by 2050 due to climate change. They also predict 1.3 million more people could be plunged into poverty as a result.
Alphonse Otsamzok’s NGO, Blessed Action for Africa, saw the dangerous changes and wanted to act. But funding was as scarce as the rain. Alphonse attended an African Forest Forum workshop in 2022, with the focus on the production of the bankable projects and multilateral financing mobilisation.
“It was really giving us the key. It was really giving us the tools we needed to unlock the funding”, he recalls. The result was a major grant from the African Reforestation Initiative 100, with One Tree Planted and Terra Match.
The AFR100 recognised Alphonse’s organisation for their goal to protect the environment and rebuild habitats, restore soil and crucial watersheds and improve the lives of communities who rely on forests. He credits AFF with teaching his group how to empower farmers through training on agroforestry, seed care and planting techniques.
Alphonse recently attended his third AFF workshop, this time in Nairobi. Given his past experience, he was eager to learn more about current trends in forestry, network, and forge linkages with international organisations such as the United Nations and African Union Commission, to gain more resources and share knowledge. He credits the African Forest Forum for creating such an exciting space for young activists, like himself: “I am in Kenya, accommodated, working, transported, supported by the AFF, just to give me the knowledge and tools. It's unique and free.”
Blessed Action for Africa is active in bringing conservation ideas to the next generation. They have formed partnerships with various schools, teaching environmental science to youth. They inform the kids about the need to protect the forest, as well as how to achieve sustainable development. They even conduct tree-plantings. They have found an incredible enthusiasm for the forests from their young pupils. “It's good that in their schools, the children have taken the initiative to create environmental clubs, so they are the ones who are leading”, Alphonse observes.
Of course, much of the information included in their lessons comes straight from the African Forest Forum. By supporting organisations like Blessed Action for Africa, to access funding, understand how to mitigate and adapt to climate change, provide the tools to bring the next generation into forest protection, AFF is impacting Cameroon and nations across the continent in present conservation efforts and in guaranteeing a bright forest future for decades to come.