In December 2017, the Board of Directors of New England Biolabs Foundation (NEBF) approved a grant of USD 4700 in favour of Geo-Environmental Resource Association (GERAS) Cameroon’s project entitled “Climate change workshop for young people”.
With this grant, GERAS planted 100 trees in May 2018 at the Nkamalikum neighbourhood in Kumba, South West Region of Cameroon. This was followed by a climate change workshop at the Kumba City Council Hall in June 2018. During these separate events, a total of 85 young people out of the anticipated 100 young people, between the ages of 8 and 16 years old were involved. The young people learnt the various terminologies associated with climate change, the causes of climate change, and the adaptation/mitigation measures, with a practical focus on tree-planting. The young people also pledged to carry the good environmental knowledge and skills to their school environments, homes and public places. An evaluation exercise through questionnaire administered to the primary beneficiaries gave impressive results, notably an outreach to more than 100 secondary beneficiaries.
GERAS Cameroon, with website at www.gerascameroon.org, is a registered non-profit and charity organization granted special consultative status with the United nation’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 2017.
NEBF, with website at www.nebf.org, was established in 1982 by the Founder of New England Biolabs Inc., Donald Comb, a molecular biologist who was inspired by the diversity of life on earth and the power of the local community.