30th June 2025
Day 1 activities
The activity started the following day with me at 10:45 AM with a meeting with the voulonteers. There was a general self-introduction and a presentation of Transparency international, the project within whose framework this activity is carried out.
Next, clarifications were made to the focal points on the context of the activity – Sensitizing communities on the availability of TI-Cs project tool ALAC through which they can and are encouraged to denounce corruption and environmental malpractices related to climate change in their community and the kind of assistance the project intends to bring to the cases – the Clarification on the types of cases to target were made – illegal/clandestine and criminal exploitation of the environment with negative impact on climate change(illegal logging and harmful exploitation of the environment, and land issues with negative impacts related to climate change.The communication tools – pens, block notes t-shirts, caps, stickers and fliers were distributed between the project assistant, the facilitator and the focal points who put them on after the briefing meeting just before heading for the sensitization and case collection. This meeting took about 45 mins minutes
Before the brief meeting with the focal points the facilitator for this activity had assembled in a restaurant/bar hall, the chiefs of two villages (Mpand- Bijombo and Doumo mama and some individual community members of messamena who had cases of interest to this project. In Mpand bijombo, youths who make up about 18% of the population, men, 20.7% and women who make up 50 % of the population are affected by the negative impacts of climate change brought about by clandestine, illegal logging, human and wild life conflict and harmful exploitation of the wetland forms like Swamps in the community.
There was once more an enlightenment of this assembled group of people on the project objective and activity of the project as mentioned above. The ALAC case forms were then given out to the chiefs to go through and have a clearer understanding of the activity – it’s objective and how it benefits the community. The two chiefs filled the forms themselves while some individuals due to sight and literacy issues filled the forms with the assistance of the volunteers. Few more people with sensitive cases with interest pen down their cases on the form as they saw the chief filling them out. This activity took More than 2 hours, 30 minutes. This part of the day’s activity was rounded off with a word of appreciation from the project assistant to the chiefs and individuals there present for their cooperation and vice versa. A block note, a pen a, a cap and t-shirt were shared amongst four of the individuals that presented their cases on the form and stickers were pasted on the door and the counter of the restaurant/bar.
Preparations were then made to visit the a nearby village called Laba in the haut Nyong district of Messamena where the chief of the village, and community members including some elders were sensitized on the objective of the project and this project activity, as well as , the availability of the ALAC tool and the possible assistance that they will be getting through ALAC in the climate change related cases affecting them as a community and individually. They were encouraged to denouncing corruption in climate change governance, environmental malpractices and illegal exploitation of the environment. Most of them detailed issues in line with the above-mentioned ills in the ALAC registration form. in this villages about 300 people are affected by environmental crimes and the negative effects of climate change. This community expressed and exhibited deep frustrations with the high level of environmental crimes, poor climate change governance and the heavily felt negative impact which among many, cited, was high rate of clandestine logging carried out by neighbouring communities and abusive exploitation of the swamps. They revealed that their concerns and frustrations are the same with their brother and neighbouring community Meba. After harvesting cases form the chief, an elder and a youth (bike rider), group pictures were taken together with every one present. The chief little welcome gesture by the chief offering us roasted groundnut and a hot drink top those interested. That was the end of it for the Leba representing also their brother community in the ALAC form.
The team then returned to their point of departure in the hall. The day ended and the team members dispersed.
Day 2 Activities
The following day, Sunday the 29th of August 2025, the facilitator, volunteers and the project assistant met once more in the restaurant/bar hall in town of the previous day at about 19:15 AM where we met two more men with cases of interest and these cases were taken down in the ALAC form. With the bulk of the work having been done the previous day, this second day ended after the two cases were registered. The facilitator paid his focal points who all filled and signed the payment receipt. this day’s activity ended be 2:00 pm and the team dispersed
APPRAISALS
- Strengths
There were ideal (types and number of) cases of interest particular to the project.
The facilitator exercise expertise and professionalism and mastered the framework and objective of the activity. His influence (personality and expertise) played a great role in assembling the chiefs, members of the community and the villages). This encouraged them to engage in the mission.
There was a lot of collaboration with and amongst everyone on the team. The focal points totally got the objective of the project and put in the adequate energy and effort into meeting the objectives of the activity from assistance in contextualizing the sensitisation sessions for the chiefs to easily relate and get the specific message, objective and be able to rightly present their different cases.
The activity was engaging and attracted attention enough to increase case testimonies and collection.
Both youths and the elderly were interested and engaged both in the zeal to be sensitized and understand more about the project activity and in registering cases.
The village of Meba showed peculiar interest in communicating their frustrations and
- Limitations/challenges
The absence of electricity in and poor network connection in Messamena slightly impede communication both for the interest of the mission and personally.
A high sense of entitlement from the engaged targets toward the t-shirts and caps which were meant for the team at work only. Almost everyone, especially the chiefs meted a lot of pressure to get t-shirts and cap which put the project assistant and facilitator in quite an awkward position.
Nature of cases and sample of respondents
Two (1 youth, 1 elderly male) filled in cases affecting them individually while 07(03 youth, 04 elderly) filled the ALAC form for community cases.
The cases featured in all testimonies and forms filled included
- Human animal wild life conflict 1- Extension of communal wild life park forest into the town (man killed by elephant, farms destroyed by animals)
- Clandestine and illegal logging.
- Abusive exploitation of the swamps
- Irresponsiveness of the administration to complaints on the environmental ills submitted by the chiefs and community members
GESI aspects
Concerning GESI, the minority groups (youths were well represented in terms of those sensitized and those affected by negative impacts of climate change. The ALAC registration forms were equally filled by youths as well as by elderly members of the community reporting cases affecting the community. The team of volunteers which was intended to include two females finally consisted of 01 female only because the other fell il prior to the activity.
Adjap Yevol is a village in the south region. It has a population of about 300 people with percentage of 55% women (young and old), and 45% men (young and old). Two handicaps which are blind people a man and a woman.
This village has a wood transformation industry and a coal industry that affects the climate which has a direct impact on the population and agricultural products negatively.
Upon our arrival, 05 volunteers were recruited by the project team to ease the distribution of flyers and stickers and to help with translation since they master their language and best know the realities on ground.
The first meeting was with the chief of the village, he made mentioned of the fact that there is a wood transformation industry which is named “New Change Transformation”. It is been owned by a Chinese man and that this industry signed an accord to respects all conditions that were being laid on them by the chief before they started operating like;
- Employ the village youths
- To assist the village (financial) in times of needs like funerals, marriages etc.
- End of year compensation to the community
- The industry should not carry any form of deforestation around the village land
The chief went further stating that there is a coal industry that was establish behind the wood industry by a white man but had no legal documents. The coal industry is affecting the village negatively by dirtying the village only source of drinking water, smoke that makes the environment and air dirty.
Second meeting was with a native in Adjap, Mr Asang Andre Felix. He made mentioned that 05 years ago, a group of people came asking him to sell his land with 04 others to a woman, after they sold the land to the woman, to their greatest surprise, they realized it was an industry that was being established there owned by a Chinese man. They wrote a complain to the SDO of Ebolowa and the SDO gave a number of conditions to the industry to follow but Mr Asang said the industry has never complied to any of those conditions. These conditions include;
- Taking his children as priorities for employment
- Giving him annual compensation.
The third meeting was with Madam ANNE also a native from Adjap. She said, ever since the wood transformation industry was implant, it has not been raining like before and it has been affecting their crops in the farm. She also said the industry has destroyed the village river (MINKO MINKO LO) which was where the villagers usually do fishing and it was a source of livelihood for some especially their husbands. Now the river is just a swampy area with no more fish in it.
The forth meeting was with a woman also, but she did not give her name. she said, they realized after the implantation of the industry that, their crops were not like before. The sizes and even the quality of the crops have reduced. She also made mention that, their children who work in this industry are being exploited. The children work under harsh conditions with no social insurance.
To conclude, there is a sort of controversy between the chief and the villages concerning the industry. The villages also complained that the chief does not help them and sometime he is being influenced by the whites through monetary gifts.
And in 05 years, the industry has changed its name thrice; GENINFO, BANTOU Wood, New Change Transformation.
