EDUCATION & TRAINING
Community Mobilization
GlobalMinder did not limit its activities only with the Lebialem population, but also worked with student interns from the University of Buea in the communities of Mambanda and Malende both in Kumba III sub-division for 3 months, i.e. the months of June to August 2008. From the 10th to 12th October 2008, the agro-forestry training program was launched at GTHS Kumba, where some students and teachers were encouraged to enroll into this distance training program organized by Trees for the Future and coordinated in Cameroon by GlobalMinder. During these days some shade and ornamental trees were also planted at the entrance of the GTHS campus. Certificates were awarded to participants at the end of the training. Our Focus is mainly on GTHS Kumba, because this is where our pilot project is. In 2009 GlobalMinder went back to Malende for Nursery establishment and tree planting.
The purpose of these studies was to identify individual and general problems of these communities and to seek redress to identified issues. The major focuses were on means of livelihood, agricultural and environment. These communities benefited from lectures, seeds of agro-forestry trees species, assistance (manuals) in establishing seed nurseries and planting out. At the end of this exercise about 8600 trees were planted in these communities. GlobalMinder had planned to work with more than 10 communities around the SW region during these two years, but due to some constraints, we managed to exploit just five (5) of these communities.
GlobalMinder has undertaken educational projects through which many students have gained scholarships to study abroad, specifically in South Africa. Our activities were not limited only on soil improvement methods, but also provided improved cassava cuttings to the farmers and taught them how to cultivate cassava for increase production, all these in our effort to alleviate extreme poverty. To improve the livelihood of the farmers GlobalMinder has promised to help them in the near future to develop the Market Information System that will help sell these produce from their farms.
