CAMGEW Journey on Conservation with a Gender Lens and Holistic Approach 2024

Cameroon Gender and Environment Watch (CAMGEW) is a not-for-profit organization created in October 2007 with authorization number N° 000998/RDA/JO6/BAPP to solve environmental and women’s issues in Cameroon. CAMGEW works locally and thinks globally, integrating gender in solving environmental problems in Cameroon.

CAMGEW’s Vision is “A society free from poverty, gender inequality and unsustainable environmental practices”. CAMGEW’s Mission statement is “We do environmental protection by strengthening the capacity of community members especially women and young people in eco-businesses and forest regeneration for livelihood improvement in the Cameroon Highland forest area”.

CAMGEW seeks to achieve its objectives based on its credo of Think Globally and Act Locally by liaising with other like-minded organizations worldwide.

CAMGEW’s Global OBJECTIVE: An inclusive and
sustainably managed the Cameroon Western Highland Forest through forest regeneration and agroforestry for eco-business.

CAMGEW offices: Bamenda (Head office) at Mayors Street opposite Farmers House Mile 3 Nkwen, Field offices Oku - Manchock,
and Magba - Ngouso. CAMGEW works in North West, West and Adamaoua Regions of Cameroon

ABout this Documentary:
Having worked on conservation and climate action since creation, CAMGEW embraced a holistic approach in her work. Intervening with a gender lens and a holistic approach, CAMGEW successes and strategies are worth sharing for replication by other actors, networking between CAMGEW and like minded stakeholders and to promote best practices in conservation. CAMGEW beleives that together we built better. As of November 2024, CAMGEW interventions in the Cameroon Highlands benefited over 80.000 persons 80% of whom are women.

This documentary aims at telling our story of a journey of conservation, livelihoods, gender justice and women empowerment, interventions in gender based violence, eco-business development in grassroot communities and bringing grassroot vioces to national and global spaces. While we work hard to for a sustainable planet, it is important to address hunger, poverty and unemployment. Thats why CAMGEW promotes bee keeping, agroforestry, agroecology, reproductive health and rights, women leadership and eco business development in her work. Bee keeping for conservation promotes participation of women and youths, encourage planting of bee loving trees, engages forest communities in regular forest monitoring, develops income generating opportunities locally and engages forest communities in prevention of bushfires. In rural communities, agriculture is the occupation of majority of inhabitants. Thats why CAMGEW introduced capacity building in sustainable agriculture through agroforestry and agroecology. These sustainable agricultural practices provide a range of health benefits to local communities such as healthy food, increase income for farmers and preservation in best indigenous farming methods. This also contributes to climate mitigation and adaptation. The planting of nitrogen fixing trees and vegetation, use of organic fam inputs and pest control tactics, increase green cover that serves as carbon sink and more discusions about health of the environment among farmers.

Women make up a greater percentage of the population in Cameroon highlands. Cameroon highlands like most communities in Africa are affected by many patriachal cultural norms and practices that donnot maximise the talents and potentail of women. CAMGEW beleives that there can be no sustainability in conservation without women engagement and promotion if gender justice. This results to 80% women beneficiairies in CAMGEW work are women who are strengthened to act, work, contribute and fully participate in conservation, climate action, lead women eco businesses and also engage in discusions that sustain the planets. CAMGEW promotes conservation with a gender lens.

This documentary tells CAMGEW story as of November 2024 in approximately 60 minutes: presenting some of CAMGEW key interventions, successes, challenges and recommendations.