Join us on Global Giving Tuesday, 1st December 2015 on Generosity by Indiegogo to massively raise funds for peace world wide through the Trees for Peace Campaign. 

"Trees for peace Campaign” is a project that strives to raise awareness of young people about the ongoing security challenge and engage them in a vast sensitization campaign for peace and security through the planting of symbolic “Trees for peace” in schools and communities. The project also strives to raise funds ($500) through the sale of “trees for peace” and Peace T-shirts to support victims of the current Boko Haram insurgency in the Northern Regions of Cameroon.

Cameroon, alike many other countries, is facing severe security challenges.  From the 2012 SELECAand ANTI BALAKA rebels’ attacks in the East Region, it is now the Boko Haram attacks in the Northern Regions of Cameroon. These insurgencies have caused hundreds of deaths, huge material damage and humanitarian crisis. With more than 200,000 refugees and some 40,000 internally displaced people reported in January 2015, this situation has become a real obstacle in the realization of Cameroon’s vision for emergence by 2035.

Aware of the challenges caused by the security issue, the 16th February 2015 Yaoundé meeting of Central African Region Heads of States adopted some resolutions to counter terrorism at the regional level. They decided to reinforce the security within the country and to conduct communication and raising awareness activities towards their populations in order to reduce the mobility of the members of the group.

Following those recommendations, “The Greens” find it necessary to innovatively engage fellow youths in schools and communities in the quest for national peace and security. Our innovation is using “one stone to shoot two birds”. Insecurity likewise Climate change are threats to Cameroon’s Peace and emergence by 2035. With one tree, we can fight the two i.e. Insecurity and Climate change. While the tree will be symbolizing and growing peace, it shall also be ensuring environmental peace via carbon sequestration, hence mitigating climate change.

Trees also represent a lot in our Cameroonian Culture. In “Big Compounds” (Family Houses found mostly in villages), Palaces, Market squares as well as communities there is always a tree that tells a very important story: This tree may symbolize the oneness of the family, the village, a shrine, peace, etc. In this regard, the project shall also play an important role in promoting our culture.

It is for the cultural, environmental and peace reasons that we are innovatively using trees to plant peace in our nation through the Trees for Peace campaign which strives to raise funds to support victims of the Boko Haram attacks, sensitize young people on the current security challenges and its impacts, provide strategies to prevent young people from violent extremism, radicalization and recruitment in rebel and terrorist groups, encourage peace building strategies as well as plant symbolic trees that represent peace in schools and communities of the North West Region as a means to prevent them from imbibing anti-social behavior and from getting involved with those terrorist and rebel groups.

Objectives

The project plans to;

• –          Increase awareness of young people in 100 schools and communities of the North West Region on the ongoing security challenge and engage them in a vast sensitization campaign.
• –          Raise funds ($500) through 100 “trees for peace” and 100 Peace T-Shirt sales to support victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northern Regions of Cameroon
• –          Plant 100 symbolic trees for peace in schools and communities that shall not only educate youths about peace, but also curb climate change (Environmental Peace) and promote culture.
• –          Disseminate information about peace on 5000 posters to be put up in every classroom and community hall of the North West Region
• –          Disseminate information about how to identify a suicide bomber or terrorist on 50000flyers.