Buea - Fourteen Cameroonian children of aged 10 to 14 years will June 16 - 21, participate at the Tunza Conference on environment in Norway.

Organised by the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, the conference will hold under the theme: "Creating Change." It would be a direct response to the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Some 700 children and 300 chaperons from 106 countries would attend the Tunza Conference. The event would provide the young participants the opportunity to learn, share experiences, voice their concerns and join a worldwide environmental movement to promote positive action.

In a prelude to the Norway rendezvous, the Ministry of Environment and Protection of Nature organised a training session with the delegates at the premises of the Provincial House of the Immaculate Heart of Mary congregation from April 7 - 9.

During the training session, the kids were empowered on active role playing and how to make presentations on personal environmental initiatives and participate in a variety of educational workshops delivered by environmental organisations.

While learning to be expressive, discuss and retain environmental issues as presented during the conference, the young children were made to understand that they are crucial elements in environmental conservation to secure a better planet for their lives.

Their activities, among others, would include tree planting under Operation 1000 Tree Planting; recycle dirt within their clubs, schools and NGOs.Several hundreds of trees have so far been planted at the presidential neighbourhood of Yaounde by kids in previous editions.

The kids were also taken to the Etoudi tree planting site where they were taught how to execute a tree planting project.

The opening ceremony presided at by the Secretary General of the Environment Ministry, Patrick Akwa Kum Bong, was also attended by the UNESCO representative, Broucke Guy, and the Ministry's Technical Adviser, Mary Fosi.

According to Secretary General, "The children are expected to play the role of peer educators, training other young Cameroonians in the protection of the environment especially given that this year's conference has been inspired by the recognition that children need to be active participants in decisions that affect the future of the planet."

Priscilla Natang Song, Assistant Research Officer, told The Post that the children were selected on the basis of their projects and applications submitted to the UN Africa Regional Office in Nairobi, Kenya, last September.

An African Regional Conference held in Yaounde from July 29 - August 2, 2007 during which the young participants were drilled on the importance of ozone layer and subsequently put in groups of three to draw and propose projects of their own liking on the environment.

13-year-old Atman Ambadiang, a participant, said his group drew a project on tree planting, outlining the importance of trees to life on the planet.He said trees reduce global warming, reduce the velocity of wind and are sources of manure to food crops. In just 300 words his project and application was eligible.

As for Kenneth Mbonifor, 12, who is participating for the second time, the outcome of last year's event are the pear, mango and rubber trees he planted in his father's compound in Bamenda.

http://www.postnewsline.com/2008/04/14-kids-to-atte.html