This strong civic initiative brought together education stakeholders, representatives of public administrations, and technical and financial partners around a major challenge : building the future through education.
Held under the theme “Shaping Everyday Heroes: Education, Nutrition and Hygiene at the Service of the Future”, the meeting served as a vibrant call for an education system in Cameroon that is firmly oriented toward sustainable development.
Three Pillars for a Resilient Future
At the heart of the discussions, three key pillars were identified as essential to shaping responsible and committed citizens: quality education, balanced nutrition, and a healthy school environment. These conditions are critical to ensuring learners’ well-being and enabling them to contribute sustainably to national development.
However, the assessment shared by participants remains worrying. Underfunded school canteens, inadequate sanitation infrastructure, and the limited integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into official curricula continue to pose major challenges. “Shaping everyday heroes is not a utopia; it is an urgent necessity. Well- nourished, well-educated and sensitized students will become the builders of a more sustainable Cameroon,” emphasized members of the GT ECDD.
A Call to Action for All Stakeholders
Through this conference, the GT ECDD of CEFAN issued a clear and inclusive advocacy message, calling on all actors to fully assume their responsibilities. Public authorities, particularly ministries in charge of education, agriculture, livestock and the environment (MINEDUB, MINESEC, MINADER, MINEPIA, MINEPDED), are urged to mainstream ESD across national curricula. Technical and financial partners—including UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP, FAO, UNDP, GIZ and Plan International Cameroon—are encouraged to support sustainable, community-based educational projects adapted to local realities. Responsible corporate actors are invited to sponsor schools, UNESCO and Environment Clubs, educational school gardens, and hygiene promotion campaigns.
Finally, local communities are called upon to actively engage in the success of school-based initiatives and youth-led projects.
Building the Future Through Education
The message conveyed by the GT ECDD is unequivocal: education must be a central lever in the fight against poverty, malnutrition, poor sanitation and inequalities. To achieve this, young people must be equipped with the tools they need to become genuine agents of change.
As the organizers stressed, the future cannot be decreed—it is built at school, starting today, by shaping everyday heroes committed to a sustainable Cameroon.