CAMGEW – Cameroon Gender and Environment Watch

• Biodiversity and nature conservation: engage at least 65 communities to lead conservation and regenerate degraded land with at least 50,000 native trees by 2030.

• Women and Gender: engage at least 2,500 grassroots women to lead conservation initiatives and eco-businesses.

• Agroecology and value chain development: support at least 3,000 farmers to embrace agroecology and develop at least 50 eco-businesses.

• Institutional development: increase CAMGEW’s annual budget by 20% each year.

• Knowledge management: document and revitalise indigenous knowledge and best practices.

CAMGEW was created and legally registered in October 2007 (N000998/RDA/JO6/BAPP) as a non-profit promoting gender equality, environmental protection and sustainable livelihoods, starting with no office or partners, relying entirely on volunteers.

It secured its first international grant in 2008 (New England Biolabs Foundation) for environmental education in Limbe, and built partnerships (ASSEJA, CENDEP, BIS Netherlands, etc.) around child protection, biodiversity and youth development.

From 2011, CAMGEW became deeply rooted in the Kilum-Ijim Forest Landscape, a globally significant biodiversity hotspot in the Bamenda Highlands: 300 scholarships, a 10,000-seedling Prunus africana nursery, and a World Bank grant for forest governance including 7,000 native trees planted and 200 forest users trained in beekeeping.

CAMGEW opened its Oku office in 2012 and established a Vocational Training Centre offering tailoring, shoemaking and hairdressing.

From 2013, it received three successive PPI grants to continue conservation in Kilum-Ijim forest, establish a Nature Education Learning Centre in Oku (now its permanent office), and operationalise its strategic plan with Well Grounded and Man and Nature (now NOÉ, France), which supported the development of the GI-certified Oku White Honey value chain.

Bushfire prevention became a major focus, mobilising over 70 community members (mostly beekeepers) after a major 2017 fire – a key success story for community ownership of forest management.

CAMGEW’s team was also trained in lay counselling, helping over 5,000 people, 80% women and girls, address gender-based violence.