News from Cameroon
Our member Edgar has just come back from a preliminary exploration of our fourth project in Cameroon and is enthusiastic about what has been set up there by a few young entrepreneurs.
Over the coming months, Technology without Borders will support the non-profit organisation Madiba&Nature, which has shown an extraordinary commitment to recycling. Since its founding in 2017, several tons of plastic bottles have been collected from the streets and beaches of Douala and used to build boats for the neighbouring fishing communities. This not only benefits the environment, but also local families, who are able to support themselves through using fishing as a source of food and income.
As well as attempting to establish a functional circular economy with plastic waste, Madiba&Nature have made an impact in the fields of ecotourism and environmental education. The eco-boats are not only used for fishing, but also as an increasingly popular means of transport for tourists to explore Cameroon’s beaches. The boats, which now number more than 150, raise awareness among the population about single-use plastic, and demonstrate the benefits of reusing materials. Madiba&Nature contribute to the wider dissemination of information around environmental awareness, through training and courses which they deliver at 15 universities and various schools.
We at Technology Without Borders see a lot of potential in this project and will provide Madiba&Nature with a range of technical equipment to facilitate the collection and reprocessing of plastic. We hope this will facilitate the expansion of the project to as many regions as possible. It is also important to us that Madiba&Nature are able to continuously improve the eco-boats in terms of their stability, safety and durability. We will assist with this process by facilitating workshops and the sharing of knowledge by our engineers.