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[/one_third]Inappropriate waste disposal and management has been an environmental issue in the South West Region of Cameroon since time immemorial. This is the cause of diseases like malaria, typhoid, cholera, dysentery, etc; diseases that have claimed the lives of many Cameroonians. Besides these social and/or health effects of waste mismanagement, the environmental effects abound.
The Environment and Rural Development Foundation ERuDeF; a national NGO involved in environmental conservation has realized the need to keep the population conscious and active in waste management and recycling. The organization is using communication, through the Green Vision Newspaper to sensitize the population on the benefits of properly managing and recycling waste. This is done via the monthly publication of well investigated and advocacy articles on the environment.
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[/one_third]The Green vision Newspaper is presently the lone environmental newspaper in Cameroon and the aim of the paper is to keep the population abreast with environmental issues and get them involved in environmental conservation. The paper has raised a lot of awareness on waste management and recycling, especially in 2014 when the government of Cameroon placed a ban on the use of non-degradable and environmentally unfriendly products like plastic bottles and bags.
The paper plans to increase its frequency and distribution scope to improve its impact on waste management and environmental conservation in Cameroon and beyond.
Recognition and support from International donors like the St Andrews Prize for the Environment will greatly foster this initiative. With about US$100 thousand, the paper will go weekly and will be distributed in all 10 regions of Cameroon including the hinterlands and beyond Cameroon. The paper will also improve on the quality and quantity of articles published. The Green Vision is published online at www.thegreennews.org