The pupils of the Yadémé public primary school in the second district of Bertoua were visited by Fabrice Ondoua on November 19th, 2020. During this visit, the goalkeeper of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon did not talk about football, but about the environment. The champion and best goalkeeper of the CAN (African Cup of Nations Football Tournament) 2017 put himself in the shoes of a teacher and gave a lesson on environmental protection. “Don’t cut down all the trees! Let’s leave some; let’s protect the environment from soil and water pollution. We have to preserve biodiversity, prevent the destruction of natural areas, etc.”. We must preserve biodiversity, prevent the destruction of natural areas, etc.”, advised Fabrice Ondoua.
This environmental education initiative in the East Cameroon forest region has been carried out under a different hat that the footballer has been wearing since 14 June 2017. Fabrice Ondoua is a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF Cameroon. It is in this capacity that he visited this school in Bertoua on November 19th, a day dedicated to children. “World Children’s Day is very special for me. If we cannot rebuild the world in one day, we can lay solid foundations with symbolic gestures to reinvent a green planet,” said the illustrious visitor.
Environmental education is indeed a right for all. Environmental education means recreating the links between people and their natural, social and cultural environments. Its aim is to help individuals and communities understand the complexity of the natural and man-made environment. And for Fabrice Ondoua, environmental education is most effective when it is given to children from an early age. “By awakening them early, we create citizen reflexes that they will keep all their lives,” he confides.
Boris Ngounou