NGO OF THE MONTH - February - International Centre for Accelerated Development, Nigeria (ICADNG)

REFLECTION OF BEING THE NGO OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY

ICADNG is a community organization based in Nigeria that seeks to promote effective development in the community especially with a focus on the youth and women. It does so by improving the health and socio-economic status of women, children and the youth through initiatives in the areas of health, ICT, human rights and gender. 

Besides these initiatives, ICADNG also conducts research in the community and documents related needs of communities so as to implement relevant intervention programs to effect community development, mobilize resources and reduce poverty in the community. As such ICADNG has had various projects in the past in the areas of Gender Development, Information Communication for Rural Development, Human Rights initiatives among other projects in the community. 

Under Climate Change, they hold tree planting academies in the community where they bring a community of children, volunteers, members of the press and other stakeholders together to plant trees and set a practical example to the children on the importance of conserving the environment.

Below is a report of ICADNG’s 2^nd and 3^rd Tree Planting Academies in Nigeria.

2^nd TREE PLANTING ACADEMY JOS, NIGERIA

International Center for Accelerated Development conducted her 2^nd and 3^rd tree planting academies in Jos Plateau state. It was a fun filled academy that took the shape of workshop, expositions and cultural display of different heritage and tree planting party.

Children representing different primary schools in the tree planting

 academy pose for the press to remember the day they were trained

 as climate ambassadors.

The 2^nd tree planting academy took place on the 23^rd of November 2013 at the St. Peter’s parish Kabong Jos with ninety eight (98) participants from ten (10) schools. The schools in attendance include:
Millennium private school Jos
Command secondary school Jos
Daisy land divine academy
Valley Pride Private school
Royal rangers academy
Effective Private school
Global international 
Mariam kindergarten
Timtop academy
Beethoven’s college

The academy took place inside the St. Peter’s church with many dignitaries witnessing the opening ceremony including Priest, members of the media, the academia and parishioners who had come to lend support to their children and learn one or two things about climate change.

Critical thinking and group work stage during the word
café. A period to examine who are the carbon emitters

Chukwunonso Ozokolie  -whose discipline is Agricultural engineering helped the children to landscape and  map out locations for planting while volunteers Calistus, Daniel, Charles and George supported the children to dig the soil. The event was supported by Golden Penny mobile kitchen which prepared the meal that the children ate. Volunteers Christy, Ann, Grace and Francisca prepared a sumptuous meal of noodles and pasta for the children. The mobile kitchen also provided music and table water and juice for the children while they planted; it was a fun packed event under the hot sun. The children sang and danced, they also formed a slogan with the theme “stop talking start planting” “if you must cut down one tree, then plant three” Miss Ruth Daniel presented the action plans derived from the word game and café held in thematic sessions while Miss Chiwendu Ogudiegwu presented the rhetorics.   

ICAD staff and volunteers supporting climate justice ambassador to plant well

A total of one hundred and twenty trees and flower seedlings of different varieties were planted including forest trees, Melina, pine, economic trees like orange, pawpaw, mango and pear trees and flowers. Each of the children made a promise to plant at least one tree and nurture it until the tree survived and can carry on by itself; they planted one tree/flower within the premises and took one seedling back to their schools for planting.

Welcome our newest climate justice

 ambassadors

The occasion was witnessed by the Nigerian television Authority, plateau radio television cooperation and two print Medias – Development times and the National Guide newspaper.

   

3^RD TREE PLANTING ACADEMY PLATEAU STATE NIGERIA

children working hard to draw up action plan for
future implementation in their schools.

It was fun again on the 5^th of December 2013 when schools gathered for cultural heritage and tree planting at the Fatima private school Jos. This event was spectacular as many of the children showcased their culture, their kind of dance, food, drinks and trees that grow around their area. About one hundred and twenty children participated in this cultural carnival that brought together rich cultural diversity of people from different backgrounds including Cameroonians, Guineans and Benin republic.

Our Lady of Fatima Private hosted the event with ten other schools in attendance for the epoch making event these schools as follows:

·         

       


        Fatima Private school Jos

        St. Theresa Girls school

        St. Louise College

        Township Primary school

        Government Day Secondary school Township

        Methodist high school

        Local Education Authority primary school Bukuru park Jos

        St. Paul’s Academy

        Nurture academy

        Mariam Memorial Academy

Climate justice ambassador planting one

of the variety of trees

    

The event was witnessed by many dignitaries including the revered “Eze Igbo 1” of Jos, high level government officials and members of the paramilitary. Each ethic group from different schools appeared in their cultural attire and converged in their ‘village’ – a make shift hut which symbolizes the village where they come from. In this hut, cultural items, food and clothing, trees which are found in the locality are symbolically placed in and around the hut for visitors to view.

Participants being supervised to ensure that get it right
in their bid to draw a workable action plan for
public presentation.

All the participants danced in a match past -  cultural group by cultural group, after which, dignitaries visited each village were the paramount ruler (an elder) explains what the culture of the people were, their kind of food and where they originated from, the kind of trees found in their areas and its significance. It was an outdoor event because of the size of participants and schools. There was an unusual  high number of children given the magnitude of the event, this eventually prevented the use of slide to teach the lessons  of climate change, gaseous emissions and its effect on the human race although that was mentioned in the presentation and visitation of different huts.

New climate justice ambassadors rejoicing upon
 graduation from the academy.

One other impact of the occasion was that the carnival allowed only for symbolic planting of few trees around the huts to symbolically show what tree does well in what community. Economic trees such as pawpaw (Carica Papaya), orange (Citrus) were planted while Cactus tree which is most common in Jos due to the cold nature and because many homes in Jos use it as means to fence their  houses. Wild forest trees were also planted. The children made a promise to plant trees in their various schools when they resume from the Christmas break with a hope that it would rain then. Their materials had not arrived at the time of the event as such they were told it would be given to them later.

Climate Justice Ambassador Miss Ruth
Daniels asking the older one to stop talking and start planting