My PE: CAEPA Cameron (Julie Scrivner)

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Julie Scrivner and I am a sophomore at UC Berkeley studying Society and Environment. This summer I will be the first GPP student to go to Cameroon. I will be working with a small Cameroonian research body called CAEPA (Community Agriculture and Environmental Protection Association) Cameroon for two months as an Environmental Educator. I will be staying right outside of Bamenda, which is located in the Northwestern English-speaking region. My personal blog for this summer is www.cameroonquest.wordpress.com, which I would love for you all to follow! 

Throughout my stay I will be traveling, with the help of my supervisor, to different communities, conducting surveys of family households on environmental challenges they face, their responses to these challenges, and how their livelihoods have been impacted. My supervisor and I will analyze these responses, and ultimately, present our findings and our suggestions for mitigation to stakeholders, which include the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, a city council delegate, and organizations working on environmental protection

I was drawn to CAEPA because I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with Cameroonians before and experience their vibrant culture and enthusiastic attitude about life. In addition, I was attracted to the idea of doing research rather than working with an organization that addresses a symptom of poverty, not the cause. CAEPA has a special place in the world of aid and governmental support because it advises both local NGOs and the Ministry of Environment in Cameroon. 

CAEPA Cameroon is the 2012 country winner for the Pan African Award for
Entrepreneurship in Education. You can follow this link to learn more about the prize and the winners: 
http://teachamantofish.org.uk/pan-african-awards-2012-winners

CAEPA was born in 2007 and legally registered in 2009 so this award is a great accomplishment for them!

This will be my first time traveling to Africa and fully traveling alone. I would greatly appreciate all of your support, so please feel free to comment on my blog and facebook me during the summer if you want to start up a chat about our experiences!