Djakidao Isaac SJ
To raise awareness on the importance of caring for our environment, the Environment Club of the Université Catholique d’Afrique Central (UCAC) (Catholic University of Central Africa) in Yaoundé, Cameroon organizes activities in a special way that mobilize its students and staff, drawing inspiration from Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’.
For example, the Environmental Club’s initiative during its third ecological week in March was part of its commitment to raise awareness in the safeguarding of our Common Home guided by the theme of ecological conversion and commemorated the International Day of Forests and International Water Day.
In a mass officiated by Father Epiphane Kinhoun SJ, Vice-Rector of UCAC that launched the ecological week, he pointed out that “we remain very determined to continue this initiative, following the Holy Father, in what he calls the safeguarding of our common home.”
Other activities organized included a conference, an ecological walk called “eco-jogging”, and a “green quarter of an hour” that encouraged students to undertake ecological actions such as reforestation and maintaining cleanliness.
The ecological week is thus an opportunity for the UCAC Environment Club to promote ecological actions and the integration of environmental concerns as part of students’ university education that build ecological citizenship.
The UCAC Environment Club intends to follow the Ignatian pedagogy of Service-Learning that emphasizes learning through service. In his homily, Father Kinhoun reminded that service-learning is a “training which advocates the commitment of students in their living environment.”
The UCAC Environment Club reiterates its commitment to the training of young people as ecology ambassadors for the protection of our common home.
Djakidao Isaac SJ is the Chairman of the UCAC Environment Club in Yaoundé, Cameroon and can be reached through his email idjakidao70@gmail.com. This article was drawn from the original story in UCAC.
