risk assessment workshop

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IHAF iRATI iNTEGRATED RISK ASSESSMENT TEAM CONSULTANCY THE INTEGRATED HEALTH FOR ALL FOUNDATION (IHAF) CAMEROON iRATI Organizes a Workshop on Environmental Risk Assessment and Chemical Safety In Collaborations with the: Africa Education Initiative (NEF, Cameroon); & Cameroon Society for Toxicological Sciences (CSTS) And Hosted by The University of Dschang, July 11, 2012, Dschang, Cameroon

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IHAF

iRATI

iNTEGRATED RISK ASSESSMENT TEAM CONSULTANCY THE INTEGRATED HEALTH FOR ALL FOUNDATION (IHAF) CAM EROON

iRATI

Organizes a Workshop on

Environmental Risk Assessment and Chemical Safety

In Collaborations with the:

Africa Education Initiative (NEF, Cameroon);

&

Cameroon Society for Toxicological Sciences (CSTS)

And Hosted by

The University of Dschang,

July 11, 2012, Dschang, Cameroon

Report for the 1 day Intensive Risk Assessment Course (RAW II), July 11, 2012

We have herein provided you with salient information as summary of the workshop. We hope that our brief narrative comments are appreciated and our experience can educate and encourage others who are developing plans for similar trainings aiming at recruiting students into toxicology & building capacities in students & staff working in government, companies, NGOs, and or regulatory agencies dealing with chemicals and or health related. PART I: The Organizer Title & Date of Event

� Environmental Risk Assessment Course (RAW 2); July 11, 2012, Dschang, Cameroon

Objectives of Event:

RAW II Main Aims: - To share knowledge and look for solutions to health risk associated with poor

handling/usage of pesticides with the state of arts of the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences on the epidemiology of pesticides (health effects/toxicity) and handling/usage by local farmers

Our RAW AIMS: - To create a common platform for experience sharing on risk assessment especially by all

Cameroonians who have participated in a risk assessment course of any kind in the past, and establish sustainable networks to discuss toxicology & risk assessment issues.

- To initiate a risk assessment strategic plan (resolutions) for stakeholders on risk assessment in Cameroon.

- To identify gaps and set priority areas of training during the 2013 IUTOX RASS for Central and West Africa, to be held in Cameroon

Organizers/ Sponsors:

− Organizers: iRATI [integrated Risk Assessment Team Consult. of the Integrated Health for All Foundation (www.ihafcam.org) ]) In collaborations with Inter-Socio-Educational Cooperation (ISEC, Yaounde), Africa Education Initiative (NEF, Cameroon) and Cameroon Society for Toxicological Sciences (CSTS) (Co-sponsors)

− Main sponsors: University of Dschang (Host institution) and co-sponsored by organizers Name of Course Director

Wilfred Angie Abia

Position in, and Affiliation of Course Director:

Chief Executive Officer for the Integrated Health for All Foundation (IHAF) (www.ihafcam.org). Resource person & initiator of the iRATI [integrated Risk Assessment Team Consult. of the Integrated Health for All Foundation]

Contact details (e-mail / tel):

e-mail (office): [email protected] ; e-mail (priv): [email protected] tel (work): +237 3319 4916; tel (priv): +237 7712 2685 ;

Host Institution or venue of event:

University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon.

Name & position of host:

Mr Tarla Divine Nfor, Lecturer FASA; Member of iRATI and Advisor NEF Club, University of Dschang Mr Mbi Valeri Oben, iRATI Secretary & Director of ISEC Cameroon

Contact details (e-mail / tel):

e-mail (priv): [email protected] ; tel (priv) : +237 7518 2043 e-mail (priv): [email protected] ; tel (priv) : +237 74 64 67 04

PART II: Recruitment of Participants and How was the Training Assessed. How were participants recruited for the workshop? Where there any fellowships? 30 recruited participants (annex 1) were selected from a pool of 76 applicants affiliated to academia, government, companies, NGOs and regulatory agencies as directed in the call for applications (annex 2). Selection was gender sensitive while young researchers/students were given 60% of the total places, compared to government/regulatory agency (20%), companies (5%), NGOs (10%) and farmers (5%) whom we missed on this occasion. Each recruited participant was awarded a fellowship of 25,000Fcfa (USD50.00) and they had to make a

contribution of 2500Fcfa (USD5.00) – 10,000Fcfa (USD20.00) based on their affiliations for handouts/certificate. How was the training assessed to ensure that participants benefitted from it? Based on the huge number of applications (76) we received –in view of the restrictions in age limit and number of positions for non-students as well as short interval between RAW I and RAW II-, very active/participatory interactive atmosphere coupled with several questions from the participants. In addition, success was measured based on the formal & informal discussions (one-to-one and focus groups) and burning request for replication of the course at different parts of the country for example at the Bamenda and Buea agreed for October, 2012 (RAW III & RAW IV Call for applications attached) with selected participants submitting study cases and the course extended to 2 day events. Furthermore, assessment was based on the analysis of the pre-and post-course evaluation (annex 3). Also note that the resource persons/faculty grew up with very experienced scientist (e.g. Dr Fai P & Dr Asongalem) PART III: Event proper Section A: Opening ceremony: Summary: Due to late start, the reps of the Rector had to go for another vital meeting in the University and promised coming back at the end of their meeting. As such, RAW II started informally with an opening prayer, after which the Course Director, Wilfred A. Abia, informally opened the workshop by inviting The Keynote speaker Dr Asongalem Emmanuel (President of the Cameroon Society for Toxicological Sciences – CSTS) to deliver his lecture entitled: “Toxicology as a Discipline”. Thereafter a series of other lectures followed as described in section B below. The combined opening and closing ceremony officially took place at the end of the workshop with the Dean of the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences (FASA) and Dean of Faculty of Science representing the Rector of the of the University of Dschang (host). Full of satisfaction derived from the resources placed at our disposal by our host, in support of the very exciting and enjoyable presentations on some real life cases, the participants and organizers were particularly grateful to the host as expressed strongly by the Course Director in his summary report on the event so far. The Course Director started off with apology for the delay kick-off, followed by a brief history of the RAW and profound gratitude to the University of Dschang for hosting this great event. In his conclusion, he drew the attention of the University officials to the: (i) Need for toxicology-based trainings in our institutions of higher learning; (ii) Need for such collaborations with not only the University of Dschang but other institutions of higher learning; and (iii) Need for student clubs such as The Africa Education Initiative (NEF) student Club, University of Dschang that focuses on Toxicology and public health related issues with outstanding benefits to the students (e.g., 10 students from Buea and Yaounde clubs were provided travel grants by NEF to participate in the event) and serve as one of major tenets of creating awareness on the discipline amongst students (annex 1). Furthermore, he stressed to all the different stakeholders present, the Need for more practical forums for pesticide health implications with representatives of local farmer groups and the overall plans of running similar workshops with various locality specific focuses in different parts of the country prior to organizing the 2013 IUTOX RASS so as to better understand urgency of risk assessment of chemicals in Cameroon and like other C and W African states. Then the CSTS President whose one of main goals in his tenure is to initiate the science of toxicology as a discipline in State Universities in Cameroon – further emphasized point (i) above, and state that the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Buea (where he is the vice Dean) has recently adopted a proposal for operating a Master/PhD program in Toxicology and which hopefully other institutions would follow-suit as CSTS and partners are willing to collaborate. With those highlights, the Rector’s representatives, were invited to make the combined opening-closing remarks.

Section B: Brief Description of Talks: Materials used for the workshop Powerpoint Projector and flip charts were used during plenary lectures and group works respectively. Questionnaire (for evaluation), toxicology textbooks such Curtis D. Klaassen (edt): Casarett & Doull’s Toxicology – The basic science of poison (offered Wilfred Abia by Prof Jose Manautou, Buea, 2011) and Wallace Hayes (edt): Introduction to Toxicology (offered Wilfred Abia by Prof Wallace H., IUTOX RASS XIII, 2008 Germany) were available for students references, access to internet wireless with computers available, notebooks, pens, pencils etc Talk No 1: Keynote lecture on Toxicology as a discipline by Dr Asongalem Emmanuel from CSTS

The President of the Cameroon Society for Toxicological Sciences (CSTS) set the ball rolling with the keynote lecture which to introduced toxicology and later capitalized on “toxicology as a discipline”. After stressing differences between toxicology and many related disciplines such as biochemistry and pharmacology that usually have toxicology as a topic in our university curriculum, and pointing out the basic uniqueness of toxicology in terms of contributions to solutions to several public health issues such as human health effects of numerous chemicals, he

went ahead to discuss a draft framework of the intended “discipline of toxicology” for state universities in Cameroon and elsewhere in C and W Africa where toxicology is still under represented. Finally it was opened for discussions and enlightenment sessions which was so much appreciated by all present.

Talk No 2: Lecture on Impact of agro-pesticide applications on the environment The second was delivered by Mr Tarla Divine (RAW II Secretary) who presented practical incidences of poor handling of pesticides by local farmers with some resultant observable physical/skin effects leaving what could be obtained internally imaginary but which as a team of uprising toxicologist/risk assessment experts should not neglect. Ignorance of the society on the use of chemic als remains the major risk factor to pesticides toxicity, and should be considered seriously in the so-call green-revolution and pesticide homologation initiatives for Cameroon. The study cases cited in Divines presentation provoked lots of questions and immediately called the attention of administrators but more

of NGOs and the farmers themselves in a united action for proper handling of pesticides for maximum benefits and minimal health risk. Talk No 3: Lecture on Human health risk assessment: Hazard Identification, Risk by Wilfred Abia

Full of encouragement of such kinds of events amongst young people from almost all parts of Cameroon indicative of a brighter future for our nation, Cameroon, the Dean of Faculty of Science and later Dean of Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences, lauded the initiative and advised that it should not only be theoretical and conferences but also practical. In addition, promised to read the full report and where applicable collaborate on some major activities and why not consider initiating discussions towards a future department of toxicology in the Faculty of Science. Finally, they declared the workshop open and closed. It all ended with group photographs and handing of certificate of participation.

The facilitator elaborately described the purpose and process of risk assessment using an example of risk assessment of pesticide residue in drinking water well in a small rural community where indigents are mainly farmers with frequent pesticide usage. He focused on steps of risk characterization: hazard identification; compilation of toxicity data (i.e., what to pick out in papers: dose, animal species, specific effects at specific end points…); exposure assessment (exposure pathway …); risk evaluation; and making decision together with risk communications and management

strategies. Case study: There were 2 study cases written by facilitators (passed IUTOX RASS students) as follows: - RA of Cadmium in rice consumed in Cameron by Pouokam Guy, Noodles (RASS, S. Africa, 2010) - RA of Fumonisin B1 intake in Cameroon by Wilfred Abia, iRATI (IUTOX RASS XIII Germany 2008;

Abuja 2012) PART IV: ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION / 2013 IUTOX RASS DEBRIEFING MEETING A summary report on the RTD/ 2013 IUTOX RASS Meeting at RAW II:

Report of Round Table Discussion (RTD) on the:

Theme: Promoting Toxicology Education in Cameroon

Sub-theme: Toxicology Awareness Programmes

Chair: Dr Asongalem Emmanuel; President, CSTS

Co-Chair: Dr Fai Patricia; President, SETAC

Secretary: Wilfred Abia; Director, iRATI / Country Liaison Officer for NEF

Members: RAW II participants

Main focuses of discussion:

1. Creating Awareness on toxicology and risk assessment (TRA) and state of arts of the 2013 IUTOX

RASS, Cameroon

2. Toxicology as a discipline: The need for Promoting toxicology education in Cameroon and other

Central and West African countries

Our call for proper handling and management of chemicals and other natural poisonous substances (such

as pesticides, food mycotoxins etc), and united action for an environmentally healthier and safer nation,

Cameroon, is inadvertent. On the basis that:

− We are unavoidably exposed to various chemicals and or natural contaminants via food, water,

cosmetics, and or air at our work places, homes, and everywhere;

− It is vital for the population to be aware of, and have good understanding of what is happening in

their environment; the following resolutions were adopted:

i. PUBLICITY/ AWARENESS RAISING:

a. Use media programmes which are at no cost such as Monday/Verdredi shows, radio programmes,

etc to inform, educate and communicate activities and achievement and way forwards of various

toxicology and risk assessment (TRA) initiatives such as the CSTS and iRATI. The CSTS President

was charged with the necessary arrangements.

b. Establish a routine toxicology and health awareness bulletin (factsheet or newsletter) – first

edition to be produced in September 2012: Terms of reference made including aspects like

breaking news, bilingual nature etc. Diko Charles A. – Univ of Buea, Mbi Valeri O. – iRATI, and Gana

– Univ of Dschang were charged with the technical aspects under supervision team led by the

CSTS President.

c. Establishment of a database for toxicity of toxic agents in our environment –with concrete

evidence (toxico-vigilance) to the awareness and understanding of the people.

EDUCATION / CAPACITY BUILDING ON TOXICOLOGY AND RISK ASSESSMENT:

a. Promote student toxicology clubs in university campuses – e.g., Africa Education Initiative (NEF)

toxicology clubs- may widen awareness and ease communication network – NEF liaisons were

charged with this responsibility with supervision from CSTS president.

b. Promote common platforms such as RAW and convene NGOs and other stakeholders for greater

impact. An enlarge partnership shall be instituted during a round table discussion with

collaborating NGOs during the CSTS 2013 conference. Working documents (strategic action plans)

shall be made. The Director of iRATI was charged with mobilizing appropriate NGOs to that effect.

c. 2013 IUTOX RASS, Yaounde Cameroon has been tentatively planned for May 1-5, 2013 and

partnership negotiations with potential co-sponsors were ongoing. Updates shall be made known

to all as events unfold. Director of iRATI and President of CSTS were responsible.

d. Advocacy: Through capacity building on the relevance of establishing Toxicology as a major

discipline (i.e., as a department and or specialty at postgraduate level in science and or biomedical

science faculties) in various Universities in Cameroon and elsewhere in Central and West Africa.

See Dr Asongalem’s keynote address.

iii. Resolutions of RAW I – See RAW I report on the RTD.

Certificate Award /Closing ceremony: With much satisfaction for some and complaints of too short the workshop for proper grasping of the knowledge gathered, the Course Director Wilfred Abia specially lauded the efforts of Mr Tarla Divine – the iRATI RAW II ground secretary as well as the immense coordination by Dr Fai Patricia – our own very President of Society for Environmental Toxicology and Analytical Chemistry (SETAC) Africa, after which he went on to thank participants for their mature behaviours and contributions during the workshop and above all the enthusiasm demonstrated so far towards making a safer and healthier environment for all. Other special words of appraisal went to Madam Njah Mumah (Deputy deputy Director for the Regional College of Agriculture, Bambili, NWR) and Mr Nya Eduard from the Ministry of Agriculture, Yaounde for their wonderful collaborations and in the hope that they would transmit what they have gathered during the training to their institutions and serve as our contact points for probable collaborations. He promised their recommendations have been properly noted and he will do utmost to ensure iRATI works closely with CSTS for exploitation of the resolutions while informing both local & international (including IUTOX, SOT…) authorities and hopefully get their advice and or support towards achieving them. It all ended with rounds of applauses to faculty members and to participants as they received their certificates of participations co-signed by Course Director (CEO for IHAF/iRATI) & the President of CSTS. All course materials were sent to participants and they shall be included in the ToxRA yahoogroup discussion group and a risk assessment discussion group.

Acknowledgement: The organizers heartily thank the University of Dschang through the Faculty of Science and Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences for provision of Hall and internal facilities. Your hospitality was so inviting and makes us want to come again and again – hope you will gladly welcome us in the future. We also acknowledge the Africa Education Initiative for providing travel grants to 10 students from NEF clubs of University of Yaounde I and University of Buea. Big thanks go to Dr Patricia Fai for her big contributions that led to the success so far. Our keynote speaker, Dr Asongalem Emmanuel, and Mr Nya Eduard of MINADER are not left out. Signature: Wilfred Abia Tarla Divine Nfor: Course Director, Director of iRATI, & CEO for IHAF Course Secretary, RAW II ANNEXES Annex1: List of participants and affiliations

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Name Sex Affiliation e-mail address

1 NFOR YVETTE MULIH F Univ of Buea // NEF Club member [email protected]

2 DIKO ATEM CHARLES M Univ of Buea // NEF Club member [email protected]

3 FON EKWAIN ERNEST M Univ of Buea // NEF Club President [email protected]

4 NTUBE GRACE ABWENZOH

F Univ of Buea // NEF Club member [email protected]

5 AJONINA MARCELUS U M Univ of Buea // NEF Club Sec Gen. [email protected]

6 HZOUNDA FOKOU JEAN BAPTISTE

M Univ. of Yaounde I// NEF Club [email protected]

7 KENFACK TSAGUE IDE FLAVIE

F Univ. of Yaounde I// NEF Club [email protected]

8 SIMO KAMDEM MARGUERITTE

F Univ. of Yaounde I// NEF Club [email protected]

9 NGOLONG NGUEA LEGRAND

M Univ. of Yaounde I// NEF Club

10 EZO'O FABRICE M Univ. of Yaounde I// NEF Club [email protected]

11 ATEUA ESOUA MATNURIN

M Univ.of Dschang [email protected]

12 FOKOU FOMADJO IDRISS J

M Univ.of Dschang [email protected]

13 VOUFACK ARISTE BOLIVARD

M Univ.of Dschang [email protected]

14 TANKIE PLACID F M Univ.of Dschang [email protected]

15 ETUNG KOLINS N M Univ.of Dschang [email protected]

16 TSAGUE KENFACK JOSEPH. A

M Univ.of Dschang [email protected]

17 DEMEFACK ZO’OKEM JEAN-MARC

M Univ.of Dschang [email protected]

18 MEGATCHE CHRISTIEN JEAN

M Univ.of Dschang [email protected]

19 VERA MANJUH BANTAR F Univ.of Dschang. [email protected]

20 SHEY TIMOTHY BIFI M Univ.of Dschang [email protected]

21 TSOGGNY NGUEPI STELLA SANDRA

F Univ.of Dschang [email protected]

22 MANFOTHANG DOGMO ERVIS

F Univ.of Dschang [email protected]

23 NGAMENI TCHAMADEU NOBERT

F Univ.of Dschang [email protected]

24 JULIUS TATA NFOR F Univ.of Dschang [email protected]

25 MBI VALERI OBEN M ISEC/ iRATI [email protected]

26 FONCHANG GODWILL NEBA

F iRATI/IHAF [email protected]

27 NYA EDOUARD M MINADER/DRCQ - Yaounde [email protected]

28 MME NJAH BIBAH MUMAH

F R.C.A Bambili - Bamenda. [email protected]

LIST OF FACULTY

COLLEGE OF FACILITATORS

1 Dr ASONGALEM Emmanuel M President of the CSTS // Vice Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea

[email protected]

2 Mr POUOKAM GUY B M Noodle [email protected]

3 Mr DIVINE TARLA M iRATI // Lecturer, FASA, University of Dschang

[email protected]

4 Mr WILFRED ABIA M CEO of IHAF; iRATI Course Director // Reseach Assistant, Lab Tox., University of Yaounde I

[email protected]

COLLEGE OF ORGANIZATION / COORDINATION

1 WILFRED ABIA M iRATI [email protected]

2 Mr DIVINE TARLA M iRATI // Lecturer, FASA, University of Dschang

[email protected]

3 MBI VALERI OBEN M ISEC/iRATI [email protected]

4 Dr FAI PATRICIA (Advisor) F President of SETAC Africa // Lecturer, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang

NB: The Africa Education Initiative (NEF) provided travel awards to participants’ number 1 – 10 all being NEF Club students. Annex 2: Newsletter , details for the selection of participants for workshop: See attachment Annex 3: Analysis based on the pre-and post-course evaluation As was the case in RAW I, an evaluation was performed for two purposes, (i) to assess the understanding of the participants, and (ii) to assess the overall organization, choice & quality of talks & discussions (i.e., participants assessing organizers and facilitators…). Based on 20 short questions (10 on toxicology and 10 on risk assessment) over 91% of the participants understood/appraised at least 82% of the talks and discussions. This was expected considering majority of the participants were agricultural science and agronomy students and also that pesticides and their harmful effects when poorly handled was the main focus. Another 2% of participants understood less than 20% of the lectures

and discussions. Over 68% of participants appreciated the organization of the workshop whilst 95% of students appraised the choice of lectures / discussions. Generally, over 95% of participants complained that the course was better for two days and be organized frequently. Annex 4: Highlights of Speech from Course Director Welcome Address by Wilfred A. Abia, Director for the integrated Risk Assessment Team (iRATI) on the

occasion of the RAW II on: “Health and Environmental Risk Assessment Workshop (RAW II) with special focus on Pesticides”, June

30, 2012, Place de la Meteo Hotel, Dschang, Cameroon

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and gentlemen

Good morning

On behalf of our board of directors at iRATI, CSTS, NEF and the University of

Dschang, and my colleagues, I say welcome to this workshop. We are happy in being

able to organize the Health and Environmental Risk Assessment training workshop (RAW II) with special focus

on natural contaminants and pesticides comprising various stakeholders (cite a few affiliations of participants).

We hope that this very effort of getting together would be the good cause serving as a platform to start designing

a pesticide risk assessment methodology for the most important human and environmental protection goals for

our country and Central and West Africa as a whole. It should serve as a spring board and milestone in making

all necessary efforts by every stakeholder in his/her capacity to find ways and means to minimize pesticides and

other environmental hazards. Working together is one of the basic requirements to save our fragile

environment, to protect our people and animals from pesticide hazards. The reasons for environmental hazards

are varied and many and we need to look each of them and we need to develop environmental risk assessment

methods so that it would allow the use of relatively safe, locally effective and good quality pesticide to minimize

the adverse effects of pesticides to humans, animals, plants and the environment in general. This situation in turn

would help to acquire clean environment, safe food and healthy citizens and it would also help to promote

agricultural export trade.

Having said this, I like at this point to call upon Mr Tarla Divine, iRATI RAW II Course Secretary, who has

worked so hard to make this workshop successful so far, to please introduce and invite first the president of

CSTS for his address and need for toxicology discipline, and later the Dean of FASA to present an opening

speech.

With this I express my sincere thanks to all the organizers, facilitators, and especially to you, participants for

coming.

Annex 5: Speech from Liaison, Africa Education Initiative Delivered by Mr Fon E. Ernest (NEF Club President), by order – Liaison Officers, Cameroon. A Speech Presented by Mr Wilfred A. Abia, the Country Liaison Officer for the Africa Education Initiat ive, Cameroon on the occasion of one day intensive training workshop on Health and Environmental Risk Assessment (RAW II), Dschang, July 11th 2012. The Rector of the University of Dschang, The Course Director, All other Protocols duly observed, Distinguished guest, ladies and gentlemen, It is with great joy that I welcome you to this workshop organized by the integrated Risk Assessment Team of the Integrated Health for All Foundation (iRATI) in collaborations with the Africa Education Initiative (NEF), Cameroon Society for Toxicological Sciences (CSTS), and hosted by the University of Dschang, Cameroon. NEF is an international NPO/NGO with its seat at Connecticut, USA, and has as mission to further the advancement of science and technology in Africa and to give African Scholars (Students) the opportunity to meet and share research ideas amongst their peers. NEF has chapters in several African countries including Cameroon where it the University of Yaounde I and University of Buea currently host NEF clubs with memberships of over 30 students. We also hope the administration of the appropriate faculties of the host university (University of Dschang) will consider NEF’s goals relevant to both the students and the institution. For the students, becoming a NEF member entitle you to a number of benefits with insignificant or no financial obligations. For example, from Cameroon, NEF has sponsored over 35 students to present posters at international scientific conferences such as the recent past CSTS/SETAC/NEF joint conference, Buea Cameroon and a number of them in University of Nyamdi Azikiwe and National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) Vom in Nigeria. Not to go too far, 10 NEF students attending this workshop were provided with travel grants (round-trip, economic class) for which we remain grateful to NEF Hq Management. In addition, NEF provides full sponsorship to NEF students to participate in a three months Toxicology Internship Training organized at the NVRI, Vom, where-in seven Cameroonians have benefitted including Eric Banseka, Jato Denis, Wilfred Abia, Guy Pouokam, Abongwa Melanine, Fon Ernest and currently Elisabeth Menkem who is currently representing Cameroon at the 2012 edition of this prestigious internship. Furthermore, NEF has assisted a number of students in paying for their TOEFL, GMAT, etc examinations and facilitated their entrances/scholarships into graduate schools in USA and elsewhere. NEF also has been involved with community outreaches and has made pronounced impact at some orphanages such as HOTPEC in Buea. NEF has donated textbooks to libraries of the University of Buea and the Cameroon Christian University as well as a number of laptops to these institutions and student clubs elsewhere e.g. University of Yaounde I, to facilitate their research and studies. Each of these clubs has very good track records of achievements with lots of success stories and testimonials from individual members, all of which we all willing to share with students from Dschang and elsewhere. Hence, kindly stop by the NEF posters and we shall provide you with NEF flyers and answer other specific questions that might arise. Also do not hesitate to declare your interest and thereby provide you details for a hopefully solid NEF club, University of Dschang. As such, we do hope we will not leave Dschang without establishing a NEF club considering the interest demonstrated by many students who have attended NEF events in the past. Hence, a NEF Cameroon general meeting has been planned at the end of the working. We gladsomely invite all interested students and prospective advisors to join us then. Long live NEF clubs, Long live iRATI/NEF/CSTS/other collaborations, Long live NEF Cameroon, Long live NEF, Long live Africa.