The Global Environment Facility/Small Grant Programme (GEF/SGP) says it is spending 50,000 U.S. dollars (about N17.8 million) on the execution of ecological projects in schools across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Mrs Ibironke Olubamise, National Coordinator of GEF/SGP, said this on Thursday in an interview with journalists in Abuja.
Olubamise said that Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation, an NGO, was handling the projects in all the Government Secondary Schools in FCT.
She said that GEF/SGP and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) were funding the projects.
She said that the projects were aimed at training the secondary school students on waste management and climate change adaptation procedures, while building their capacity in these areas, among others.
The coordinator said that the programme, which started in July 2017, was particularly aimed at creating awareness on the effects of climate change.
“The projects will also make the students to know how to take actions, which include managing waste in their various schools and homes,’’ she said.
Olubamise said that the projects also involved the establishment of eco clubs in the schools.
She that the capacity building aspect of the programme entailed a process where the students could obtain, improve and retain the skills and knowledge they needed to thrive in their education.
She said that the programme was expected to create a paradigm shift and make a remarkable difference in the lives of the students in their communities.
“We are training students from over 60 Government Secondary Schools in all the six area councils of the FCT on the effects of climate change.
“We also ensure that eco clubs in the schools are established to facilitate the sustainability of the projects.
“We decided to execute the projects because we discovered that many communities are suffering from serious environmental challenges.
“It is part of the efforts of GEF/SGP to ensure that the students are trained in such a manner that will aid efforts to address the environmental challenges in the country.
“The establishment of eco clubs will help the students to understand the effects of climate change, while educating them on how to manage and protect their environment,’’ she said.
Olubamise said that GEF/SGP believed that the environmental problems of the world would be effectively tackled if youths were duly empowered to carry out environmental activities.
She said that such activities would make a significant difference in the lives of the students and their environment.
She said that GEF/SGP would ensure that all the projects were well-monitored in order to ensure their effectiveness and sustainability.
Olubamise said that one of the objectives of GEF/SGP was to develop community-level strategies and utilise technologies that could reduce threats to the environment.
She said that the focal areas of GEF/SGP were biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation and persistent organic pollutants.
