National Youth Volunteering: Outstanding Development Actors Celebrated

The 7th edition of the annual Cameroon National Volunteering Awards (CNVA) ceremony, which recognizes the "Golden Hand of Volunteering," was commemorated in Yaounde on November 5, 2025. Since its inception in 2018, the CNVA has served as the premier national event highlighting excellence in civic action, specifically aligning volunteer efforts with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the National Development Strategy (SND30). Organized under the team; “Every Contribution Matters”, the ceremonial lionized the indispensable role of volunteers, recognizing their contribution as integral actors for social, environmental, and economic transformation that fosters positive changes in people's lives across Cameroon and beyond. Acknowledging youths' efforts to propel grassroots influence, the trophies were awarded under three main categories; Individual volunteers, Youth hosting structures and councils; and Civil society organizations by sector. For adaptive innovation that propels environmental, health, and social development, Tiko Youth Council stood tall as the “Best Municipal Youth Council” while the North Region bagged home the “Best Youth Regional Council”, earning applause for community service for local development at the municipal and regional levels respectively. According to Melanie Bih, a representative from the Tiko Youth Council, "this recognition validates the passion and hard work of our members to propel bottom-up development”. Emphasizing the importance of volunteerism for national planning, the Minister of Youths Affairs and Civic Education, Mounouda Fotsou commend...