In May 2015, in Ndu Municipality, Cameroon convinced that the future of every community lies in capturing the passion, intelligence and resources of its people, ECoDAs founders realized that many organizations are not taking into account the priorities, opinions, abilities and strengths of local people in remote communities. The passionate environmentalists and local development advocates decided to found a nonprofit and eco-conscious development organization that will collaborate with local peoples to unveil and build their strengths. ECODAS is born.

We launched maiden project dubbed “Eco-School Project” intended to educate young school children and students in over 10 schools in the Ndu Municipality. Young people were educated and encouraged to engage in their environment by allowing them the opportunity to actively protect it. Schools were also encouraged and supported with trash cans to ensure good waste management practices.

With financial support from the UBuea Periperi Program thanks to the United State Agency for International Development (USAID), ECoDAs’ founder authored a climate change research in Ndu. Surprisingly, the study revealed that Ndu is experiencing rising temperatures and more and more erratic rainfall. Therefore, the need to urgently put more climate resilience-based interventions into practice in agricultural and environmental delicate landscapes in Ndu was recommended. In addition, he further recommended that building community resilience in sectors such as water, energy, health and other pressures are critical to achieving sustainable development of remote communities. This research results and recommendations triggered ECoDAs to reflect on her one year of stimulating community actions for environmental protection and poverty alleviation in the area.

ECoDAs begins a process of institutional change based on an alertness that there is a need to better position herself as an organization that has a clear value-add in the multilevel intervention climate change mitigation/adaptation and be able to deliver our unique rural development impacts with fewer resources reaching many other needy communities.

The evolving vision and mission of ECODAS led to the holding of a general assembly meeting with members both national and international after a series of consultations. In this meeting, we clearly identified our areas of intervention to ensure restored hope and dignity of our communities in their own socio-economic capacity that will enable them not only endure but strive.

In August 2018, ECoDAs legally recognized as an apolitical, non-denominational and non-profit making organization under the provisions of Law N0 90 / 053 of 19 December 1990 and Law No 99 / 014 of 22nd December 1999 governing creation of associations and non-governmental organizations in Cameroon.

ECODAS is initiating and fosteringchange in communities by designing and implementing projects geared toward empowering and transforming rural communities in Cameroon.