YEAC-NIGERIA TRAINS STUDENTS IN RIVERS STATE ON WASTE TO WEALTH VALUE CHAIN
Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) trains students in selected secondary schools in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State on Waste to Wealth Value Chain in a two-day training held on December 22 and 23 at Government Secondary School, Kpor.
The training is part of a project being implemented by a five-member Rivers State Climate Action Consortium led by Kabetkache Women Development and Resource Centre with funding support from European Union under the Agents for Citizens -Driven Transformation (EU-ACT) Program which Advocacy Centre is implementing in Gokana Local Government Area.
Day-1 of the training saw the students learning the theoretical aspect of Waste to Wealth Value Chain as Climate Change mitigation mechanism among others through four different but related manuals and hand books produced by the project for their uses. The resources persons and facilitators, Okoseimiema Ajangaboka Joshua and Wokoma Favour Odinnaka took students through the theories of the manual, training them on how to combat climate change in Gokana Local Government by converting waste to wealth. The students asked questions where they did not understand better and responses from the facilitators deepened their understanding on climate change and waste to wealth.
Day-2 of the program was hands-on and practical. The facilitators: Martha Chukwu and Okoseimiema Ajangaboka Joshua took the sessions in turn to train the students. The students number over 30 were taught through hands-on demonstration, step-by-step process and how to convert waste to wealth in the fight against climate change. The students were thereafter given the materials that has been thrown away as waste provided by YEAC-Nigeria to convert into wealth, reusable materials and items. The students utilized the experience gained during both the theoretical and practical sessions and days to make shopping bags and other items from the waste paper materials.
Students asking questions and making contributions on Day-1
The students selected from about six secondary schools, namely Government Secondary School, Kpor, Bodo City Girls Secondary School, Community Secondary School, K-Dere, Community Secondary School, Bua-Yeghe and Community Secondary School, Mogho in Gokana received the training at the host central school, Government Secondary school Kpor and were proud of themselves, learning and shopping bags such that they use their made shopping bags to carry their training manuals and hand books home. 
They returned home with knowledge of climate change, mitigation mechanism and how to convert waste to wealth in the value chain.
The students, at the end of the training program expressed joy and thanked Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) and the funder, EU-ACT Program for the opportunity to learn about climate change, mitigation mechanisms and how to convert waste to wealth in the value chain. The students went home with the different styles of shopping bags that they made to show their parents and loved ones and to use them during shopping to reduce the production of new one by companies due to reduced demand as a result of the recycling of waste materials to produce the ones that they are now using. 