Friends of NWTC Magazine Friends Fall 2019 | Page 15

A new children’s book about Tantoh,
the impact of clean water, the power
of community projects, and Tantoh’s
philosophy: “When you don’t have
what you want, use what you have.”
MORE ABOUT NFORBA
(Left to right) Author Baptiste Paul, environmental leader Tantoh Nforba and
author Miranda Paul visited NWTC to talk about how low-cost, grassroots
community projects are transforming people’s lives in Africa.
That sense of community and working toward a
common good is ingrained in Nforba. Growing
up in one of Cameroon’s small villages, he,
too, worked outside and carried water
great distances. Planting gardens with his
grandmother is what truly sparked his
passion for the environment, though. As a
teenager, he started looking for ways of
growing crops with limited resources that
would not harm the environment. One
of his earliest gardens was planted in an
unused corner of a gas station parking lot.
Tantoh Nforba challenged
audience members at
NWTC to carry water on
their heads, as people in
many parts of the world
do. By building wells and
reducing water hauling
duties, Tantoh has given
children more free time
to attend school.
“You have to start small,” he said. “I planted
my first garden in 1996 when I was a teenager.
I got seeds from other parts of Cameroon. I was
experimenting with garlics and raising some animals,
like bunnies, so I could collect their poop, because I
didn’t want to use chemical fertilizer.”
No matter how well he contained costs or created
food in unexpected places, his neighbors would
not join him.
“In Cameroon, farming is for poor people,” he said.
“I was always alone in the field. I realized that to grow
this movement, the best to focus on are the children.
If you train them, they will not depart from it.”
Nforba came to NWTC through the
U.S. State Department‘s Community
College Initiative Program, which
brings students from around the
world to U.S. colleges for one year.
“I told them I was interested
in sustainable agriculture and
landscaping,” he said. “They looked
in the U.S., and NWTC was the only
college that could offer sustainable
agriculture and horticulture at the
same time.”
As his success grew, he started
receiving invitations to study water
and land management and bring his
knowledge back to Cameroon.
In 2011, Nforba won the African
Achievers Award for Best Grassroots
Environmentalist in Africa. He also
received the International Green Apple
Award for Environmental Best Practice
and Sustainable Development. In 2012,
he was named an Ashoka fellow.
Nforba’s success had led to him
connecting with prominent figures and
organizations like Charles, Prince of
Wales, and the World Wildlife Fund.
Among his many great
accomplishments, Norba may be the
first NWTC graduate whose story has
inspired a children’s book.
“This man does so much for his
people, we were just blown away,”
Baptiste said. “Recently he shared
with us he’s involved with helping
people build bridges to save kids’ lives.
His deep devotion to his people and
to humanity is just phenomenal.”
FALL 2019 / 15