African participants were among international delegates who collected 22 cubic metres of waste during a clean-up exercise at Lake Shartash in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Volunteers from Cameroon, Congo and 23 other countries participated in the exercise on September 12, 2026, as part of the charitable programme of the 2026 International Festival of Youth.

The environmental exercise was organised under the nationwide “Waters of Russia” initiative.

Participants worked on land and water, using stand-up paddleboards to reach areas farther from the shoreline.

First Deputy Chairman of the Council of the DOBRO Association Kirill Antonov said the initiative demonstrated the value of practical volunteerism and international cooperation.

“Volunteers from Belgium, Vietnam, Mexico, Congo, Ecuador and 20 other countries worked together as a single team,” he said.

“What matters most here is not even the cleaned shoreline or the hours logged—it is the habit of doing good, no matter which country in the world you find yourself in.”

Cameroonian delegate Marcel Bradley Monde Tingato said the exercise allowed him to learn about the Russian environment while contributing to the protection of Lake Shartash.

“Here in the Urals, I discovered Russian nature for myself. My home country has a completely different landscape and different plants,” he said.

“I think it is important to be able to work shoulder to shoulder with one another, sharing experience, including in the field of ecology, so we can protect our planet’s nature together.”

Another delegate from Cameroon, Brian Akom Ekwuri, said he intended to draw on the experience to promote regular environmental clean-ups in his home country.

“It is not enough to do a clean-up once; it has to become a habit,” he said.

“I want to bring the experience of these clean-up days back to Cameroon so that, together with friends and loved ones, we can start building a culture of caring for nature there too.”

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Sverdlovsk Region Denis Mamontov said the participation of international delegates underscored the shared nature of environmental challenges.

“Ecology knows no borders. A love of nature is a language spoken by all peoples on Earth, and it is something that can and should bring us all together,” he said.

Lake Shartash, estimated to have been formed about one million years ago, covers approximately 7.4 square kilometres. It was designated a regionally significant natural monument in 2014.

Organisers said more than 13.2 million people had participated in the Waters of Russia initiative since its establishment in 2014.

In the Sverdlovsk Region, 68 clean-up exercises have been held since the beginning of 2026, involving more than 2,000 people and covering 76 kilometres of shoreline.

The International Festival of Youth is taking place in Ekaterinburg from September 11 to 17, 2026, under the motto “Follow Your Dream”.

It has brought together 10,000 young leaders from 191 countries, comprising 5,000 Russians and 5,000 international participants.