International Days Celebrations : Go In For Concrete Projects

Almost all days of the year have become international days to celebrate events which are a creation of international organizations, commemorating either great or sad happenings, strivings to curb or stop some phenomena affecting society negatively. The need to respect certain basic rules in society and mobilizing the international community to diversely fight against some man-made or natural calamities has already been at the centre during such days.
The conception and objectives of International Day celebrations in diverse domains are not bad. From the goals; the initiators set out to shape behaviour and change society, making it a welcoming and suitable place for humanity as well as the flora and fauna that make life better and interesting. Each year, the organisers of the various International Days celebrations come up with enticing slogans and themes. Much publicity is made in the media and other forms of communication intended to portray the importance of the event, gain grandeur and satisfy the funding organisations. 
The production of gadgets such as T-shirts, mufflers, uniforms, pens and others characterise many celebrations. Besides much resources spent on gadgets, conference halls in prominent hotels in Yaounde and Douala are hired for launching ceremonies, conferences, workshops, seminars and symposia. Much is also spent on refreshment and allowances. Officials and other experts invited for the event constitute other sources of expenditure considering that lodging and allowances have to be paid  to them,  especially those who come from other localities.
The celebration of International Days has become a way of life and sourcing for financial benefits for many. The question that is begging for answers is the positive impact of the celebrations in life and general wellbeing of the population. The celebration of the Days has been as old as the world itself and one would have been expecting to have better living conditions, mitigated effects of natural and man-made disasters and in general, a world with the best living conditions.
A keen observation indicates that fanfare and euphoria have taken the place of using the celebration of International Days to change society positively.  The International Day for Toilets for example, was celebrated on November 18, 2022.  It was not the first edition of the celebration, but the problem of toilets has remained acute in society. Public toilets are scarce commodities in many urban centre.  Many business places, schools, public and private administrative buildings, private homes do not have toilets. Environment Days, Habitat Days and days to prevent natural disasters are celebrated in luxurious conference halls of prominent hotels in towns.  In most cases there is misplaced location for the celebrations and part of the targeted population is left out. 
Something needs to be changed in the way international days are celebrated. There is the urgent need to change from slogans and demagogy to the realization of concrete projects that will positively impact the lives of the local population. People need to be made to anxiously wait for celebration days not because they will buy, sew and exhibit new fabrics or eat and drink profusely. They have to anxiously wait for the celebrations because they expect some of their teething problems to be solved. The celebrations instead of being limited in space and impact, should concern all members of the society irrespective of their geographical location and socio-cultural, economic, ethnic, religious and professional backgrounds. 
With the idea of positively changing the lives of the population through concrete projects, government, international organizations and civil society bodies that finance the celebration of International Days should base their intervention on the submission of projects to carry out palpable realizations. Each structure organizing the celebration should present a report of activities carried out in previ...