News from UAC Cameroon.

Mr. Orock Thomas Eyong

I see UAC moving ahead in the future. I see us achieving more and more in the future too. In 2008
we have become more focused on key projects, namely, elementary education, vocational training, sports and out-reach programmes. UAC has grown considerably since its conception, but we realize we
still need to meet up with contemporary challenges that arise. I am looking to make UAC become an accountable and transparent organization that will be capable of meeting the needs of as many children and youths as possible.

Sponsor a child

There are currently 50 children sponsored at Jamadianle. When we started UAC we took a survey of all the children in the Molyko area. We found that many children were orphans living with elder relatives, and many had sick, ailing parents who were unable to work and provide money for their children’s’ schooling. With this we initiated the child sponsor programme and any child that falls into the categories above is eligible for sponsorship. We provide full or partial sponsorship and we pay for tuition fees, uniforms, books, feeding and transport.

Please look at the website and see if you could be one of these sponsors, and you will be sent information on the child’s academic progress and letters from the child.
www.unitedactionforchildren.org

A note for future volunteers

Volunteering occupies an important place in the development of UAC. To our volunteers we promise them an enjoyable, productive and interesting stay in Cameroon. We would like our future volunteers to understand UAC and its needs so that we can work together and utilize your strengths and capabilities.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Basic Education: A priority

If you look at our educational system in Cameroon, which is highly examination centred, teacher based and in classrooms that are overcrowded. It has resulted in the slipping standards academically in Cameroon. We see this as a very urgent issue and these specific faults as neither practical nor conducive to learning. Children need an education that will prepare them for their future lives. This is our main goal at UAC. We have innovative programmes to promote the holistic development of the child, award winning education such as the one child – one tree programme. Vocational and computer training, which offer practical means to gain employment.

In the past we were doing child trafficking education but we had to stop that due to a lack of means. Our HIV/AIDS awareness programme had to stop too as we felt the message was already out there. But we have decided to integrate these important subjects into other areas, like our thematic discussions we hold during our sports programmes. We prefer now to tackle the subject from different angles because we know when you empower youths with the weight of knowledge and responsibility their invulnerability to HIV/AIDS becomes diminished.

Also at Jamadianle we are focused on our curriculum of maths, English, French, history, general knowledge, civics, health, hygiene and sanitation as well as sport, crafts and cookery.

Remedial reading

Learning to read and write is not easy, and some children benefit from getting extra one-to-one tuition to help them realize the goal of literacy. They benefit from reading stories and using their imaginations.

Volunteers help run the remedial reading program with adaptive, fun exercises to help all children at Jamadianle experience the joys of reading and writing.

Who's looking in?

Many people are interested in our holistic approach to teaching. We have had official visits from The Director of Private Education and The Minister of Social Affairs. Also three times a year we meet with the parent teacher association to discuss the work being done at the school and to address any queries they may have.

Teachers know best

There is a new head teacher at Jamadianle in Stanley Kamga. He leads an excellent team of dedicated teachers who are happy to commit to this wonderful school. We also continue our no physical discipline rule that is not widely practiced here.

Computer training in a digital world

UAC provides basic computer training programmes in our cyber café, Vocational unit students and members of the public alike can benefit from relevant computer skills taught by our knowledgeable staff. We currently have an average of 25 people a week being trained in such programmes, which are unquestionably important given the light of the technological age we find ourselves in. These skills will equip our students to adapt to this world in a confident manner.

The computers and cyber café were funded by Africa Trust Networks of Britain and we thank them for their generosity and support.

The Star Project: Building for the future

Due for completion in 2011, the building of our school is mainly being funded by UAC Netherlands and I wish to congratulate them on their continuing support.

The new Jamadianle School will be clean and more conducive to learning, with spacious classrooms each having their own computer, our ‘one computer – one classroom’ project. The class sizes will be small which is far more beneficial for the children.

Our new school will be a green environment and we will teach the children the benefits of being green through our ‘one child – one tree’ and ‘one child – one chicken’ programmes which shows them how to plant trees and care for chickens, thus instilling in them the importance of living things.

When the school is complete there will be 18 classrooms that will host 580 children, 30 per class.

You can help too by checking the website and clicking on the star project

www.unitedactionforchildren.org

Out-reach projects

UAC has a mission of developing a caring and sustainable society for children and young people through innovative programmes.

For a child to be fine the family and environment must be conducive to permit effective growth and development. It is against this background that UAC organizes its out-reach projects in rural communities.

This is collaboration with peace-work organizations in the U.S.A, who send teams of students and other volunteers to assist in the construction of much needed structures and other services in villages. In 2007 over 70 pit latrines were built in a collection of villages, over 10 snail farms were constructed, along with palm oil presses that provided employment too.

They also bring educational materials, footballs, clothes and medical supplies to donate to villages. So far in 2008 another team of volunteers, including medical doctors and nurses, came and stayed for two weeks. During this period they were able to construct a classroom in a village attended to over 1200 patients; they also donated drugs and organized educational programmes for pre- school children.

In May 2008 we are expecting another team to assist with women’s projects and sports training, micro credit schemes and medical and health development education. We appeal to any integral organization willing to partner us on this worthwhile project and to not hesitate to contact us. unitedactionforc@yahoo.com

The vocational department

The vocational aim is to equip rural youths and street children with employable skills and trades that can facilitate their integration into society.

The youths receive training in woodwork, electricity, and painting and with help from foreign volunteers, English and maths. In the future we also intend to include sewing, cookery and agriculture as other avenues for youths to gain sustainable employment. We are training them for self-employment but these trades will fare them well in their individual walks of life.

This particular programme is being funded by UAC Netherlands and QIDS future of Switzerland, but donations are welcomed as we need materials, tools and funds to facilitate a start-up capital for the youths on completion of their training.

Sports: For body and mind

The UAC community sport for development programme mobilizes community youths through the power of football and other challenging activities. We feel it’s beneficial for youths to channel their energies into fun, healthy and productive past times.

We organize clean-up campaigns in villages and provide thematic discussions on issues affecting the growth and development in today’s society. We encourage co-operative farming and educate farmers on the benefits of such schemes. And of course we organize football tournaments.

The ‘one world – one people’ tournament between our international volunteers and UAC staff against Cameroonian villagers has proved a massive success in de-mystifying rural dwellers beliefs and opinions on Europeans and Americans known locally as ‘white man’. We are one people in one world with just differences in skin colour and separated only by geographical borders. It has many positive ingredients and it utilizes team work and inspires the building of talents, it promotes conflict resolution, peace building and fights against harmful traditional practices that impede the growth and development of youths. With the kind assistance of FIFA, we have been able to provide the villagers with jerseys, balls and other sporting equipment.

School on wheels

In Cameroon it is estimated that 80% of parents living in rural areas are illiterate, and of the 20% who can read and write do not have the time to assist their children academically. Most Of them are farmers who must work long hours.

We find that some children do not attend school as their parents cannot afford school fees, others who do attend do so infrequently. This has resulted in a stark difference in academic achievement between children in rural and urban areas. 70% of Cameroon is rural so it’s a big problem, but a problem we want to help with.

With the help of MIVA Netherlands the school on wheels programme was established to tackle this difficult problem.

Currently we operate in two small villages in the Buea area, Bokova and Bonakanda. We teach those who attend English and Maths with the help of our foreign and Cameroonian volunteers. After two hours of productive learning we reward them with some footballs and some time to have some fun.

The children benefit from one-to-one learning and the use of quality learning materials and books, we do need more materials as the demand is so great.

Our dreams for the future for this project are to take it further than the Fako division and on into others where the benefits of learning will be felt in rural areas of Cameroon.