Safe Center for Vulnerable Children in Douala

      The AGAPE Center during this third quarter of 2020 was a little more lively than the previous ones. With a tendency to gradually return to normal, the center and its inhabitants have seen some individuals, groups of people and organizations return. This was already the case at first, with the visit of Sergeant Jean, a group of executives from the Ribambelles school and the Gaz du Cameroun company. Then in a second step, we had the passage of Sarah and her friends, and Synthia. This period finally ended with a third and final phase, with the results of the young people in the various official exams presented, with the progress of the work of the new center, with the visit of Nelly and the preparation of the 2020-2021 school year.

     The relaxation of restrictive measures put in place by the government to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, once again allowed us to welcome visitors. This was the case with Sergeant Jean. It is an inhabitant of the district who realized the presence of the AGAPE Center in his district. So he decided to pay us a little visit, find out how it was going, discuss his life experience with the young people and give them clothes. He counseled them and urged them to respect and pray. They had a great time together.

      The ribambelles school and its directors are among the centre's main supporters. They do not hesitate, as far as possible, to show solidarity with the center. This was still the case last July, when a small delegation from the school arrived for the young people. This in order to discuss the pandemic with them, as well as to offer them a package prepared thanks to the efforts of the students, who also participated in this outpouring of generosity.

      Their gift consisted of protective cloth masks, packets of flour, sugar and milk. The young people were very happy to receive this package, and especially to know that it is not only the adults, but also the young people, older or smaller than them, who take care of it. There too, the young people had a lot of fun, because one of the principals, who is a clown (Uncle Féfé), was there. It brightened up the afternoon for the young people, who were very happy.

      Gaz du Cameroun shows us once again its support. Three years ago, during the first visit of Madame Anim and one of her colleagues, they realized that young people could no longer watch because their TV was damaged. And on the eve of the Christmas party and the end of the year celebrations, these two ladies returned with a 42 inch LED TV, to the delight of young people. Ms. Anim returned once again with her colleagues to deliver room supplies for the new center. The latter consists of two beds, two mattresses, six pillows, two bedside tables and two storage tables.

      Sarah is a young woman who lives in Ngangué. She is studying in the field of civil engineering. And since it is fashionable to carry out very positive actions on a daily basis, especially when participating in this type of event, she decided to take a look at the AGAPE Center. She came with her friends and it was a good time again. She conducted discussions with young people on their apprehension of the disease, the temporary cessation of activities, school, house arrest. Then the discussions turned to the journeys of life, starting with her and her companions. It was very uplifting, to the point where she said she was learning things about her friends at the same time as everyone else. Before we went our separate ways and wished him luck on his election, we shared a snack of sandwiches and drinks together.

      Like Sarah, she wanted to visit a reception and care center for young people. Synthia therefore arrived alongside her friends and family members, to show her support for the young people at the center. A good feeling passed between the girls of the center and her, to the point where a very interesting exchange ensued on the questions of intimacy of the girls, namely: how to do your personal toilet well, how to count your menstrual cycle. Her wish is to be able to drop by from time to time, in order to talk to the girls. They brought good humor, but also some school supplies including: notebooks, pens, pencils, rulers, a packet of erasers, a box of pencil sharpeners, protective cloth masks and some clothes.

     The young people gave the best possible of themselves, in order to end this unprecedented and fairly complex school year on a high note. All the young people from the intermediate classes go to the upper class, with annual averages mostly between 10 and 11 / 20. Among the four candidates for the official exams,
it was positive for Oliseh at BEPC and for Melveen at Probatoire A. Negative for Désiré at CAP and for Césare at Probatoire D.

     Construction work on the new AGAPE center is continuing. They were slowed down a bit, like all activities in the world. The roof would have been installed, but all the conditions were not yet met for this to happen. Even if things are not going at the speed we want, the trend is quite positive. The sheaths of the electrical installation are beginning to take their place in the decor, while the plaster begins to transform it. The building already has a radiant face, but the finishing touches still require a lot of effort and sacrifice. So the fight is not over and we still hope we can count on you.

     Nelly is a young lady who belongs to an association of former students of the Lycée Mongo Joseph. She had already visited the AGAPE Center last year, hoping to come back with her association. But it hadn't been. She decided to come back this time alone, to bring and show her support for the back to school of the young people. She came with school supplies, consisting of: notebooks, pens, box of chalk, erasers, rulers and socks. We don't think about socks very often! And that was a really neat idea of her.

     After spending mostly 6 months at home and away from school, the young people will resume classes on Monday 5 October. During classes, we often dream of more holidays. This time, they got it. But, the holidays were so long and a bit more boring than usual, since the young people did not have visits from people likely to offer them outings, fun, uplifting and quite varied activities, because of the Covid-19. Either way, a new school year is starting, and they are very excited when it comes time to head back to school. Still, we took time to reharse some lessons just to recall their memory on school issue.

     Thanks to the various supplies already received so far, the young people will be able to start their lessons. To this end, we would like to thank all those who have already given us their contribution, who have shown their support and who have kindly sponsored certain young people, for their return to school. It is certainly not too late for the rest of you.

Links:

• http://agapecentre.org
• http://www.facebook.com/AGAPEAssociation

      The first five months of 2020 at the AGAPE Center was peaceful, and unusually, lacking in events. It started with the outing to Tchop and Yamo, as a reward for the young people who behaved well and who had good results at the end of the first quarter. It was then marked by the participation in the coordination meeting of associations and private social works (OSP), organized by the departmental delegate of social affairs, at the Reception and Observation Center of Bépanda Omnisports (CAO). This period was also marked by the resumption of work on the new AGAPE Center in Japoma. These first five months of 2020 at the AGAPE Center ended with the Aliyou family's visit and donation; but also with the interviews in order to manage the period of stoppage of the courses and for the measures to be taken to block the road to the spread of the virus

      The year 2020 has started well at the AGAPE Center. The young people who worked well and who had an exemplary attitude during the first trimester were able to benefit from an outing to Tchop and Yamo. It is this fast food located on the other side of the city, in Bonamoussadi. The young people were very happy, especially the girls! Living close to their schools, it is not always easy for them to go as far from home. They were able to discover a little more about the city, a new district and especially Tchop and Yamo. They were delighted with this great experience. The less deserving, who often had the opportunity to go there a few times for big outings, promised to work better during the second quarter; to deserve a nice reward too.

      It is always fashionable to work closely with social services. Because they are the ones who make our actions legitimate. Ordinarily, we hold one meeting per quarter. It was the first meeting of the year. This is how we took part, as with each request from the head of the social center and the departmental and regional delegates, for coordination meetings often focused on raising awareness, debriefing and exchanges on the progress of activities on the ground, while noting the various difficulties constituting an obstacle to the proper functioning of these. These meetings are also moments of meetings between the promoters, staff and supervisors of the different organizations, who have the opportunity to share their various experiences on various subjects or on specific concerns.

      Mr. Aliyou and his wife are considered as the godfather and godmother of the AGAPE Center. They are always in contact and act behind the scenes. They thought of the young people in the center and brought them provisions on March 8. Especially a fundamental element at the moment, the hydroalcoholic gel.

      Following some misunderstandings and difficulties noted on the ground, the site had to stop for a moment, thus being considerably delayed. It became difficult to work and take a break every week, to think about how to get around a problem we were facing. Some of these difficulties even required small modifications to the plans. It was therefore wise to review the entire project, in order to anticipate, adjust and make changes to all the sensitive parts of the construction. Do not we say that: "even the best plan in the world depends on its execution on the ground ''? Work resumed during the month of March. We hope to be able to leave without major concern, until full delivery And despite the current context dominated by the Coronavirus / Covid-19 pandemic, we remain confident and optimistic, knowing that we could always count on you and on your unwavering support, regarding the supply of financial and material resources for the project, at the end of this calamitous episode.

      The government's decision to put in place some restrictive measures in the middle of March, such as closing schools to stop the spread of the virus, was welcomed by the Cameroonian people. But only the establishment of a number of measures is not enough. It is important to think about their implementation, their control and their follow-up. It was at this point that we c it appropriate to speak with the young people from the center on the one hand, and with their parents and them jointly on the other. It was a question of letting those who still do not know it know that this virus is a reality. And that is why the schools had to send the children home. It was essential to make it clear to young people and their parents why the schools were closed. To allow them to stay at home in order to limit the spread of the virus, and not for anything else (walks, playing soccer ...). To this end, we have also given young people outside the center leave until further notice, in order to avoid movement between their homes and the center. Their parents also needed to understand this, so that there were no misunderstandings, and so that they did not feel that their children had been left out of the program. After clarifying things, we focused on prevention, hygiene measures and other measures to put into practice to avoid contamination as much as possible. It was an interesting exercise, which allowed parents and children to learn about this disease, and to take care of the various recommendations made by health professionals. Finally, we have implemented one of the simplest measures, that of systematic hand washing. We all put it in practice.

       The growing threat of the virus has prompted the authorities in Cameroon, as elsewhere in the world, to temporarily close schools, training centers, universities, university institutes and professional colleges. It was out of the question to anticipate the second quarter holidays by crossing our arms and playing against the clock. But quite simply to furnish your days as well as possible, as if you were at school. It is an exercise to which the young people complied without the slightest difficulty.

Links:

• http://agapecentre.org
• http://www.facebook.com/AGAPEAssociation