Build a future for children in a conflict zone

Children in conflict-affected settings are receiving a holistic education to help them become the best versions of themselves despite the childhood trauma and challenges they experience. Apart from making academic progress, they are now conscious of their bodily autonomy and personal hygiene tips through Comprehensive Sexuality Education.

This project supports two schools which are; Mah Di’s Christian Bilingual Nursery and Primary School and Hope Alive Foundation (HAF).  HAF is a community-based organization that fosters Hope, Sustainable Growth, and Goodwill in grass root communities.  HAF is centered on Education, shelter for orphans and vulnerable community children, community health care, and social justice for our communities economically and socially disadvantaged members. HAF runs a charity school project and a care home for orphans and vulnerable community children (IDPs) from Ekona now operating at Tollgate Tiko and has a population of 135children; while Mah Di’s Christian Bilingual Nursery and Primary School (CBNPS) Pong Pong Quarter- Kumba III is an Orphanage also operating a community school with a population of 274. This community school is there to help the most vulnerable families attain education.

Generally, school resumption is always timid in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon due to frequent ghost towns (locked down) imposed on the population by the NSAG (the non-State Arm Group). These ghost towns affected this academic calendar, causing the school year to start very late in some communities. The Anglophone crisis has caused the school population to drop drastically in the Northwest and Southwest regions, especially in Kumba and some other hard-to-reach areas in these regions, forcing most parents to relocate their children to areas of the country where schools are effective.

As a means to support community action, Reach Out has been able to pay the salaries of 4 teachers in these community schools with donations from GlobalGiving, Each of these teachers received the sum of 36,900FRS ($62.08)  each month through their MTN Mobile Money Accounts as their monthly stipend. During this 2022/2023 Academic year, the four teachers received a total of 1,328,400 FRS ($2,235.01) and each teacher received the sum of 332100FRS CFA $561.05 for nine months. The performance of both schools was encouraging at the Government Entrance Examination and Frist School Leaving Certificate Examination. Hope Alive (with 16 candidates ) sat for both examinations, scoring 100% with all children passing in list A. Mah Di’s had 100% in the Government Common Entrance Examination and 64% in the Frist School Leaving Certificate Examination. The total number who sat for the examination was 36 number passed was 35 children.

Our social worker visited both schools in May and had a talk with the children on menstrual Hygiene and Sex Education. This activity took place on campus with only girls from classes 4 to 6 reason for taking them was because they are considered senior primary in school. Their ages ranged from 9 to 17 years, a peak period or for bodily and hormonal. This session aimed to promote bodily autonomy for girls. It was a question and answer session though some of the children were shy and some were very active. At the end of this discussion, girls

In addition, phase two of the talk in the school on personal hygiene had a combination of girls and boys from classes 3 to 6. Discussion centered on best handwashing practices, keeping clean nails, oral hygiene, and how to bathe.