Build a future for children in a conflict zone

 Three months have gone by and Mah Di’s orphanage continues to grow. We were happy to see the fishpond evolving and to know that a nursery school has started functioning inside the orphanage, we also assessed the improvement in feeding and clothing of the children as well as in furniture and learned that most of the chicken were sold out to pay for School Fees (Back to school period is always critical in Cameroon) but the business continues at a smaller scale. We could also get to know more about the amazing story of Mah Diane, a life of struggle and dedication.

Let us go into detail:

The fishpond is put in place and the fish are growing, Minor issues have been solved (like fixing the net to protect the fish from a kingfisher bird, arranging the pipe system) and the fish are starting to get fed with an interesting mixture of agricultural waste, soy beans and cow blood. The first harvest will be March 2016. It is Emmanuel, an able young man who does construction jobs from time to time while finishing his education, who is the responsible for the pond. One of the older orphans, he is a strong support for Mah Diane in many ways. “When he came back from holidays he went to me and apologized because he could not make much money, he said things were not really easy for him and handed me 20.000 Francs, he did not know how proud he was making me. He always tries to bring something to the house”..

 A nursery school started inside Mah Di’s orphanage, yes a nursery school! Mah Diane did her calculations, Nursery school fees are really expensive in Cameroon, but teachers are not. She realized she could hire two teachers (Priscila and Nadeige) to teach Primary 1 and Nursery levels, together with Mah Diane they are teaching 18 of the children. We can’t predict how far this venture will go, but we won’t be surprise if with time a fully functioning school comes to being in Mah Di’s.

The children’s feeding is improving significantly. Hunger and fights for food are something of the far away past, and we were even offered to eat with them during our last visit. (We accepted and ate their food, it would have been very rude under Cameroonian tradition to reject food from the orphanage, they are humble but also proud.). Also a new set of chairs was just bought recently.

The chickens have been sold but they are a few left to maintain the business and they are starting to expand again, the just bought 10 new chicks. Chicken has really been the financial sustain of the orphanage and they are now planning to have a more serious structure for a poultry. So far poultries have been run in different unused rooms, posing evident health threats and occupying very much needed space. This is the next project we’ve set our minds to, expand their poultry, as it is another way of putting sustainable structures in place in the orphanage so that eventually Reach Out can pull off supporting basic needs and the Orphanage is self-suficient.

I had the opportunity to have a long conversation with Madam Diane, and get to know a little bit better why is she doing what she is doing. We are considering a full interview for one of our next reports if we ever catch her with a little time to spare, at over 50 years of age she is an incombustible women hard to find idle. Among other things we got to learn that the orphanage was running for many years in her own house before she actually started in Mah Di’s site. In fact it’s always a problem with Diane to find out which children are biologically her own and which are not.

“When I finished primary school I did not have anyone to support me, I never even knew what I could do. I was a destitute, but someone come forward and provided for my education. They put me in a vocational training and it landed me a job and a future. So I started giving back to anyone in need. The destitute are my calling. I had abandoned children living with me way before we started the orphanage”

There was some time left during the visit, so we have to admit it, some of us just played with the children for a while. I have to say I’m at awe of how much they can enjoy a bit of chalk and having someone willing to spend time with them. You are supporting a beautiful family with 40 very promising minds.

Thank you!