Transform Girls' Education With Technical School

Despite the financial strains that Covid-19 has imposed on all of us, Aumazo received major official recognition this year. Last June, the Cameroonian government awarded us with the official authorization to open our high school for girls under construction. 

Moreover, two of the three girls earned their senior high school diploma. They graduated from our tutoring program in 2017 and received scholarships to enter the high schools of their choice until we complete our own school building. 

In addition, we are also celebrating the July 2020 graduation of an additional eleven graduates from the tutoring program, including 7 of the 11 girls who took the mandatory high school entrance exams and 4 boys who we took in and supported in the preparation of the exam. So far, we tutored 68 girls and 41 students graduated from the tutoring program.

I shared this news with a friend and an Aumazo supporter a few weeks ago. Her reaction dampened my joy when she asked the following question: “do you mean that only “41 students” graduated from your program in the last 4 years?” I looked momentarily disconcerted then I realized that I was not telling the whole story.

One truth about Aumazo is that for the last 15 years, the organization has operated solely as an all-volunteer organization without receiving any grants or funding from outside organizations. Individual donations from people like you have helped sustain Aumazo. 

Each person at Aumazo can personally tell you that it has been somewhat difficult to run a successful organization on a shoestring. However, we manage to do it. Despite the financial strangulation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are hopeful for the future. Serving the girls is still and will always be our priority. 

For the #GivingTuesday tomorrow December 1 for example, we have to raise $35,000 to sustain the program from October 2020 to January 2021. Our goal is to overcome the financial struggle and serve the greatest number of girls. We already took a chance and have expanded the program to include a new location in a second village with 29 newly enrolled girls. 

Good things truly come in a small package. You have always been there for Aumazo. Today is no different. Your collective engagement and support are really what is still working and keeping Aumazo afloat.  

Your continuing support this #GivingTuesday December 1, will allow us to successfully continue the scholarship and both tutoring program locations for our girls in rural communities in Cameroon. 

GlobalGiving has partnered with us to provide $1 million in incentive funds to match what you donate. We know that we can still count on your support in any form and shape to get a share of the proportional matching   

Although the incentive matching ends at midnight ET on December 1, you can keep on giving a one-time or  recurring donation until December 3 at 23:59:59 ET! 

  Sincere gratitude, 

Jacqueline Audige and the Board

Despite the financial strains the covid-19 has imposed on all of us, we are counting our blessings today. Things are looking somewhat better at Aumazo. We got wonderful news from the field in late September. Two of the three girls in our scholarship program earned their senior high school diploma. This news called for a great celebration at Aumazo.

In 2017, 5 girls graduated from our tutoring program and entered high school. Two repeated classes at the junior level. Three passed without any obstacles and entered  senior high school. 

Keselle, one of the two girls who earned her high school diploma said to me joyfully on a phone call on September 23rd, 2020 “I am so thankful to all the people at Aumazo who supported me and gave me a direction in life. I would like to meet and thank each one of them individually, but I can’t. Please pass my huge thank you and words of gratitude to all of them. I am one the luckiest girls on earth today.” 

These words are still music to our ears. I listened to the sound of her voice while thinking of you. You are the agent of this radical transformation that happened right in front of our eyes. You gave so generously of your attention to our cause and trust in our work. So, thank you. 

The good news didn’t stop there. Despite the intolerable levels of educational hardship inflicted on students in Cameroon and around the world by covid-19, this year, we are also celebrating additional eleven graduates from the tutoring program, including 7 of the 11 girls who took the high school entrance exams and 4 boys we took in and supported in the preparation of the exam last June 2020. So far, 41 students graduated from the tutoring program.

It is very empowering to get such news of great successes and of the striving student population that have overcome the challenges caused by the covid-19 pandemic and found ways to deal with them. The lesson learned is that we did well by supporting our students despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic.

So far so good! Your collective engagement and support are really what is still working and keeping Aumazo afloat. Kesselle’s sentiments reflect our own feelings.

You have always been there for Aumazo. It has always been about what you wanted to do. Today is no different. We still count on your support in any form and shape for the  new academic year in Cameroon, which began on Monday October 5, 2020. Just act in a way that is consistent with your thoughts and help us continue our support of the scholarship and tutoring program. 

We thank you for always being there for Aumazo.

Jacqueline Audige and the Board