Twenty-three internally displaced school-going children from the crisis-hit North West and South West regions have received didactic material donated to them by the Cameroon Association of English-speaking journalists, CAMASEJ Douala branch.
The handing over of the material including books, bags, pens and pencils took place Saturday August 28 at the Kuwait neighbourhood in Douala II subdivision, where the beneficiaries reside since their migration to the country's economic capital.
According to Maureen Ndi, current president of CAMASEJ Douala, the initiative falls within the association’s outreach programme dubbed CAMASEJ D education promotion drive- a humanitarian touch of the Douala-based English-speaking journalists to carter for the less privileged. The books and other school related material offered the children was partly provided by the CEO and founder of the United Action for the Underprivileged Foundation, former Member of Parliament Fritz Etoke.
After receiving the donation, the children thanked the Douala-based branch association for the material support. Some of them explained the extent to which it will be of help to them. "The money I was supposed to use in buying books, I will use it to purchase other school needs like sandals and more…” Nesla Ngong, one of the beneficiaries who recently passed the GCE ordinary level exams told CAMASEJ Douala members present.
The IDPs took the opportunity to voice some of the difficulties they face in their host city. Some mentioned constraints in affording school needs, high rents, lack of food items and shelter.
CAMASEJ Douala team on the ground through its president, Maureen Ndi used the occasion to school the female children on sex with focus on early pregnancies and the males on how to desist from becoming a delinquent or drug addict, societal ills that are very common with school-going children.
Maureen Ndi equally disclosed that the initiative will last. She and the members plan to extend similar help not only to distress internally displaced children in Douala but also to families who cannot meet up financially with the needs of their children and to orphans of a fallen former colleague, Jack Ekwe Kingue who died following an illness.
Many, especially colleagues have described the CAMASEJ Douala branch education promotion drive as one that is worthy of being applauded, given that it will in one way or the other reduce the burden of the parents and guardians of the first set of beneficiaries, few days to school reopening.
Ariane Foguem
