GlobalGiving.org: Provide Solar Technology & Basic Computer Training

E-School and Newsletter Established

Collette Mangwi — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 04:49:41 GMT

Merry Christmas From CAPEC school

Warm greetings-

We are delighted to report that over the last three months, the trainees and international volunteers at the computer project have shown tremendous computer skills. In the last month, the children at school participated in an E-class organized by Better World Cameroon with another school in UK. The teachers of our school also joined the program. During their classes, they learned a lot of new things concerning their curriculum and how subjects are taught in the UK. We are very grateful to Better World Cameroon for initiating this project.

The School has also benefitted from the computer project as it has now established its own newsletter. The trainees are able to use the various skills to create a newsletter which initially CAPEC used to go to Yaoundé City to have it done. We are very excited by this development. It is great to see young people doing great things. The newsletter is a great move for CAPEC.

In this newsletter, we will also be covering other activities such as the tree planting in local communities around. We plan to also share this with you in the coming months. It will include photography and videography.

Included in this report is a Merry Christmas greeting photo from the children and Staff at the CAPEC school. This project continues to establish a brighter future for these wonderful children and you are an important part of this process. Thanks so much for your on-going support - helping to support this initiative and make a positive difference in the lives of these children - the future leaders of Cameroon.

Bitame Lucia School Dreams of Computers

Laurel Chor — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:53:16 GMT

Alima, the proud holder of a 20/20 average in Math

Hi, my name is Laurel Chor and I am visiting all of GlobalGiving's projects in Cameroon this summer...

Here's what I learned during my visit to the project that you donated to!

It was impossible to leave Bitame Lucia School without a huge smile on my face. Right outside the hustle and bustle of the country's capital, the children had a beautiful view, space to play, and new friends from all over the world to learn from. Although regular school is not currently in session, the Cameroon Association for the Education and Protection of Children (CAPEC) is currently running a lively summer school for free. With little to no summer activities available or affordable for children in these parts, most would be selling food or trinkets on the streets instead.

Right now, there are four summer volunteers from around the world, in addition to two Cameroonian teachers--an excellent teacher-to-student ratio by any standard! French is the language to learn if one wants to advance in Cameroonian society, but parents are still aware that English is the key to success in the world outside. Hence, this school is instructed entirely in English.

Many of the children are on scholarships, and for those who can pay, the tuition is very affordable. The classrooms are spacious, and had more than enough room for all of the maximum of 30 students per class. Money raised through GlobalGiving provided the school with a shiny new roof after the old one collapsed during a rainstorm. Many of the children here are only able to attend thanks to GlobalGiving donors like yourselves!

Children here are presented with an amazing array of opportunities and support: a uniform, some school supplies, an annual field trip, after-school activities, mentoring and counseling, and even opportunities to become pen pals with students in the UK! Ultimately, CAPEC's dream is to acquire computers and install internet access for their students.

The solar panels would enable them to have a reliable power supply while allowing them to save costs. CAPEC has not been able to acquire enough funding for the solar panels or computers yet, and is anxious for the day when their students have access to their very own lab. We have visited several schools in Cameroon, and met teachers struggling to teach their students the computer skills they need without even an electricity supply. Cameroon is phasing in a computer science section in their national exams, and schools like Bitame Lucia are desperately trying to keep up.

The students, teachers and volunteers!

A visually-impaired student learning English

Links:

An adorable thank you video, featuring Collette, the founder

Visit By GlobalGiving Interns and Summer Activities

Sylvester Renner — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 21:11:23 GMT

GlobalGiving Interns Visit CAPEC School

The summer holidays are well in progress here and most of the school is on break – with the exception about 50 children in “catch up” or “make up” class in English and Mathematics. Through your generous support and contribution, education materials are provided for them.

We were very happy to receive Laurel and Meg from GlobalGiving this summer. They visited the school and talked with some of the children and teachers. Read a post card submitted by Meg about her visit to the school.

We are fortunate to have the support of volunteers this summer and we appreciate their commitment. Our volunteers this year include Adele-Lou Robin from France, Erwan from France, Stella from Italy and Nicole from United Kingdom. They are all presently in Cameroon and helping us with teaching English and Mathematics.

Thanks to your support, during the last three months we have equipped the office to identify more than 10 kids who need education and will be enrolled in the next academic year. We have also bought English and Mathematics Text Book for all the pupils at school. We were also able to provide recreation trip for the kids at the Mvog Besti Zoo. It was the first time most of the students were seeing a real and live lion and other wild animals.

We count on your on-going support to help provide these children with school and teaching supplies and school uniforms. We value children as individuals and place them at the center of all we do.

Our school strives to foster an inclusive environment where children feel secure, learning is enjoyed, and good behavior is expected and rewarded. Respect, responsibility, leadership and initiative are actively promoted and all contributions are valued. We strive for excellence in all we do. All members of the school community are encouraged to work to their full potential and achieve to the best of their ability.

Finally, a moment of humor – here’s a link to a Youtube video where you can see the children and a teacher dancing.

Links:

Youtuve video - Dancing children and teacher

Storm Leaves School Without a Roof - Appeal for School Roof Restoration

Sylvester Renner — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 05:31:18 GMT

without a roof...

Dear friends

We regret to inform you 2 weeks ago, the roof of the school was torn away by violent winds and a storm that swept through the area. Thankfully no one was hurt. However as you can see from the photos, the classrooms do not have a roof and are exposed to the wind, rain and elements. This situation as you will realize is not appropriate for the learning of the children.

Restoration: We are acting as quickly as we can to remedy this situation and restore the roof.

How You Can Help: We would appreciate your support at this time as re-roof the building and get the kids back into school. Could you make a special donation today that would help us get a roof back on the school?

Recurring Donation: We would also be deeply grateful if you could consider signing up for a recurring donation of $10.00 or more monthly. This would be a tremendous support as we invest into the lives of these children - preparing them for leadership and meaningful contribution to Cameroon.

best wishes

Help us replace roof

2010 Was a Year of Tremendous Increase

Sylvester Renner — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 19:16:46 GMT

Student at school

Here's an update on the school:

We are happy to report that over the Fall semester, the school saw a tremendous increase both in registered pupils and partners supporting the children and the school. Thanks to your support and the support of other donors worldwide, we have been able to expand and continue to do so. We also have on a continual basis young German volunteers that spend up to one year teaching in the school.

The number of children has now increased from 50 to 100 children. Although our school is brand new in the area, the staff's mission is to ensure its promotion at all levels. Consequently, the school takes part in all the activities organized by local education authorities and major ones organized by other International structures.

We plan to add additional classroom space this year and welcome your support as we do this. We are hoping that we will soon raise sufficient funds to construct a classroom that would serve as our computer lab. This lab will help provide additional learning opportunities for both students and staff. We welcome your support as we undertake this venture.

A great time to make your next donation will be March 16th, Globalgiving Bonus Day. On this day, GlobalGiving matches a percentage (30-50%) of each donation up until a certain donation amount. This is a great way to maximize and make your donation go oven further. Thanks for your support!

Expansion, Progress and Growth

Sylvester Renner — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:26:50 GMT

new classrooms

Dear GlobalGiving friends

It's a new season of expansion, progress and growth here in Cameroon. We are excited about the progress!

School resumed on the 13th of September 2010. We are happy to report that during the summer months, 4 new classrooms and a playground were added to the school. This has increased our capacity and we look forward to growing even more next year.

This year, we were fortunate to have the support of volunteers and we appreciate their commitment. Our volunteers this year include Max from Germany, Felix from Germany, Adam from the USA and Jamie from Canada. They are helping us with teaching assignments. The advantage of having them with us is that they bring a diverse background, experience and skill sets that are helping us to invest significantly into the lives of the children in the school.

We are currently working on a video documentary on the school that we hope to share with you in the coming months.

Finally, we thank you all for your general support and donations. We sincerely hope you will continue to support this project. It really offers tremendous change opportunities for the children in this community. Thank you so much!

Best wishes

new classrooms 2

Training and Activities at Hello Kids 2010

Collette Bekaku — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 03:34:33 GMT

Hello Kids Group Photo

Special Summer and Holiday Program Time: Every year the children at the school have the opportunity to participate in a special annual Holiday Program - Hello Kids. This year’s program will take place from July 19 to August 7th, 9.00 am to 1.00 pm, weekdays.

The schedule for this year includes a wide range of activities that will be led by Cameroonian and other global facilitators. The planned activities include Music, Arts, Painting and Computer Training. The training will take place at the Parc Kyrakides which is a recreational center with a wide range of games for children such as karting, horse riding, swimming, miscellaneous outdoor play yard game equipment etc. The children will also have the opportunity to participate in two excursions to Brasseries du Cameroon and Mfou National Park.

Thanks to your support, the children will receive this exposure / training that will complement the training / curriculum that they receive at school. This promises to be a special time of skill-building and developmental training for the children.

We welcome your on-going suggestions on how we can better reach out to others and raise additional support.

Steady Progress

Sylvester Renner — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 04:22:04 GMT

Students in school

The calendar year in Cameroon at is off to a great start. The students are doing well and settled into school.

The school provides food for its students as this helps them learn effectively. Since some children did not take breakfast before coming to school, a proper lunch is part of the program. Apart from a radically different educational approach, CAPEC also offers a number of innovative additional programs to facilitate its pupils in learning and personal development. Among these are the availability of the Corner Room, special learning days, the yearly Christmas celebration, and the summer holiday program.

From the funds raised through Globalgiving and other sponsors the school will be constructing a classroom this year. We deeply appreciate your donations that is helping to make this happen.

Per Collette Bekaku, the Founder of CAPEC, this project is changing lives in the region by proving - through education - a path out of poverty.

We welcome your continued support and feedback. Thanks for joining us in changing lives.

Links:

Children in classroom