By Meg Dallett | In the Field Intern
My name is Meg Dallett, and I’m an In the Field intern with GlobalGiving in Cameroon this summer. I’m traveling around the country visiting all the GlobalGiving-partnered NGOs, and I’m writing this postcard to pass on some of what I’ve seen to the donors who have given to this organization.
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It’s not easy running a small school for orphans and vulnerable children in Cameroon. They have no support from the government, and the students certainly can’t afford the expensive fees that keep some other private schools running around here. And landlords keep raising their rents—as a result, Self Reliance Promoters’ school has had to move at least three times in a little over a decade. That’s why their project to build a new school, constructed on their own donated land, will make such a big difference to the orphans who are trying to beat the odds and graduate.
Maxillene, Charlotte and Annette from Self Reliance Promoters’ NGO (SEREP) showed us around the building. They’re all former students from one SEREP program or another, and have now come back to teach classes and help manage the organization’s day-to-day workings. Maxillene told us that students (ages 12-16) come and help out with the construction—“They’re so excited,” she said. “They know that they are building a school that is theirs.”
They’ve definitely made a lot of progress in the last several months and are using the most efficient materials possible, but now the funding has dried up and so things have come to a halt. It’s going to take a few more donations before they can finish the building and students can move in! Even a little bit goes a long way; the teachers showed us a huge pile of materials that came from just $20. SEREP raises all its funding from GlobalGiving, so the donations they’ve received for the school have been a great cause for celebration. Maxillene was effusive about the donations they’ve received so far: “We are working very hard here, but we want to say thank you to the donors, and may God bless you.”
If you’re interested in SEREP’s other projects, take a look:
Feed a Cameroonian Family. SEREP’s Palm Oil Project
Help Mbosha Women Build a Primary Health Centre
Help Takija Build a Nursery School to Educate 60 Children
Give the Gift of Education—Sponsor an Orphan or Vulnerable Child
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