Event: Rugby 7s exhibition tournament on June 3 at the Bangangté municipal stadium

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The Serge Betsen Academy (SBA) association is organising a 7-a-side rugby exhibition tournament on Saturday June 3 2023 in the morning, in Bangangté. On this occasion, we will exceptionally bring together our four adult rugby teams from Cameroon at the municipal stadium of Bangangté and a women’s match will close this morning of sport.

We will have the honour to welcome H.E. Mr. Thierry Marchand, Ambassador of France to Cameroon, Mr. Yann Lorvo, the Embassy’s Counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Action and Director of the French Institute in Cameroon, Mrs. Virginie Dago, Director of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD – French Development Agency) in Cameroon as well as two members of the AFD delegation, Mr Eric Niat, Mayor of Bangangté and Christiane Niat, Director of the Black Platinium Agency. Our President, Serge Betsen and Sylvie Ledard, our Project Manager will welcome their guests of honour and show them around our Eau Claire centre in Bangangté. At the end of this visit, the guests will attend the men’s rugby tournament and the women’s rugby match.

Thanks also to the Agence Française de Développement (AFD – French Development Agency) for its support of the association as part of the “Academies” program in collaboration with PLAY International and the Diambars Institute.

We would like to thank our distinguished guests for coming to Bangangté in order to attend this exhibition tournament organised in their honour, as well as Boissons du Cameroun, which is sponsoring the drinks, and the Town Hall of Bangangté, which is supporting us. This tournament is also possible thanks to the Agence Française de Développement (AFD – French Development Agency), which supports the SBA as part of the “Academies” program led by PLAY International and the Diambars Institute, and of which we are the lucky beneficiaries.

The objective of this morning is to give the SBA players the opportunity to meet on a rugby pitch and to develop their competitive spirit, to strengthen the players’ rugby spirit and the feeling of belonging to the same association and to assess the level of players from the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA).

Good tournament to all!

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson

 

Event: The first ever Bangangté inter-school rugby tournament! Congratulations to the winners of the four Trophies!

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Wednesday, April 26, 2023 will remain an important date for the young people of Bangangté. It was the very first time that they defended their school colours during a rugby tournament organised by the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA).

Around 216 young people, aged 6 to 14, divided into 18 teams, got together during the whole day at the Collège Saint Jean Baptiste stadium in Bangangté to take part in our Bangangté inter-school rugby tournament. There were young people from the Bamena technical high school, the Babou classical high school, the Saint Jean Baptiste college, the Eau Claire centre of the Serge Betsen Academy, the Group 1A school, the Group 1B school, the Group 2A school, the Group 2B school and the bilingual school.

Honouring us with his presence, Mayor Eric Niat kicked off the Tournament. Throughout the day, the atmosphere was incredible, and seeing the young people having so much fun on the rugby pitch, fighting for every ball, and then proudly brandishing their certificate and their trophy, we felt a lot of emotions.

Our congratulations go to each and every one of the participants for their rugby spirit during the tournament and for their combativeness on the pitch. And we would especially wish to salute the four teams for their victories during the first edition of the Bangangté inter-school rugby tournament. The big winners are:

– For the SBA Primary Girls Trophy: the bilingual school

– For the SBA Primary Boys Trophy: public school group 2B

– For the SBA Secondary school Women Trophy: Saint Jean Baptiste College

– For the SBA Secondary school Men Trophy: Saint Jean Baptiste College

 

We would like to thank the Saint Jean Baptiste College for their welcome, our guests of honour for their warm presence and their support towards the association, as well as our sponsors and partners without whom this event would not have been possible:

– Société Générale Cameroun

– Arno Group Association

– Town Hall of Bangangté, one of whose missions is to promote sports for young people in the municipal area

– Mayor Eric Niat

– The Black Platinium agency for their help in communication.

Thanks also to the Agence Française de Développement (AFD – French Development Agency) for its support of the association as part of the “Academies” program in collaboration with PLAY International and the Diambars Institute.

Last but not least, a massive thank you also to everyone involved in the organisation of the Tournament at the SBA, it was a great day of rugby, we could not have done it without you!

You can view the Tournament album here. We owe these beautiful photos and videos and also the above montage to Person Company, Baudouin Tchamegni and Rodrigue Azonfack and we thank them too.

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson

 

Event: The SBA organises the first inter-school rugby tournament in Bangangté

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Instigated by our Bangangté rugby coaches: Jacques Torresse, Idriss Tcheumkeu Ketcha and Loïc Benos Zeutsop Kenfack, the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA) is organising an inter-school rugby tournament on April 26 at the Collège Saint Jean Baptiste Stadium in Bangangté.

About 216 young competitors aged 6 to 14 will be playing to defend the colours of their own schools in a sporty and friendly atmosphere. This will be a great first for the young people and a great opportunity to celebrate the 19th anniversary of the association.

18 teams of girls and boys will participate in the Tournament. This will include 8 teams of 12 secondary school players (10 to 14 years old) and 10 teams of 12 primary school players (6 to 12 years old). Secondary school students will be accompanied by 4 supervisors and primary school students by 5 supervisors. Intensive training and non-mixted rugby matches are on the agenda. This tournament will be an occasion for the young people who are benefiting from rugby initiations, organised by our rugby coaches in Ndé schools, since 2019, to come together around the values of rugby, and to show what they can achieve. And this will allow our coaches to measure the progress of our young people.

We wish the coaches of Bangangté all the best for the onsite preparations and warmly thank our Sponsors, Société Générale Cameroun and ARNO Association, as well as our partners, the Town Hall of Bangangté, Mr. Eric Niat and the Black Platinum Agency for their support.

Do you want to come and support our young people? Then see you all at the Collège Saint Jean Baptiste stadium at 9 a.m., on April 26. The young competitors will be there from 7:30 a.m. and will be eagerly looking forward to seeing you all and to entertain you with their rugby skills.

Do enjoy the Games !

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson

Partnership: Serge Betsen travels to La Baule (France) to meet the young people from the Cité Scolaire Grand Air

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On Friday January 20, 2023, Serge Betsen travelled to La Baule to meet the pupils in Year 7 and 8 (US equivalent: 6thand 7thgrade) who are preparing for their 23 May cross-country charity race in support of the Serge Betsen Academy. Serge Betsen was invited by the Cité scolaire Grand Air of la Baule as part of their recent partnership and he had the pleasure of meeting the students and introducing the association, its missions and its actions to them, and of course he thanked them for their invaluable support.

The students listened to Serge Betsen with great interest and are now excited about the idea of running for the association. It was a great moment of exchanges, and the collaboration was launched! Children from the association were able to encourage the students for their races through a video made in Cameroon, and also to thank them.

 

 

Serge Betsen and Mr. Philippe Paul, head-teacher of the Cité Scolaire Grand Air of la Baule, then signed the agreement between the Serge Betsen Academy and the school, which decided to support us following the initiative of Olivier Le Corre, teacher of History-Geography & Civic Education who had met Serge a few years prior. An interview with Serge Betsen carried out by the Y10 (US Grade 9) followed, as then there was a conversation with Jean-Yves Le Jeune, journalist from Ouest France present for the occasion. At the end of this afternoon rich in encounters at Grand Air, Serge Betsen and a delegation from the school met with Mr. Franck Louvrier, Mayor of the City of La Baule-Escoublac. It was an opportunity to talk in detail about this collaboration and the actions of the association!

 

We would like to warmly thank the Cité scolaire Grand Air this great partnership as well as the students involved in this project. Serge Betsen, Our President was very touched by their warm welcome, as well as the commitment of Olivier Le Corre in organising this visit.

A huge thank you to Mr. Philippe Paul, head-teacher of the Cité Scolaire Grand Air of La Baule, Mrs. Perrai and Mr. Delacroix, deputy head-teachers of the college, Olivier Le Corre, History-Geography & Civic Education teacher who is leading the project, Pauline Basulto, Education Assistant, Fanny Morisson and Anne-Sophie Perraudin, History-Geography & Civic Education Teachers, Martine Chateau, Jean-Pierre Angelvy, Stéphane Aoustin, Physical Education and Sports Teachers, Frédéric Merlet and the Ulis section, and the entire teaching team involved in the organisation of this solidarity race.

Many thanks also to Mr. Franck Louvrier, Mayor of the City of La Baule-Escoublac and Vice-President of the Pays-de-Loire Region, Mr. Mathieu, Deputy Mayor in charge of sports affairs and associations, Mrs. Challier, municipal councillor and the elected representatives of the Municipal Youth Council for which she is responsible, who support this project.
Last but not least, thank you to the parents of Olivier Morato, Treasurer of the Serge Betsen Academy in the United Kingdom, for having made the trip to attend this special meeting between Serge Betsen and the students of Grand Air.
Philippe Grivaux kindly made a video of the encounter between Serge Betsen and the students and we are happy to share it with you:

Bring on the 23 of May!! And until then, good luck to all the young people in their quest for sponsorships!

 

 

Please read this beautiful article written by Jean-Yves Le Jeune, following the 20 January meeting.

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson

Partnership: The pupils in Year 7 and 8 of the Cité Scolaire Grand Air of La Baule, in support of the Serge Betsen Academy!

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It is with great pleasure that we announce that the Cité scolaire Grand Air of La Baule(France) has set up a partnership with the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA). This secondary school, which welcomes 514 students for the Years 7 to 10 (US equivalent: 6th– 9thgrade) and 625 students for the Years 11 to 13 (grade 10th-12th), wanted to make the SBA the main beneficiary of their cross-country race raising money for charity to be held on 14 April 2023.

The story begins with the meeting of Olivier Le Corre, a rugby fan and History-Geography & Civic Education teacher, with Serge Betsen. Olivier Le Corre came across Serge Betsen on the Rialto Bridge in Venice while he was on a school trip with his students. He then discovered with enthusiasm the mission of the association, discussed it internally back-home and contacted us to discuss the set-up of this partnership.

For the last 14 years, on the initiative of the History-Geography and PE teachers of the school, the pupils in Years 7 and 8 (about 240 in total), including the ULIS Section (students with disabilities) participate in the school’s charity race on the beach of La Baule-Escoublac and the embankment of La Baule. Ahead of time, the students look for sponsors within their entourage who agree to pay an amount per lap, this amount being then donated to a partner association. From 2015 to 2019, the Inde et Vous (“India and You”) association was the beneficiary of the race.

Here are some photos of past editions sent-in by Stéphane Aoustin:

This time, the Serge Betsen Academy will be the lucky beneficiary of the 2023 edition. We would like to thank the students participating in this sporting and solidarity challenge and encourage them to surpass themselves. Serge Betsen had the pleasure to meet the students in January and to present to them the actions and the mission of the Serge Betsen Academy. The money collected during the race will be used for the education component of our association, namely to pay the tutoring teachers, to rent premises and pay the centres’ electricity, water and internet bills. This support is very precious, it enables our disadvantaged children in Cameroon and Mali to study in good conditions, thus maximising their chances of getting a job and improving their standard of living. In the next years, it will then be possible to get dedicated support for our two other components, health and rugby, as well as support for the implementation of specific projects.

We would like to thank Mr. Philippe Paul, head-teacher of the Cité Scolaire, Mrs. Perrai and Mr. Delacroix, deputy head-teachers of the college, Olivier Le Corre, History-Geography & Civic Education teacher who is leading the project, Pauline Basulto, Education Assistant, Fanny Morisson and Anne-Sophie Perraudin, History-Geography & Civic Education Teachers, Martine Chateau, Jean-Pierre Angelvy, Stéphane Aoustin, Physical Education and Sports Teachers, Frédéric Merlet and the Ulis section, and the entire teaching team involved in the organisation of this solidarity race.

We wish a good sponsor quest to all pupils in Y7 and Y8 and good training for the race!

You will find all the practical details in the note published by the establishment:

And finally, for those who want to know more about the civic and solidarity commitment of the school, you can read the following article, published in the Ouest-France:

Article sur Grand Air dans Ouest France

 

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson

Event: over 11,000 € collected during the Rugbusiness Club event, held on January 19 at the Servette Rugby Genève

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On Thursday, January 19, the Servette Rugby Genève and its two sponsors, Helvetia Environnement and Pelichet organised a Rugbusiness Club event, an evening to raise money for charity. The Serge Betsen Academy was the beneficiary association of the event. Serge Betsen had the pleasure of participating to the evening where over 11,000 € were collected for our disadvantaged children in Cameroon and Mali.

 

 

 

 

During this event mixing rugby, solidarity and charity, works of art from our SBA Cameroon artists, bags and cases from Recycling Rugby, three collector jerseys and seats in VIP boxes were sold at auction.

We would like to say a big thank you to the Servette Rugby Genève team for their welcome and support, to the partners and to all the donors who participated in the auctions or made a donation on our platform. It was a very beautiful evening in Geneva, rich in encounters!

 

We want to thank especially:

  • Alain Studer, Alain Vuarnet, Adrien Vigne Donati, Anne Levenard from the Servette Rugby Genève for the organisation of this beautiful event and for their welcome,
  • Vincent Chapel and Mike Sebaut from Helvetia Environnement for their support as a partner of the evening,
  • Stéphane Disant and Régis Serriere from Pelichet for their support as a partner,
  • Quentin Delhoen and his team of Prime & Co.,
  • Etienne Mouthon and Marc Bouchet for their roles as auctioneers,
  • Patrick Lachaussée of the Consulate General of France in Geneva, Philippe Spanghero, Julien Malet, Alexandre Toussaint, Odile Prevot, Jérôme Teiletche for their help prior or during the event,
  • Xavier Lamy, Nora Merad, Etienne Mouthon, Alexandre Ober, Julien Malet, Bernard Bosseau, Mike Chris, Gérard Gabet and Valcoeur Invest, Arthur Bataille, Valéry Ecuyer, Jean-Marie Bouchet for their donations,
  • Gaël Fickou and Romain Taofifénua for their jerseys and their efforts coupled to those of Emile Ntamack to collect the signatures of the internationals of Racing 92 and of Stade Toulousain,
  • Our artists, Philippe and Christelle from the Cameroon SBA-Craft for their works sold at auction, as well as Recycling Rugby for their bags, purses and kits made from recycled rugby balls.

You can watch the video of the event here.

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson

Partnership: The Mahola Health Foundation team soon on a medical mission to Cameroon!

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The Serge Betsen Academy is pleased to announce that they have set-up a partnership with the Mahola Health Foundation association. They will set-out on a medical mission to Cameroon, from 24 May to 4 June. As part of their mission, the Mahola Health Foundation team will intervene in our Bangangté centre and we are so grateful to them for that.The mission of the Mahola Health Foundation is to preserve and protect the health of populations living in Cameroon by facilitating their access to primary health care. Mahola means “helping” in Bassa, which really does sum up their commitment. For the last 4 years the association has been carrying out medical missions in Cameroon. Last year, they performed over 2000 medical consultations. This year, they will intervene in Youpwe (Douala) in their temporary dispensary and then spend 4 days from 30 May to 2 June in our Eau Claire centre in Bangangté to improve the health and well-being of our children!More than 70 people got involved this year as part of their mission. The volunteers include: doctors, nurses, gynaecologists, a stomatologist, a psychologist, osteopaths, ophthalmology students from the Institut Supérieur d’Optique(ISO-Superior Optical Institute) based in Lille (France) as well as ISO professors, opticians, dentists…

On the agenda: a complete medical check-up of the children of the centre, including ophthalmological consultations in order to get glasses ready for them if necessary, medical care, but also talks about public health issues according to the needs of the centre (for example: hygiene, the menstrual cycle including menopause and menstrual hygiene, malaria, self-esteem, consent, bereavement and emotional management). A donation of medical equipment is also foreseen.

In order to prepare for their mission, the team of the Mahola Health Foundation conducts a large collection of medications, medical equipment, glasses, toothbrushes and even sanitary protection. To participate in the fundraising or to take this project within your company, please contact the Mahola Health Foundation.

 

 

The entire Serge Betsen Academy wants to thank the Mahola Health Foundation team for their commitment, as well as the partners of the mission: ISO Lille and their “Les Yeux des Ecoliers” (“the eyes of the pupils”). We would particularly like to thank Hélène Belaubre, Co-Founder of the Mahola Health Foundation who wished to support us, following a conversation with Margaux Leboucq-Ducroc from Recycling Rugby.

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson

 

Cameroon: Distinguished guests on their visit to the Zoétélé centre

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On Wednesday, December 7, the new Ambassador of France to Cameroon, H.E. Mr. Thierry Marchand accompanied by Mr. Yann Lorvo, Director of the SCAC (Cooperation and Cultural Action Service), together with Mrs. Virginie Dago, Director of AFD – Agence Française de Développement (French Development Agency) in Cameroon, and also Germain Peyraud and Cyndie Marques of PLAY International and James Mbongo of the Diambars Institute came to visit the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA) centre of Zoetelé. Also making the trip were the Deputy of the Sub-Prefect and Mr. Paul Aristide Bomba, Mayor of Zoétélé.

 

 

It was a great honour for the children of the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA) to welcome all our guests. They greeted them with much enthusiasm prior to showing them around the centre, introducing them to the activities they enjoy on site and then demonstrating their rugby skills.

Our Zoétélé centre welcomes 45 children, which provides them with school support, medical care and control, and of course rugby training. Laurette, a young coach trained by Abaa the manager of the centre, led the rugby training session on December 7. One after the other the different groups put their best rugby-foot forward: the 3-9 year olds from the centre who played a relay game, the 10-13 year olds who played touch rugby, then the 10 girls aged 13-16 who made a few passes and played a five-a-side game, and finally the oldest boys who played a game of rugby 7.

The visit was orchestrated by Abaa Louis Paul, manager of the Zoétélé centre, with the help of Sylvie Ledard, our Project Manager who travelled from France, with our volunteer Christophe, for this occasion. Sylvie and Christophe are currently accompanying the PLAY International and Diambars Instituteteams in their tour of SBA centres. The AFD – French Development Agency has initiated an “Academies” program to be piloted by PLAY International and the Diambars Institute. Among the beneficiaries of this program is the Serge Betsen Academy; so this tour, scheduled for the next few days, aims to carry out an assessment of our centres. Through this program, the SBA is supported over the next three years, to the tune of 165 million West African CFA Franc- XOF (just over $267,000).

Our association had already benefited from the support of the AFD through a donation of 26 million XOF ($42,114) within the framework of the “Sport and Development” program of La Guilde. This then made it possible, between 2020 and 2022, to see 50 young children play rugby in the Zoétélé and Jardin Eden centres in Yaoundé and provide them with school support and medical monitoring.

We would like to warmly thank everyone present on December 7, first and foremost our distinguished guests.

We would also like to thank all those who provided support, as well as the media who came specially to cover the event! A big thank you to Yannick Zanga from Cameroon Tribune for his article reviewing this beautiful day; read here.

 

Below are some photos and videos from the rugby training:

   
 

 

Below, photos of the arrival of Sylvie, our Project Manager with her eleven suitcases containing donations from France so that we could spoil the children of the centres over Christmas and a photo with Bélinga, the nurse of the Centre and her assistant, caregiver, Celestine:

 

 

The centre’s three teachers and our nurse were also present for this very special visit. Laurette, tutor for the centre’s exam classes and rugby coach, as well as Charlène, who is also a teacher at the centre, produced a thank-you video:

Translation: Katy Birgé-Wilson

Cameroon: The HHH of Douala organised a charity walk by in support of our children!

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A charity walk took place on Sunday, October 23, at the Douala motocross terrain during which material donations were collected for our association.

The Douala HHH Committee organised this event and we would like to thank them for choosing the Serge Betsen Academy as their beneficiary association.

 

Around sixty walkers took part in this sports and family morning and we thank them all warmly for the donations they brought for our young people. On the partner side, we would like to thank ICRAFON who donated pens and supplies, the SABC Group for the drinks, ADC Mx Park who allowed access to the cross country field, and finally The HHH of Douala for their donation of hygiene products and the organisation of this beautiful event, with the help of Hubert Gonella as point of contact.

Vanelle, a former member of the SBA from the class of 2009 and who now works in Hubert Gonella’s company was present to represent the association; together with Baudouin, a former member of the Bangangté centre who is now a computer science teacher, and Djibril, the manager of the Eau Claire centre in Bangangté. Djibril held a stand about the association and presented the work of Philippe, our deaf and mute protégé who creates decorative objects in pearls and bamboo furniture in the workshop intended for him at the centre.

 

The generous donations, the majority of which were school supplies, hygiene products and clothes, were shared between our centres of Bangangté (Eau Claire) and Bafia.

The distributions have already taken place, and it was a joyful moment for all the children who want to say a massive thank you to the donors. Our team of young rugby players from Bangangté have not been forgotten either, they received soaps in order to be able to wash their sport equipment; they also convey their thanks to the donors.

 

 

Translation: Katy Birgé-Wilson

Support: The Serge Betsen Academy: winner of the Academies Program, instigated by the French Development Agency

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It is an absolute honour for our association to be named as one of the winners of the Academies Program instigated by the French Development Agency (Agence Française de Développement – AFD) and led by the duo PLAY International – Groupe SOS and the Diambars Institute. It warms our hearts to know that the actions that we have carried out in Cameroon for 18 years and in Mali of for 2 years gets this recognition and this exceptional support is a real gift allowing us to strengthen our positive impact on the lives of our children. Indeed, the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA) will receive funding of up to 250,000 Euros (about £214 000) and support over 3 years as part of this program, which will allow us to strengthen our mission, consolidate our action and our projects to improve access to education, gender equality, health and rugby.

This program to strengthen sports and inclusive academies in Africa was officially launched on November 4, 2022 at the Diambars Institute in Saly, Senegal during an official ceremony in the presence of Jérôme Teiletche, Secretary General of the SBA and several important figures whether from the world of politics or of sports. This program, which is the implementation of President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement at the New Africa-France Summit on October 8, 2021, aims to support the emergence of inclusive sports academies on the continent. Four academies present in six African countries are benefiting from support within the framework of this pilot phase: SEED Project, LEAD Edu, Sunward Park High School and the SBA

At the end of this pilot phase, a call for projects will be launched in 2023 in order to support twelve additional academies throughout the African continent.

For more information on the program, please read this article.

 

Translation: Katy Birgé-Wilson