Back to school september 2014. Abig thank to Arnopoulos Group for the donation.

 

  

  

Read the testimony of the young French volunteers.

 

« For some of us, this year was our third visit to Cameroon, for some others it was the fifth one.

This time we went to Zoétélé to renovate the rugby centre of SBA. Everything went well, the building was not in such a bad state but it needed to be refreshed. Some children of the centre even helped us. We were really moved by their welcome with their dances and songs; they taught us how to dance!

Leaving the village was a really emotional moment, as we had to say goodbye to the children after they thanked us for the work we did through traditional dances, songs and a short play. They came to our hotel to wish us a nice trip back to France; we took some pictures together. Like every year it was moving to leave these children we got attached to so quickly.

Of course we would love to go back to Cameroon in the future because it’s an intense trip that makes us grow and that increases our awareness of many things. We have the chance to support children who needs help, to meet new people, to see a new culture… We will also always remember the tournament and rugby training in Zoétélé school, because it is great to see children being so much involved in this sport, whereas they live in a football country and in such difficult environment…Congratulations!”

The youth of Perpignan

The Cameroonian charity APAJ (Cameroonian Charity supporting self-employment for young people) was created 11 years ago. This year, the charity obtained government funding to set up this project: to build a new Centre for Social Support for Professional Set-up (CASIP).    This training centre is aimed mainly at young adults who wish to become technicians. The training courses will include two specialisations: metal construction and industrial electricity. These courses will last 2 to 3 years and once they are completed, the centre will guide the young technicians in their search for internship and employment.

This substantial project has been set up in a Cameroonian environment with a particularly high unemployment rate, especially for young people. This centre is an alternative to the programme already proposed by APAJ in its first CASIP centre which offers self-employment courses in more standard subjects: dressmaking, hairstyling, beauty care and IT.

Education is the main mission of Serge Betsen Academy, and professional training is the culmination of our programmes because it ensures young people’s success through self-employment. This way, they can build their own better and more stable future. For all these reasons and following a meeting with APAJ and its chairman, the SBA board decided to help fund this project for amount of  5 000 euros hoping to see youth from SBA benefit from the training offered.

What happened in this centre, six months after the opening of the new building. 

 

In January 2013, Serge Betsen opened the new building of the centre in Bafia. Today it is fully equipped with a classroom, a library and a computer room. The latter was acquired thanks to a donation of computers shipped by container last November. It is an unprecedented chance for many young people; most of whom had never used a computer before. The children learn how to use word processing, conduct research for school on the Internet and find information.

This is a nice way for these youth from Bafia to access new technology that is growing in Africa and that is an indispensable way to work.

More than two and a half tonnes of various equipment were shipped to Cameroon in November 2012.

For Christmas, clothes, shoes, linens, books, sports equipment, medical equipment, toys and others were directly distributed to the children of our centres for their greatest happiness.

20 computers and 5 printers were generously provided by the CCAS (Caisse Centrale d’Activité Sociale), a work council of the French company EDF. This action helped provide our centres with a computer room available to the children. In L’Eau Claire centre where the computer room already existed, the equipment has been renewed. Two computers were donated to the school for deaf-mutes in Yaoundé.

In the name of the children, Serge Betsen Academy thanks all donors and volunteers without whom this would not have been possible.