MBONWEH

Mbonweh women realized that the children of poor families are the most underprivileged. Many of these children cannot complete the full primary school course. Most school drop-outs, delinquents, street children and abused children become youths in crisis: prostitutes, drug addicts and bandits.

As part of their commitment to the education of children and youths from poor homes, in the year 2001, a group of Mbonweh women created the Unique Primary School and care home in Batoke, within the Fako coastal region. The school was built to serve the local community who had no access to affordable quality education. It is founded on a ‘child-centered’ ethos, where class sizes are kept at low levels (max. of 35 pupils), and the fees are less than half of what a government run school would charge. Many of these children’s mothers are Mbonweh women.

In 2004, the school received funding from the British High Commission and the German Embassy which enabled the management to complete two blocks of classes. This project has also received major assistance from international volunteers, especially Mrs. Wendy Saker who founded the Child Sponsorship Programme and Miss Merit Heitanen who in 2007 greatly improved the child sponsorship program by enrolling 53 children who otherwise could have never attended basic primary education. This project’s appreciation also goes to other volunteers such as Miss Laura Johnston, Miss Helen Bishop, and Miss Jenny Zaidi whose assistance will remain in the history of the project.

The project is providing high quality basic education to a underprivileged children and youths in the 12 villages of the West Coast communities of Limbe. A vocational department has been created and the women are searching for funding partners to make this grow bigger.

Mbonweh women realized that the children of poor families are the most underprivileged. Many of these children cannot complete the full primary school course. Most school drop-outs, delinquents, street children and abused children become youths in crisis: prostitutes, drug addicts and bandits.

As part of their commitment to the education of children and youths from poor homes, in the year 2001, a group of Mbonweh women created the Unique Primary School and care home in Batoke, within the Fako coastal region. The school was built to serve the local community who had no access to affordable quality education. It is founded on a ‘child-centered’ ethos, where class sizes are kept at low levels (max. of 35 pupils), and the fees are less than half of what a government run school would charge. Many of these children’s mothers are Mbonweh women.

In 2004, the school received funding from the British High Commission and the German Embassy which enabled the management to complete two blocks of classes. This project has also received major assistance from international volunteers, especially Mrs. Wendy Saker who founded the Child Sponsorship Programme and Miss Merit Heitanen who in 2007 greatly improved the child sponsorship program by enrolling 53 children who otherwise could have never attended basic primary education. This project’s appreciation also goes to other volunteers such as Miss Laura Johnston, Miss Helen Bishop, and Miss Jenny Zaidi whose assistance will remain in the history of the project.

The project is providing high quality basic education to a underprivileged children and youths in the 12 villages of the West Coast communities of Limbe. A vocational department has been created and the women are searching for funding partners to make this grow bigger.