100 children in Tole community a village in Buea Sub Division South West Region of Cameroon who for the last academic year had challenges acquiring basic school needs have benefited from the humanitarian gesture of the Association for the Protection of Women’s and Children’s Rights(APWCR).
The donation of educational materials took place in Tole on Saturday August 28, 2021 in the presence of a cross section of the Tole population. The APWCR team was led by the project Coordinator, Trypheana Echunjei Ndifon.
Welcoming the APWCR team, Yewu Peter, Quarter head of the locality appreciated the gesture, saying it was timely, just few weeks to the start of the new academic year. He said the donation will be a booster not only to the children to hope in the future but also to parents who are in very difficult financial situation due to the on-going crisis in both Anglophone regions of the country. He however called on other organisations to emulate the gesture from APWCR that braved the odds to visit and donate in Tole community.
Going by the Project Coordinator, Trypheana Echunjei, it was the wish of the President and Chief Executive Officer of APWCR, George Abang Tawoh based in the U.S that something be done to improve the lives of children by way of empowering them through education. He said their focus was on the less privilege and vulnerable children of the Tole Community who are also affected by the crisis. ‘’ We came here with bags, books, pen, pencils, rulers, erasers, the basics which they will need as they prepare for back to school.
Quizzed on how the children were identified, the project coordinator explained that they had a focal point person of the ground who did the local identification and mobilisation. ‘’ We paid attention to orphans, IDPs those who fled from other communities and have settled here, whose livelihood had been tempered with and it was a door to door verification to ensure that those benefiting are those really in need.’’ She insisted.
Speaking after receiving his school gifts from APWCR team, Blaise, a class five people said, “I am very grateful to have been selected to receive this bag and the books from this organisation to help us resume school. I am in class five going to class six. Some of our parents cannot afford this and may God bless APWCR.’’
In a phone conversation, George Abang Tawoh President and Chief Executive Officer of APWCR, revealed that it has always been the wish of the Board of Directors for the organisation to impact lives in rural communities reason why it was registered in the US and through the internal revenue service of the United States, mandated to authorise non-profit organisations, APWCR was granted a 501C3 tax exempt status. APWCR is an NGO with United Nations ECOSOC Special consultative status since 2016.
He also said in the future, APWCR will be looking at construction of classrooms, wellbeing of refugees, Internally Displaced Persons, right to adequate water amongst others. “I wish to take this moment to appreciate our staff and volunteers in Cameroon, Kenya and Nigeria who are doing a lot of research to see that we carry out activities in those communities in need.’’ George Abang concluded.
