Ndzengwev and Roh-Bui

Purpose

The purchase of 252 copies of the English Textbook for 2 pilot primary schools in the Diocese of Kumbo – Catholic School Ndzengwev and Catholic School Roh-Bui.

Introduction

• The Diocese of Kumbo is one of the two dioceses in the North West Region of Cameroon with a Christian population of over 100,000. It was created on the 18th of March 1982 and it covers two administrative units – Bui and Donga Mantung Divisions. Being in one of the most enclaved regions of Cameroon, the inhabitants who are mostly peasant farmers are poor and economically disadvantaged. The Diocese of Kumbo is an area of primary evangelization and for the most part the population depends on the Church for development.
• The Catholic Education Agency of the Diocese of Kumbo is the administrative organ responsible for the running of educational institutions (nursery, primary and secondary schools) belonging to the Diocese of Kumbo. She aims at ensuring and enforcing sound academic, spiritual, physical and moral upbringing of the young people of this part of Cameroon. At the moment, the agency runs 60 nursery schools, 115 primary schools and 15 secondary schools. She has an enrolment of about 2,554 kids in nursery schools, 14,109 pupils in the primary and 3,249 students in the secondary schools. She has employed about 600 nursery and primary school teachers and 233 secondary school teachers

The Problem

• The Diocese of Kumbo is in the English speaking region of Cameroon where every-day communication in schools, churches, homes, and business is mostly done in English. English is the first official language in this part of the country. The second is French even though there is this national campaign for Bilingualism. Every Cameroonian must make an effort to understand and communicate in both languages.
• Since the parents are poor, they find it very difficult to buy textbooks for their children. The teachers are expected to teach English Language every-day. Effective teaching demands that the children have and use their own personal copies of the English Reader alongside the teachers as he/she is teaching, reading for example. But in most cases it is the teacher who has his/her own copy of the reader. Much time and pain are taken to share exercises in the one copy of the teacher to each and every child in the class. The end result is that children are poor in communication. They find it difficult to express self in speaking, writing, hearing and understanding in English. This affects other subjects of the curriculum that are done in English.

Solutions

The ideal learning situation is for each child to own and use his/her own copy of the English Reader alongside the teacher as he teaches.

Project Cost

252 Copies of the English Textbooks and Iron Boxes for storage Cost = 1,000,000 Francs CFA (2,225 US Dollars)

Project Sustainability

The 120 copies given to each school become the property of the school. Each copy will be adorned with the school stamp and with another stamp indicating that the book is a donation of Amom Charity; Houston, U.S.A. Children will still be free to buy their personal copies of the book.