Our very-own Good Samarithan
Didn't I tell you Twenty-Eleven would be a fabulous year, One of the best in my life?! Well, 2 weeks ago, I updated my facebook status, saying how having an office is fantastic ‘cause you have a physical location and it helps to be more productive with work. But every 6 months, you gotta hustle to pay the 6-months-rent. A Non-for-profit NGO having to pay 6months rent cash = about $1200 Cash! So, early January found me in my grind and hustle for rent money. I shared it on my facebook status; and believe me not, a young Cameroonian guy working in the US inboxed me, telling me he would like to make a $500 pledge to Harambe-Cameroon; to encourage us and support our cause. He told me he’d rather stay anonymous and He prayed God to bless our endeavor. That’s how, he came to be known as our very own “Goodwill Samarithan.”
What can I really say to express how touched, and grateful I felt after such magnanimous act of kindness?! May God bless his heart!
He asked me how to get the money through, I told him with MoneyGram or WesterUnion, to send it to my name, and upon receipt I’ll confirm. He did just that. TWO DAYS after inboxing me, and pledging his $500, I received the money here in Cameroon. Can you imagine that? What touches me the most is the fact that, he, having worked for more than 5 years in corporate America, and who knows very much the value of money, and has little or no time in his hand; on a winter day, in early January (after the xmas break has made a toll on your pockets) took his time to go to Money Gram, to make a money transfer of five-hundred-dollars, to me (representing Harambe-Cameroon)… I mean, THAT, touched the core of my heart. And for THAT demonstration of love and support, I say once more a big THANK YOU. I promise we will meet up to your expectations, and I promise we will shake our generation of Cameroonian youths into action-oriented and solution-oriented initiatives! I hope each person reading this will send some positive energy and powerful prayers towards our Good Samarithan, currently working in D.C. May God bless his heart!
For all the other donors and sponsors of Harambe-Cameroon for the past year (2010) you can have a listing of their names, professions, and amount given by clicking on this link.
May God bless you all for your utmost and constant moral, financial and spiritual support
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Discovering twitter!!! :)
Can I express how much I love twitter ever since I got the sense of it! I mean, how can I not love something I feel has made me a notch more resourceful, and knowledgeable of domains I’m passionate about: i.e. innovation, social entrepreneurship, Africa, spirituality, leadership, positive thinking... after being really active on it for the past month, I have realized how much I have gained by just following some people, more so organizations in my domains of interest. I click from link to link, article to article, and my knowledge just keeps expanding. It's simply Brillianntt!
It’s in early January that, while reading Emeka Okafor’s blog, (timbuktuchronicles.blospot.com) (treasure trove for anyone passionate about Africa, and innovation) I read something about the telephone company in Cameroon (MTN) establishing a collaboration with twitter to, mostly, increase the amount of farmers who have access to agric. info through twitter. So I did my research, and realized that the partnership actually is effective. All you need to do is to login by sending a message to 8711, and you start to tweet from there. The great thing is that, while sending message will cost you the normal SMS rate (50frs), receiving msgs from twitter doesn’t cost a dime! And so, with the people I’m following, whom I’ve marked to receive mobile msgs, I receive, for example, BBC breaking news on my mobile, Gretestquotes daily, Cornel West, Rick Warren, Marianne Williamson, Joel Osteen, changemakers, springwise, in total about 10 different twitters get their messages right to my mobile phone (here in Cameroon). And the beauty of it is that (remember i'm saying all this bc it's not a "given" in Cameroon), at any time in the day, I can receive news wherever I am; I receive also some of the greatest quotes and positive quotes in history, which help uplift my spirits on the hourly basis. I do wish, I could open the external links on my phone, but Cameroon still has a long way to go to facilitate internet access with phones that are not blackberries or I-phones. But for now, I content myself with what I have, with the addition it has brought to my life. It’s simply AWESOME!
And yes, I also follow the kardash, diddy, idris elba <3, tyrese, and other starlights… and yeah, sometimes I tweet about how great it was to drive on the Highway from Bagangte to Bafia; or the juicy soya I just ate 5 mins ago… But I want the twitter critics/ twitter-reticent/twitter virgins, not to limit their opinion of twitter upon that… they should know, on twitter you can find info about your domain of studies (in my case, International relations, and politics), your job career (imc – social entrepreneurship, business, consulting), the gradschools you are eye-ing ( I’m following Stanford, Babson, Harvard, MIT) , your passions ( imc, African Development, blogging, reading, writing, dancing), your spiritual life ( I follow Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyers, positively Zen), and any random subject/topic of your interest. So, if despite this, you want to stay in your corner and do a boycott against something you don’t know, that’s up to you… as for me, I have joined the “tweetersphere”, and I’m loving every bit of it!Going to the Yaounde Central Prison (Nkondengui)
Going to the Yaounde Central Prison, as you can imagine, was a lifetime experience! As most people here, I never imagined myself entering in that prison, in my entire lifetime. The Yaounde Central Prison, commonly named in Cameroon as "Nkondengui" (the name of the neighborhood where it's located), is one of the most dreaded places in this country (after the Douala Central Prison "newbell"). Rightfully so, I think. For, a prison in a developing country is the least of the last places to be. To many, it's nothing short of backwards, archaic, primitive, and desolate. But like in most places, and as I discovered during my visit, it's the people in a place that gives it a spirit and its aura. When my friend John Mbafor, called me in mid-December, to tell me he wanted us to organize a program at the Yaounde Central prison the next week, I immediately told him to "count me in." For me it was going to be another discovery, another adventure, another challenge...
[kind of like, when my Nigerian friend, Rotimi, and I last summer in Libya, went to the village of Sabratha, took a canoe with 2 villagers we did not even know, and went on cruising on the mediterranean sea. Then in the middle of nowhere - I mean, of the sea, about 2 miles away from the beach, these 2 unknown villagers STOP the boat!!! They tell us, with a smile on their face, to jump in the water!!! Gosh! Can u imagine? In the middle of he mediterranean sea (this thing i'd always read in Geography books since 2nd Grade) in some little village, in Libya. To be fair though, they were not forcing us to jump, they were firmly daring us to do it. They said if we can't swim they'll help us out. 
I tell Rotimi I'll go for it. So, I take off my headscarf, pull up my pants, tighten my shirt, and JUMP in the Mediterranean sea. OMG. The water was extremely salty, but it felt great, to swim inthat large body of water. But I still shake my head at how crayzy that was, because I still remember the fear/anxiety creeping in on me, and me just doing it. lol. crayzy experience I tell you. 
Rotimi followed, even though he could not swim, he decided to trust our two village men and get in the water, while holding the edges of the canoe. For real, that experience in an of itself, was so full with emotions, fear, apprehensions, and boldness that, after getting back on the beach, we both felt like we accomplished a life challenge. (Kind of like how we felt after crossing the Ghana 7 Canopy... but that's story i'll narrate another day) ] Back to the Prison experience...
When John told me about his idea to organize a program at the central prison between his NGO (Mustard Seed) and mine (Harambe-Cameroon), just like with the mediterranean sea experience, I was excited by the adventure and the challenge it would be. That doesn't mean i wasn't apprehensive about it. Afterall, I had grown all my life dreading to get even a mile close to "Nkondengui."
Still, after an all-nighter at the successful Dance For Love party, on December 28th - which fundraised $4000 for two local charities; I had to wake up at 11am, to meet with the Mustard Seed team at 12:30pm infront of Nkondengui. As we drove past downtown towards the prison, fear stated sinking in my stomach minute after minute, until we arrived infront of the prison, and parked right accross. We got down of he car, met with the Mustard Seed team plus the Gospel Jam team. There we were... This is it! Some of those who had already been to the prison, advised the rest (especially women) to remove all jewelry, leave all bags behind, leave your cellies, keep some change in your hand (one-one hundred coins) - to give to the prisoners who would ask ... in short, just be vigilant!
We got through the securiy check by the police, entered the first (visitor) court yard, from which we could see the two high towers on the left and right, on which 2 female warders were walking from one end to the other, with their guns in their hands. Across from us was a big iron door, opened up, offering a view to the barb wire fence, from which some of the inmates were already grouped, and peeping through to see the new visitors. 
Afer the security-clearing, we walked under the concrete bridge connecting the two high towers, pass the barb wire fence, and into the prisoners' courtyard. It was actually not that daunting. The inmates were just like any ordinary men you'll bump into on the streets. Not in stripped white and black homogeneous uniforms. Not looking shaby. It was like arriving at a male boarding school during the afternoon recess. The courtyard was very simple, with basketball demarcation lines on the rectangular concrete floor. On the left was the male section. On the right the women section (but unfortunately they didn't join us that day). While the Gospel Jam team was setting up all the sound equipments for their live gospel concert, an inmate approached me to chat-me-up, but I quickly turned the convo into an instructive one...Me: so, howz life in prison?
Achille (not his real name): Hmm... it's not easy. I'm just counting down the days till i leave.
Me: what brought you here in the first place?
Achille: Well i was working for a company as an accountant, and I was not very serious with the money, and played around with it. I was not very serious. So the boss got me jailed.
Me: Are you sure you did not steal a bank, or kill someone? hmmm...
Achille: who? me? noh noh noh! I would never do that. Eh!
Me: Ok, Ok. so what do you do with your days?
Achille: In the morning we work a little in the backyard. we hang out. we watch TV; we play sports - football (soccer), or other. At 5pm, the courtyard is off-bounds, so we stay in our sections 'till the next day.
Me: why are there so many people locked in those section on the left side of the courtyard, instead of being here?
Achille: Those ones are the undisciplined inmate. Us here we are the disciplined ones.
Me: Oh! I see. And are there any gangs? Any inmates stabbing each others?
Achille: what? like in Prison-break?
Me: loool, yeah!
Achille: nohhhh! This is not America. In Cameroon we don't do that. It's peaceful here. It's just the food and living conditions that are terrible!
Me: So what do you eat?
Achille: I buy food from the buyam-sellams in the courtyard, or in the backyard.
Me: Oh! where?
Achille: the are buyam-sellams, shopkeepers, and people in general selling things. you just need money to buy things.
Me: That's nice. At leas, if you can have some litle money, you can avoid eating from the dinning hall.
Achille: Yes, me, I cannot eat the food here. It's disgusting.
Me: I don't doubt you.
Me: So what would be the top things you would wish to improve your living condition here in prison?
Achille: Better Food, and More rooms/ more matresses.
Me: And how do you sleep?
Achille: we are 20 people in cells meant for 6. At night you have to hustle. If you don't have a mattress, you either buy one, or you sleep outside on the floor, under the moonlight.
Me: Are you serious? (shaking my head!)
Then, the event had to start.
Achille and I bidded bye-bye. I thanked him for patiently explaining to me life in prison.
Achille and I bidded bye-bye. I thanked him for patiently explaining to me life in prison.
The Gospel Jam choir began with a smooth musical session of adoration and praise. It was beautiful! The inmates were so attentive. Some were sitted infront of the Gopel choir, others behind the row of seats reserved for the visitors, and others across fom us standing. but everyone was listening to the music. Then the choir played some upbeat, folkloric/ethnic gospel music, which hyped up the inmates. The bold ones stepped up to dance, to the loud cheers of the other inmates. It was fun man! Everyoe was just enjoying the moment. after 45 mins of Gospel concert, John stepped up to introducce the group: Mustard Seed, Gospel Jam, and Harambe-Cameroon. He passed the mic to me, so I can explain to the huge crowd the Entrepreneuship Program we will start at the Prison with them. I hadn't prepared a speech, I just spoke to them, heart-to-heart. My voice was echoing through the 4 speakers accross the prison, as I told them
"It doesn't matter where you are coming from, what matters is where you are going to. So we want you to dream of your future. We dare you to come up with projects we will help you implement. We will provide you startup capital (from $200 - $600), as long as you have an idea/project you want to start. And if your sentence will be finishing within the next year. So start thinking about it. We want to work with you."
Many afterwards approached us for more information. In most of their eyes, I saw (interestingly, more than with the students we work with) a burning desire to get the know-how on creating and implementing their business idea. Our aim is that, if we are able to empower prisoners with the skills they need to compete on the labor maket and create businesses, we will be able to address Prison-reinsertion challenges, job-availability for prisones, and avoid the prisoners to fall in the same habits that brought them to prison in he first place.
During the event, we (John and myself) would receive notes from prisoners. Most of these notes said something like :
"My name is Sam, I have 3 kids outside the prison, I don't know what to do with my life here in prison. I would like to be part of your program"
"I am Bernard, I just need 10thousand FCFA ($20) to bail me out of prison, but I don't have it. Please, can you help me?)"
" Please, I don't have a mattress to sleep on. That's why as you can see i have ecsama/rashes all over my body. Please help me."
And most, just wanted 100frs (25cents) to keep in their pockets.
For the others who had problems worth more than 100frs, we tried to speak to them to know more about their condition. We did not promise a miracle, or even to resolve their problem; but at least, maybe in just a one-sided way, we gained much by learning about some of the living conditions of the inmates.
We left the prison that day with an untangible, but real impact: First of all, the prisoners highly enjoyed the Live gospel concert, it was a First! and the First time both the warder and prisoners demanded an "encore." They are both looking forward for the team to come back. Secondly, with the sermon by the Pastor from Club 700 and Director of TBN central Africa (on the story of Zaché) many inmates were given a sense of hope and redemption, which they need to keep their head high and to redeem themselves. Thirdly, the Entrepreneurship project also gave them hope. Hope that they can come up with a business idea, for example, to start a callbox, carpentry shop, or other, and obtain the finances to startup their business.
Our visit to the Yaounde Central Prison also tremendously changed our perspectives about prisons and prisoners. I kinda feel ashamed to have ever thought of prisoners as people not worth being helped for the crimes they've done. But that, I think is a very hypocritical way of viewing our fellow humans. Because, we fall every day, and sometimes even break our social contract, soetimes we get away with it. sometimes we don't. i's important to face the consequences of our bad decisions, but we must not let that determine who we are, or who anyone else is. We cannot be reduced by, or reduce others to the mistakes, errors, or crimes they have done in the past. If they are willing to redeem themselves and start afresh, after paying their dues to society, we ought to give them a second chance, with love.
That's what the Humanity Healing Foundation (HHF) - Africa is doing in Uganda. They are bringing hope and a new chance to Ugandan inmate. In their Prison Missionary Blog, by the Humanity Healing Foundation and HHF – Africa. They state they believe in " rehabilitation, reconciliation and reintegration of former inmates back into society as productive members. We see this not only as a means to lift individuals, but as an essential public safety issue."
It’s on that blog, that I found the following quote, which I’ll conclude with; it's by Norman B. Rice, who says: "Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light."
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