Girls Empowerment (International Day of the Girl Child 2014) in urban and rural Cameroon

To celebrate the 2014 International Day of the Girl Child, we organized a girls’ empowerment program that included 105 students in 8th, 9th, and 10th grade.  The event included presentations by U.S. Embassy members including Cultural Attaché Merlyn Schultz.  Brice Sime, alumnus of the school, offered the feature presentation highlighting his recent participation in the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI)/Mandela Washington Fellows program.  He also discussed his life journey from LBA’s classrooms to becoming Deputy Manager of Afriland First Bank in Cameroon. 

Opening the program, LBA Principal Chi Chia Steven and Vice Principal Ngomba Namondo Brigitte welcomed his ex-student Brice Sime and U.S. Embassy staff, and thanked them for their support towards the education and empowerment of the Girl Child.  Ms. Schultz underscored the United States’ priority to promote the empowerment of women and girls, quoting Secretary of State John Kerry’s statement that “the International Day of the Girl reminds us of the need to recommit to investing in (girls worldwide) so that they can use their talents to contribute to their communities and countries.”  She also highlighted the United States’ commitment to partner with the Government, people, and all sectors of Cameroonian society to promote development through the ideas and efforts from Cameroonians for Cameroonians.

It was an amazing human experience!

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The girls concluded the day with a poster-collage session. Each girl was given a canvas to creatively express who she is and what she aspires to become.

The Girls empowerment program outreach ended with a visit to the Government Bilingual High School (GBHS) of Fundong - the alma mater of 2 YALIs Christelle Chongwain and Roland Bongko. Fundong is located about 10 hours from Yaounde, and 3 hours from Bamenda. The windy and hilly roads of this rural area led us to this classroom of teenagers of GBHS Fundaong. In a hall were we expected to have 100 students, 300 came for the program. 

GBHS Fundong - class with 300 students