No Child Left Behind in Cameroon

Hi my name is Rose Ibie and I am fundraising for an organization in Cameroon called Beatrice City Childrens Foundation (BCCF) in Kumba, southwest region. BCCF has enrolled 20,000 internally displaced children in school due to the Cameroon Anglophone crisis. We need help to pay the tuition for children to attend school. BCCF workers registering children for school are shown in the picture above and in the video below the children are being interviewed by BCCF worker.

#BringCameroonChildrenOutoftheForest

#NoChildLeftBehindinCameroon

My detailed story is below:

My name is Rose Ibie and I am USA citizen who immigrated from Cameroon. In April 2021 I returned to Cameroon with the goal to help displaced children and provide them with an opportunity to go to school. I worked with community leaders and local government officials to establish the Beatrice City Children’s Foundation (BCCF). The name originated from Beatrice Dibange who lived in Bafaw Village in Konye Subdivision of Republic of Cameroon, West Africa. Beatrice was an enterprising and kind-hearted woman and was loved by all, especially children. Although Beatrice is deceased her memory lives on as she was an icon to her village due to her generosity and love for children.

BCCF was organized on June 1, 2021 in Kumba as a nonprofit organization and I am the chief executive officer and we have the following other officers: vice president, secretary general, financial secretary, treasurer, public relations officer, human resources, health educationist, and legal adviser. Our mission is “No Child Left Behind In Cameroon.”

BCCF’s objectives are:

1) to foster education and empowerment of vulnerable persons for a sustainable living,

2) to have an open-door policy to other organizations and charity organizations that share the same goals and objectives and can help foster realization

3) to provide trade and skill learning

4) to provide shelter and assistance to the most vulnerable

Cameroon is in the mist of the Anglophone crisis (English speaking crisis). Due to the crisis children are internally displaced and the children in the northwest and southwest regions are living in the forests or towns and are not attending school. Many of the children are separated from their parents and are fleeing to the forest for safety.

BCCF first goal was to enroll in scholl at least 1,000 children who are of school age (0-18 years) by September 2021. BCCF began to enroll children in the summer 2021 and our goal was exceeded. There are now 20,000 children enrolled in the schools in the southwest region of Kumba, Cameroon.

As the CEO I assembled a team of 50 BCCF workers to go into the forests and villages in the southwest region to locate children who were living in the forests and try to convince them of the importance of having a formal education. Many of the children are orphans who are struggling to survive in the forest and have not attended school for 4 years. Our workers traveled to the regions and went into the forests and talked with the children. They were able to offer them an opportunity for food, shelter, and education. The workers brought the children to abandoned school buildings or uncompleted buildings in Kumba. They registered the 20,000 children in different schools and provided the children with food and minimal toiletries. Children are sleeping on the floors, wood benches, or mats in the schools or buildings.

BCCF needs funding to continue their work to provide education for these children. to buy books, pay tuition, improve the buildings and provide a learning opportunity for these children. In addition, BCCF needs funding to provide the children with food, personal hygiene items, clothing, and toiletries.

The requested funding of $50,000 would be the start-up fund that would be used to pay the initial tuition costs for some of these children. Our secretary general and financial secretary are meeting with school officials to negotiate a discount on tuition fees for the children. As the CEO for BCCF I plan to continue to reach out and meet with charitable organizations and other funding sources to raise funds for BCCF and to continue our good work to educate the children and to provide them with housing, food, and a safe living environment.