School Fee and School Books Project 2024/2025

We sent 45 orphans, internally displaced and other disadvantaged children to school in the school year 2024/2025 by paying their school fees and providing school books, materials and uniforms.

Although school attendance is compulsory in Cameroon, many children in the west of the country cannot go to school because their families lack the means. The Cameroonian organisation „Concerned Minds for Habitation Securities“ (COMIHAS) therefore launched a programme in 2014 to enable children in Limbe, Buea and Tiko to attend school. Even then, around 20% of all children in the region did not attend primary school because their families could not afford school fees, books or uniforms – girls and orphans in particular were excluded. Since 2016, the political crisis in the region has displaced countless people and made the situation of many children even worse.

For some time, the political situation was so severe that many schools were closed completely. Since 2022, COMIHAS has again been raising money every year for school fees, books and uniforms – together with its partner organisation Vivantes Humanitas e.V. in Germany. In the previous year, more than 380 children were identified in the three towns who could not attend school without support.

We originally hoped to support 42 children. Thanks to our donors, 45 children were able to start the new school year in September 2024:
• G.S. Upper Coastain Tiko: 8 children
• G.S. Bota Middlefarms Limbe: 8 girls and 7 boys
• G.S. Likoko Membea Buea: 9 girls and 6 boys
In addition, 46 school uniforms were distributed. With donations collected locally by COMIHAS, local tailors were able to make even more uniforms.

In October 2024, a small ceremony was held at each of the three partner schools to celebrate the handover of the scholarships and to distribute the school books and materials. In November 2024, Karin Beese from Vivantes Humanitas was finally able to travel to the region again after many years and meet the children, teachers and head teachers in person. All supported children successfully completed the school year!

The children were selected in close consultation with the schools. The project manager at COMIHAS is Mr Etandow Randolf Agbornkwai, who has supervised the school fee campaigns since 2014. Vivantes Humanitas e.V. (represented by Karin Beese) is responsible for presenting the project in Germany and for transferring the donations to COMIHAS. As always, we keep you informed of all developments via https://www.facebook.com/comihas.de.

Please also visit our Fundraising Page for more information (in German).