They can learn in dignity
Donation protected
About me
Hello guys!
I am Nadine, a passionate marketer from Montreal and a fan of development.
In 2011, I started a blog Robin de Brousse to talk about development ( in French) and a couple of months ago, I decided to toke some time off to go back home and focus on other important things in life. I have been working very hard to make this project come to life. I hope it will inspire you to make a gift.
Many thanks to Erick Adrian who produced the soundtrack of the main video and to all of my friends who helped me make this happen.
Please donate and contact me if you have any question.
Cheers!
****************
Education is a powerful driver of development.
Did you know that about 40% of children in developing countries do not finish primary school and between 25 and 50% of primary school graduates cannot read or write?
Each year, 50 students of the primary school of Chiekouo, in a small village of Baham, Western Cameroon, defy these statistics by recording a 100% success rate to the secondary school entry exam.
How I met these children
I have a special connection with those students because my dad and uncles attended the same school in the early 50s. In January 2015, I visited the school to donate money for a library. I was touched by these kids' motivation to learn and humbled by the devotion of their teachers who continue to work hard even if they often spend months without getting paid. Coming back from that trip, I decided to do more for this school. It was like I could see my dad in each of the children and I would like to think that with a little help, they can - like my dad and uncles - become engineers or pharmacists.
Help us raise $5,000 to reward these students with a place where they can learn in dignity. Together, we can encourage many generations to break the cycle of poverty by giving them access to quality education in a safe environment.
The needs
We are planning to invest all donations to the most urgent needs and hopefully do more if the budget allows it.
Why fund this campaign?
Funding this campaign is a way to encourage a school that has proven it can deliver quality education despite the lack of infrastructures and resources. The school has been awarded several certificates of excellence over the past years.
If you think that in 2016, no child should attend a school that looks like this one. You have to make a gift today.
The students come from underprivileged families who could use the money they spend on tuition to improve their living conditions at home. But they’d rather invest in their children’s education because they want them to get a shot at a brighter future. We can encourage them by making sure the kids learn in an environment that is safe and where they have access to proper learning materials.
This campaign is about rewarding talented students with a school where they can learn in dignity.
It’s about giving hope and standing for quality education.
It’s about giving back and inspiring people.
It’s about starting a solidarity chain so that 20 years from now, former students will come back and be able to give back to the community again.
Please make a donation today
Your donation could go a long way... These are examples of what it represents.
Thank you!
********UPDATE********
Hello world!
Here is an updates on the campaign.
A few weeks ago, I went back to the village to see how the kids were doing. I was very excited to meet them and couldn’t believe how things had changed in just a year.
1) See how much the kids have grown in just a year
Do you remember those kids from the videos?
2) The crappy classroom collapsed :(
I also went to check out the classroom that was in very bad shape last time I got there. It turns out it collapsed a couple of months ago. Fortunately, the classroom had already been abandoned for safety reasons and nobody got hurt.
3) We took awkward pictures
The cookies were the stars of the day he he he
Yeah the chick with the crazy hair on the picture is moi...
4) The campaign will run till June.
We have now hit 35% of the target and I am planning to extend the campaign till June to get as much money as possible for the kids.
I have met with a contractor to have an idea of how much it would cost to build a classroom. I will give you an update as soon as I have something to share.
Thanks a lot for your support. You guys are awesome.
Nadine!
***************** End of Campaign *********************
Hello Everyone,
Last year you generously contributed to my fundraiser #LearnInDignity. Today I am excited to share excellent news to share with you.
About the campaign
We didn’t reach our $5,000 objective but reached 54% of it. But don’t worry, falling short actually challenged me to find creative ways to invest every dollar properly and maximize the impact.
A month ago, I published a blog post on my blog (in French) to officially close the campaign and report on the donations received. I am currently away on vacation but I am planning to post the same details in English as well as the details on how every dollar has been spent. Stay tuned for more information!
On April 14, just before I left Cameroon, I visited the children and I came bearing gifts from all of you. It was Easter weekend and even if there was no school that day, the children came to meet us.
How your donation helped
We turned an old terracotta house into a new classroom
First of all, we invested most of the money in the renovation of an old terracotta house to provide a proper space where children from kindergarten can start learning. The new classroom was not created from scratch but we basically altered the old house and solidified it.
To minimize expenses, I didn’t make the trip to take before photos as I already had pictures of a similar home. Here is a terracotta house that is next to the new classroom (the old house looked just like it) and you can see how we have renovated it to make better. Note however that the renovations were not completed by the time I visited the school. We were a few days behind schedule because of lack of water. We had to wait for the rains to be able to have enough water to continue the work. At the time, I was there, they only needed to finish the painting, the roof (inside and outside) and the floors around the classroom.
We chose to use most of the donation on this project because this year, the school had to squeeze all 5 classes plus the kindergarten in 2 classrooms. If you remember, last year, the children had access to 2 classrooms that were in good shape and 2 that needed serious renovations. The first of the old classrooms was already crumbling and this year, it is basically in ruins.The other one has been abandoned because it was no longer safe to keep the pupils there. The roof was falling appart and because there were no windows or doors, animals would spend the nights there. This new classroom was much needed.
Purchase enough school supplies for at least a year
Secondly, I purchased school materials (pencils, rulers, chalk, notebooks etc.) to make sure that the pupils and the teachers would have access to at least 1 year of school supply. The supplies have been distributed to every children and the remaining has been stored at the school and will be distributed next semester.
Create a safer environment
We also managed to purchase items to improve the children’s well being at school:
- 2 big tanks (50 litres each) to store fresh water
- 2 footballs to encourage the school to reintroduce sports in the program
- and finally a first aid kit.
The highlight of the day
The rest of the donations were used to purchase cookies, chocolate bars and juice to give away to the children because we asked them to come on a holiday especially for the occasion. Let me tell you that those little treats were the highlight of the day!
Your donation has gone even further
I also would like to mention that your generous gift and the #LearnInDignity initiative inspired the local elite to come together create an association to help the school in the long run. Each member would make a yearly contribution that will be allocated to paying children’s tuitions, giving scholarships or paying for teachers’ salaries. Our temporary initiative inspired a long term solution, thanks to all of you!
I am now away on vacation but I will be posting the details of how your money has been spent in 2 weeks.
For those of you who speak french, please read this blog post that I published last week with more information about how the day went.
On behalf of all the children and teachers of Chiekouo, I would like to say THANK YOU for your generous gift. Please feel free to contact me if you need additional information.
Have a great week!
Hello guys!
I am Nadine, a passionate marketer from Montreal and a fan of development.
In 2011, I started a blog Robin de Brousse to talk about development ( in French) and a couple of months ago, I decided to toke some time off to go back home and focus on other important things in life. I have been working very hard to make this project come to life. I hope it will inspire you to make a gift.
Many thanks to Erick Adrian who produced the soundtrack of the main video and to all of my friends who helped me make this happen.
Please donate and contact me if you have any question.
Cheers!
****************
Education is a powerful driver of development.
Did you know that about 40% of children in developing countries do not finish primary school and between 25 and 50% of primary school graduates cannot read or write?
Each year, 50 students of the primary school of Chiekouo, in a small village of Baham, Western Cameroon, defy these statistics by recording a 100% success rate to the secondary school entry exam.
How I met these children
I have a special connection with those students because my dad and uncles attended the same school in the early 50s. In January 2015, I visited the school to donate money for a library. I was touched by these kids' motivation to learn and humbled by the devotion of their teachers who continue to work hard even if they often spend months without getting paid. Coming back from that trip, I decided to do more for this school. It was like I could see my dad in each of the children and I would like to think that with a little help, they can - like my dad and uncles - become engineers or pharmacists.
Help us raise $5,000 to reward these students with a place where they can learn in dignity. Together, we can encourage many generations to break the cycle of poverty by giving them access to quality education in a safe environment.
The needs
We are planning to invest all donations to the most urgent needs and hopefully do more if the budget allows it.
Why fund this campaign?
Funding this campaign is a way to encourage a school that has proven it can deliver quality education despite the lack of infrastructures and resources. The school has been awarded several certificates of excellence over the past years.
If you think that in 2016, no child should attend a school that looks like this one. You have to make a gift today.
The students come from underprivileged families who could use the money they spend on tuition to improve their living conditions at home. But they’d rather invest in their children’s education because they want them to get a shot at a brighter future. We can encourage them by making sure the kids learn in an environment that is safe and where they have access to proper learning materials.
This campaign is about rewarding talented students with a school where they can learn in dignity.
It’s about giving hope and standing for quality education.
It’s about giving back and inspiring people.
It’s about starting a solidarity chain so that 20 years from now, former students will come back and be able to give back to the community again.
Please make a donation today
Your donation could go a long way... These are examples of what it represents.
Thank you!
********UPDATE********
Hello world!
Here is an updates on the campaign.
A few weeks ago, I went back to the village to see how the kids were doing. I was very excited to meet them and couldn’t believe how things had changed in just a year.
1) See how much the kids have grown in just a year
Do you remember those kids from the videos?
2) The crappy classroom collapsed :(
I also went to check out the classroom that was in very bad shape last time I got there. It turns out it collapsed a couple of months ago. Fortunately, the classroom had already been abandoned for safety reasons and nobody got hurt.
3) We took awkward pictures
The cookies were the stars of the day he he he
Yeah the chick with the crazy hair on the picture is moi...
4) The campaign will run till June.
We have now hit 35% of the target and I am planning to extend the campaign till June to get as much money as possible for the kids.
I have met with a contractor to have an idea of how much it would cost to build a classroom. I will give you an update as soon as I have something to share.
Thanks a lot for your support. You guys are awesome.
Nadine!
***************** End of Campaign *********************
Hello Everyone,
Last year you generously contributed to my fundraiser #LearnInDignity. Today I am excited to share excellent news to share with you.
About the campaign
We didn’t reach our $5,000 objective but reached 54% of it. But don’t worry, falling short actually challenged me to find creative ways to invest every dollar properly and maximize the impact.
A month ago, I published a blog post on my blog (in French) to officially close the campaign and report on the donations received. I am currently away on vacation but I am planning to post the same details in English as well as the details on how every dollar has been spent. Stay tuned for more information!
On April 14, just before I left Cameroon, I visited the children and I came bearing gifts from all of you. It was Easter weekend and even if there was no school that day, the children came to meet us.
How your donation helped
We turned an old terracotta house into a new classroom
First of all, we invested most of the money in the renovation of an old terracotta house to provide a proper space where children from kindergarten can start learning. The new classroom was not created from scratch but we basically altered the old house and solidified it.
To minimize expenses, I didn’t make the trip to take before photos as I already had pictures of a similar home. Here is a terracotta house that is next to the new classroom (the old house looked just like it) and you can see how we have renovated it to make better. Note however that the renovations were not completed by the time I visited the school. We were a few days behind schedule because of lack of water. We had to wait for the rains to be able to have enough water to continue the work. At the time, I was there, they only needed to finish the painting, the roof (inside and outside) and the floors around the classroom.
We chose to use most of the donation on this project because this year, the school had to squeeze all 5 classes plus the kindergarten in 2 classrooms. If you remember, last year, the children had access to 2 classrooms that were in good shape and 2 that needed serious renovations. The first of the old classrooms was already crumbling and this year, it is basically in ruins.The other one has been abandoned because it was no longer safe to keep the pupils there. The roof was falling appart and because there were no windows or doors, animals would spend the nights there. This new classroom was much needed.
Purchase enough school supplies for at least a year
Secondly, I purchased school materials (pencils, rulers, chalk, notebooks etc.) to make sure that the pupils and the teachers would have access to at least 1 year of school supply. The supplies have been distributed to every children and the remaining has been stored at the school and will be distributed next semester.
Create a safer environment
We also managed to purchase items to improve the children’s well being at school:
- 2 big tanks (50 litres each) to store fresh water
- 2 footballs to encourage the school to reintroduce sports in the program
- and finally a first aid kit.
The highlight of the day
The rest of the donations were used to purchase cookies, chocolate bars and juice to give away to the children because we asked them to come on a holiday especially for the occasion. Let me tell you that those little treats were the highlight of the day!
Your donation has gone even further
I also would like to mention that your generous gift and the #LearnInDignity initiative inspired the local elite to come together create an association to help the school in the long run. Each member would make a yearly contribution that will be allocated to paying children’s tuitions, giving scholarships or paying for teachers’ salaries. Our temporary initiative inspired a long term solution, thanks to all of you!
I am now away on vacation but I will be posting the details of how your money has been spent in 2 weeks.
For those of you who speak french, please read this blog post that I published last week with more information about how the day went.
On behalf of all the children and teachers of Chiekouo, I would like to say THANK YOU for your generous gift. Please feel free to contact me if you need additional information.
Have a great week!
Organizer
Nad MissMuffin
Organizer
Montréal, QC
