Help Us Rebuild Our School
Donation protected
Help Us Rebuild Our School
Dear community,
As you can see from the picture, a section of our school building that still needed renovations was completely destroyed by strong winds and rain a few months ago. The abrupt closure of our school in March due to the COVID-19 crisis has severely affected our budget and our ability to rebuild and run the school without significant help. That is why I’m reaching out to you with the hope of raising $6500 by September 5th. Those funds will help us rebuild our school before classes resume on October 5th. Please keep on reading to learn more about me, our school, and how to help us if you are able to.
*Current State of School Building (Right Section)*
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jean-Blaise Ognong. I was born and raised in Bokito, a small village in Cameroon. At the age of two, I contracted polio and survived with a leg paralysis. I’ve used crutches to get around since I was eight years old. Despite my handicap and access to very little resources, I managed to graduate from high school speaking French and English. I went on to study in the U.S, graduating from Northern Virginia Community College and graduating from Georgetown University after receiving multiple scholarships. Afterwards, I decided to come back to my village and give back some of what I had received. After teaching in various schools, I founded the OGNONG BILINGUAL ACADEMY of Bokito. The first of its kind in the area, it is a kindergarten and primary school with the mission of providing affordable and high-quality bilingual (French and English) education to disadvantaged children in this locality.
*Jean-Blaise Building Shelves for the Academy*
*Children Watching Over Jean-Blaise*
I started the school in September 2017 with only 10 students and one other teacher. I made all the furniture (desks, shelves, tables, chairs and benches) by hand, designed the math and language placement tests, and made all initial didactic materials myself in order to save funds that helped us buy books and supplies.
*Constructing and Wiring Computer Desks*
*Tailoring Uniforms for the Academy Students*
Today, we are a staff of nine teachers with more than 150 students. I recently completed setting up a fully equipped computer lab with Internet, which made us the first and only school in our district that’s capable of properly teaching the information and communication technologies curriculum. The discipline, hard work and citizenship values instilled in our students has made our school popular in a short amount of time, so much so that, we have already been featured on national television.
*Completed Computer Lab for Students*
*Group Picture of Academy Students*
We’re planning to open 5th and 6th Grades this year and we are expecting our numbers to surpass the 200 students mark, which means that we need more space. Thus, it’s urgent that we rebuild that section of our school building with wood instead of bricks as it was, because it’s cheaper and we no longer have plenty of time before school starts on October 5th here in Cameroon. According to our technicians, the construction will take two weeks to be completed and require $6,500 to complete. Here is how your donations will be used:
- Building the foundation and the floor (cement, sand, gravel, and iron bars)
- Building the walls (wood, nails, machinery costs, and paint)
- Building the roof (wavy aluminum sheets, nails, wood, rope, and flash bands)
- Building the doors and windows (wood, nails, machinery costs, and varnish)
- Covering associated costs (transportation and technicians’ fees)
I thank you all in advance for your support and encouragement. You can help us rebuild our school by directly donating here and/or by sharing the link to this page. If you have any question or would like to support us in any other way, please feel free to get in touch. Merci beaucoup!
*Academy Students Outside in the Courtyard*
*Academy Students Hard at Work*
*Academy Students Marching for National Youth Day*
Dear community,
As you can see from the picture, a section of our school building that still needed renovations was completely destroyed by strong winds and rain a few months ago. The abrupt closure of our school in March due to the COVID-19 crisis has severely affected our budget and our ability to rebuild and run the school without significant help. That is why I’m reaching out to you with the hope of raising $6500 by September 5th. Those funds will help us rebuild our school before classes resume on October 5th. Please keep on reading to learn more about me, our school, and how to help us if you are able to.
*Current State of School Building (Right Section)*For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jean-Blaise Ognong. I was born and raised in Bokito, a small village in Cameroon. At the age of two, I contracted polio and survived with a leg paralysis. I’ve used crutches to get around since I was eight years old. Despite my handicap and access to very little resources, I managed to graduate from high school speaking French and English. I went on to study in the U.S, graduating from Northern Virginia Community College and graduating from Georgetown University after receiving multiple scholarships. Afterwards, I decided to come back to my village and give back some of what I had received. After teaching in various schools, I founded the OGNONG BILINGUAL ACADEMY of Bokito. The first of its kind in the area, it is a kindergarten and primary school with the mission of providing affordable and high-quality bilingual (French and English) education to disadvantaged children in this locality.
*Jean-Blaise Building Shelves for the Academy**Children Watching Over Jean-Blaise*I started the school in September 2017 with only 10 students and one other teacher. I made all the furniture (desks, shelves, tables, chairs and benches) by hand, designed the math and language placement tests, and made all initial didactic materials myself in order to save funds that helped us buy books and supplies.
*Constructing and Wiring Computer Desks**Tailoring Uniforms for the Academy Students*Today, we are a staff of nine teachers with more than 150 students. I recently completed setting up a fully equipped computer lab with Internet, which made us the first and only school in our district that’s capable of properly teaching the information and communication technologies curriculum. The discipline, hard work and citizenship values instilled in our students has made our school popular in a short amount of time, so much so that, we have already been featured on national television.
*Completed Computer Lab for Students**Group Picture of Academy Students*We’re planning to open 5th and 6th Grades this year and we are expecting our numbers to surpass the 200 students mark, which means that we need more space. Thus, it’s urgent that we rebuild that section of our school building with wood instead of bricks as it was, because it’s cheaper and we no longer have plenty of time before school starts on October 5th here in Cameroon. According to our technicians, the construction will take two weeks to be completed and require $6,500 to complete. Here is how your donations will be used:
- Building the foundation and the floor (cement, sand, gravel, and iron bars)
- Building the walls (wood, nails, machinery costs, and paint)
- Building the roof (wavy aluminum sheets, nails, wood, rope, and flash bands)
- Building the doors and windows (wood, nails, machinery costs, and varnish)
- Covering associated costs (transportation and technicians’ fees)
I thank you all in advance for your support and encouragement. You can help us rebuild our school by directly donating here and/or by sharing the link to this page. If you have any question or would like to support us in any other way, please feel free to get in touch. Merci beaucoup!
*Academy Students Outside in the Courtyard**Academy Students Hard at Work**Academy Students Marching for National Youth Day*Fundraising team (2)
Nuno Pereira
Organizer
Seattle, WA
Jean-Blaise Ognong
Team member