Sarah and Leanne tour the North West with RUDEC

 Sarah and Leanne tour the North West with RUDEC

I had always wanted to see the mountainous beauty of North West Cameroon. I had heard stories of endless savannah stretched across rolling hills and soaring peaks, of mythically-loaded waterfalls and volcanic crater lakes hidden amidst dense forest. I’d heard travellers’ tales of Fon palaces and small villages that could be hiked to and explored by foot or by motocylcle. So, when my friend Sarah decided to come visited me in Cameroon, I knew exactly the region we should go travelling in!

 And I wasn’t disappointed. We spent three days in Belo, a small town about 15 minutes from Bamenda and used it as a base to explore and weave our own stories of a magically beautiful place. Thankfully, we had heard about RUDEC from a friend who had travelled with them over Christmas and had been in touch with Joshua who turned out to be a real gem of a guide.

What I discovered during our brief stay was that everything I’d heard about the region was not an exaggeration!

Day 1: Ndawara Tea Estate

When we arrived in Belo, we were warmly welcomed by Joshua who lead us to the cosy volunteer house where we ate breakfast, chatted and got to know each other. After resting a bit we, we headed off on our first excursion: a trip to a tea estate on a neighbouring mountain peak. Not wanting to hike all the way up the mountain, we took motorbike taxis up the rocky road through magnificent scenery: bright green hills with dramatically dropping cliffs and misty, blue mountains in the distance.

Being the tea-lovers that we are, Sarah and I both found the (free!!) tour of the tea estate fascinating. Dismounting the bikes, we were hit by the sweet smell of tea all around us – a smell we have been used to encounter only in our tea-cups! Joshua took us first to meet the manager who answered some of our questions, showed us some pictures and passed us on to our guide for the morning. We were then shown how the tea was dried, shredded, oxidised and packaged, and when we left we were given free boxes of tea to take home.

                

We hiked from the tea estate back down to Belo – a hike of about 4 hours through the same magical scenery we had witnessed on the way up. Fortunately, we missed the rains that day (thankfully, it was still only the beginning of the rainy season), but that evening they poured down and we had the joy of listening to it from the cosy abode of our beds, with hot cups of fresh tea!

Day 2: Mount Oku Crater Lake

The bike ride to the lake took us over soaring peaks, down into lush valleys and through tiny mud-hutted villages, past farmers in their fields and tumbling waterfalls, over peaceful rivers and across grassy plateaus. In all honestly, I have never been on a more beautiful bike ride in all my travels. I barely noticed that it lasted for two whole hours (one way) and that the pathway was often bumpy and muddy; I only had eyes for the landscape.

We reached Lake Oku in the late morning, where we bumped into the brother of a friend who also happened to be travelling in the area. The peaceful blue-green waters of the lake, surrounded by forest, made for a restful picnic spot and the three of us ate, dipping our toes in the cool waters, while Joshua narrated the stories and myths of the sacred lake and its spirits. He then took us up to a viewpoint from which we could see the lake stretched out amongst the forest below. Up there in the cool breeze, with that view before me, I was pretty sure I would never see anything as beautiful in the rest of my travels.

Day 3: Mbingo Waterfall Hike

Both Sarah and I had thought that nothing could beat the scenic ride to Lake Oku. We were wrong: the following day we encountered scenes that surpassed everything we had witnessed before. Joshua took us and Sean on a 6 hour circular hike to a nearby waterfall. Part of the journey included a stretch of hiking along a mountain ridge which overlooked Belo and its surrounding villages on one side, and wild grasslands with Fulani cattle herders and wondering horses on the other.

   

At the waterfall, we picnicked and swam in the cool waters. Climbing over rocks, we made our way to the foot of the waterfall where a sweet pool welcomed us. After about an hour of swimming and resting, we started the hike back to Belo.

Thanks to RUDEC

All in all, our stay in Belo was made as wonderful as it was because of the efforts of Joshua and RUDEC. Throughout, Joshua was a reliable, knowledgeable and safety-conscious guide who made all our excursions flow as easily as the rivers. By ourselves, we would not have been able to negotiate all the transport, find the right paths or learn about the area as we did. "See our tourism  page at www.camast.com by Joshua"

We also found the volunteer house warm and welcoming. For only 2000 CFA per person per night, it provided a homely sanctuary for our time in Belo and also the opportunity to meet other volunteers working in the area and listen to their stories and knowledge. What’s more, we were also offered help in the form of a cook and someone to wash our big load of dirty travellers’ laundry, for which we were only asked to give a donation. 

Yet perhaps the best part of travelling with RUDEC is knowing that our guide and accommodation money is all going to a good cause. During our time in Belo, we learnt a lot about RUDEC and the work it does, met the people behind it and saw its impacts; I’m happy that I was able to support an organisation that I respect while having a quality vacation at the same time.

Thank you, Joshua! And thank you, RUDEC! We look forward to coming back for more.

By Leanne (SA) and Sarah (UK)

A DREAM COME TRUE

RUDEC Cameroon stared in 2006 and now has more than 55 orphans on its list. These orphans live with their extended families in outlying villages. RUDEC through its sponsor an orphan project, want to help orphans reach their aspirations of education.

To do an effective job and maintain our presence in the lives of these children we need to visit the homes and communities where they live.  The staff and volunteers of RUDEC reach out to children because they want to see how they are doing in school and at home. The purpose of the project staff visits are to get them to hospital, if they are sick, pay schools fees and exam fees and surprise school visits to check on school attendance. This had been done on foot for the past 6 years.  RUDEC, volunteers and partners were struggling to have a means of movement and the mountainous terrain and long distances make visits difficult.

A widow, who saw our struggles, told us that she has an old motorbike that could help us reach out to areas of our activities if we could pay for it. We quickly accepted the offer and started sharing with our volunteers, partners and friends who knew how it was hard for us to reach the children without a means of movement. Couple with the facts that hiring a bike was not easy when we have emergencies and doing work at our conveniences, CameroonOne decided to pay for the bike that would help us reach our objectives.

Getting this bike has cut down the money we used to hire a bike for home visits, payment of school fees and hospital visits. It will make it possible for RUDEC to have closer communication with the rural families we are aiming to support, thereby increasing our effectiveness.

Thank you to everyone who has helped

Extending Our Reach

One of the main aims of RUDEC is to help orphaned children continue with their schooling, especially those living in a rural setting. Sometimes this is hard to achieve because of lack of funds, difficult accessibility and the problem of identifying those in need. If you were just to arrive in rural areas and start inquiring too many people would come forward, and the problem would come in selecting those most in need.

The other day Joshua was approached by a pastor as he was walking in town and the pastor told him about a widow who was determined to send her children to school but was really struggling with paying the fees. She lived in a village almost 2 hours drive from Belo. The pastor was impressed by the character and determination of this woman and appealed to RUDEC to help.

Josh and I decided to take a trip to visit the woman and assess the situation. We had to take a shared taxi to a town 25km away, called Fundong. Taking a shared taxi in Cameroon is an interesting experience, a small 5 seat car, is expected to carry 8 people!! 4 in the back, 2 in the passenger seat and the driver and 1 more passenger on the driver’s seat! This always makes for a fun journey, especially when the boot is overloaded with any manner of things, from chickens to petrol and the roads are steep, curvy and potholed, none of which hinder the driver in his attempts to drive as fast as possible! Just another day in Cameroon.

Once reaching Fundong we had to get a motorbike taxi to take us the rest of the way. The “roads” were extremely steep, either dirt or stone tracks which were sometimes so steep we had to get off and walk up. The scenery was stunning and the undulating landscape of the hills spectacular. We passed through many small villages of traditional mud brick homes, some with the original thatch but some with the more practical zinc roofs. Everywhere we passed, people waved and smiled and news spread fast of the “whiteman” in the area!

We had a few days of unseasonal rain this week, which was good for our journey as it meant the dust in the air had reduced, meaning we had a much clearer view of the scenery and we didn’t get covered in red dust whilst on the bike. However it also washed away some parts of the trail and made other parts very muddy. Our bike rider was extremely good, which was fortunate, as otherwise I think we would have fallen a few times.

The village we were visiting is called Bolem, it has a population of around 1200. All people in this area live without power and running water. They have to trek 2 to 3 hours to reach the nearest town for most supplies. There is no phone network, unless they reach the top of some of the surrounding hills, but they can only charge phone if they walk to town. Most people live as subsistence farmers, growing small amounts of crops for self consumption. Any excess can be sold or traded with neighbours. It is a hand to mouth existence, which is why many struggle to pay school fees for their children, meaning that many just drop out from school and will continue living the same kind of life as their parents.

We arrived at the compound (family dwellings) of the lady in question, Matilda, by 9am. We were warmly greeted by her and her elderly parents. Josh, myself and the driver were welcomed inside and given the traditional staple Cameroonian food to eat, being “fu fu” corn and green vegetables. The compound consisted of 4 mud brick homes, set around a dirt courtyard. Matilda’s home is a traditional 1 room house, with a fire pit in the centre for cooking and beds around the sides. 5 people live in this room, Matilda, her 3 daughters and her mother. They had to share 3 beds. The room is very dark and everything is black because of the cooking that takes place on the open fire. There are guinea pigs in the room on the dirt floor, which the family raise and then eat. They have to store everything they need to live in this one room. But despite it being cramped, it is clean and tidy. It is a really privilege to be welcomed into somebody’s home and to see a completely different way of living.

Matilda has 3 children, she had been widowed twice. Her middle daughter, Annabel, is 15 years old and has been going to school up to form 1. She is a very bright girl, who is consistently top of her class and who enjoys school. She wants to be an accountant. This year, however, Matilda has struggled to pay the 30,000 Francs (around 37GBP or $60) for the year’s school fees and Annabel has been chased from school on many occasions in the past term.

We went to visit the school, GTC Bolem, which is in the most stunning location, high up in the hills, on a small plateau with amazing views. The school is quite small with only 72 pupils from Form 1 to Form 4. GTC stands for Government Technical College. The school only has 2 classrooms. We were warmly welcomed by the new head teacher, who was just appointed 2 days before we arrived. The school is lacking in almost all areas and resources are almost non-existent but the pupils and teachers are keen and enthusiastic.

Annabel and her mother were very happy when we paid the school fees for this year. Annabel promised to keep working hard and to make the best of this opportunity. I was very impressed by Matilda’s spirit and determination that her children go to school, despite herself never having completed primary school. She wants them to have more opportunities in life than she had. It is always nice to meet people who have such a spirit and because of this I decided, through RUDECs sponsor a child program, to sponsor Annabel’s school fees until she completes her schooling. The cost of a year’s school fees is what we might spend on a night out back home and hopefully it can make a big difference to Annabel’s life and through her, her family.

The journey back down the mountain was just as beautiful, exciting and adventurous but I went down with a much better understanding of the kind of life, the Kom people of these hills live and the challenges they face every day, but they do this in a positive and heart-warming way.

Our First Graduation

This weekend we celebrated with one of RUDECs orphans as he graduated after a 3 year welding apprenticeship. Marcel has been sponsored by RUDEC since 2008. He is 17 years old and lives with his maternal aunt and uncle, who have been taking care of him since his parents’ deaths. At first he was attending school but then he found that academic work wasn’t for him so he requested to be allowed to learn a trade. Joshua agreed and in July 2009 Marcel began training at Simple Boys welding and metal workshop in Belo. Here in Cameroon the families of young people who want to learn a trade are required to pay the owner of the business, the Patron, a fee to teach their child. RUDEC undertook to pay these fees for Marcel. He worked hard and along with 2 other apprentices, he was ready to graduate at the beginning of 2013.

Joshua, myself and Phil were invited to the ceremony which was held at the Patron’s house in an area high above Belo. We arrived on time but in true Cameroonian style most people didn’t! There were more than 200 people in their best clothes there to witness the boys’ big day. There was music, speeches and prayers and it was interesting to be the only “visitors” once again. Many other trades people attend graduations and those graduating distribute small amounts of money amongst them. They are demonstrating that they are men now and that they are ready for work.
The boys were given certificates and sprinkled with water by their Patron. This symbolises that they have learnt from him and passed through his care, the patron is cleaning their eyes so they can see the correct path to take and to encourage that they should follow his example.
As part of the graduation ‘fee’ the families of the boys have to provide drinks and food which are then given to the “important” guests. We were invited by Marcel’s family to eat with them in a nearby house and the traditional Cameroonian meal was delicious, although we did have to eat with a rather large audience and they had reserved enough food for 6 people especially for us and expected us to eat it all! The hospitality of people here is fantastic and it was a great experience to be welcomed so warmly. The ride back down the mountain was fun, 4 on a motorbike that really belonged on the scrapheap, on a potholed, steep, stone strewn, dirt track..all part of the adventure!

One big problem here is when young people graduate, whether as welders, tailors or carpenters, they often can’t afford the basic tools they need to start a business and jobs are scarce and hard to come by. Most patrons like having apprentices because they don’t have to pay any wages. There were several young men at Marcel’s graduation that completed their apprenticeship last year but are still unable to work because of these reasons. It is a real struggle for young people to get on to the work ladder.

So we decided, with some of the money kindly donated by my friends and family, to buy Marcel the tools he needs to begin his own workshop. We hope that one day he will be able to pass on his skills to another child sponsored by RUDEC, so that the cycle of help can continue.

This morning he came with his aunts, uncle and cousin to receive the tools. They were extremely happy. The uncle made a moving speech about the value of RUDEC in Marcel’s life so far and how these tools represent more than just tools. They will provide for him as long as he continues to work hard and they are what will enable Marcel to have a home, family and wife in the future.

Kom Cultural Festival.(Njong)

One of the benefits of volunteering with RUDEC is that it brings you into direct contact with local people and their culture and customs. Volunteering is a great way to give something back to society whilst experiencing a different way of life and you will really begin to understand the country you are in, in much more depth than a regular “tourist” who just passes through places.

Last week, here in the ‘Kom’ region of Cameroon, we were lucky enough to experience a cultural highlight. Once a year on the 5^th January the ‘Fon’ or Chief of the Kom people holds a gathering called Njong, high in the mountains, at his palace in Laikom. This is the time of year when Kom people, who historically come from this area of Cameroon and some who have relocated, come from all regions to pay their New Year respects to their Chief.

This is the ceremony where, traditionally, the people displayed their strength of arms, to show the Fon that they were ready to face any possible invasions in the coming year. Nowadays the threat of war has gone but the Kom people still hold tight to their traditions. So they bring their cutlasses and guns and demonstrate their power to all those gathered.

Some of us volunteers decided to make the trek up to Laikom to see the happenings! It was a beautiful but steep trek up the mountain, through open pastures, rocky fields, dense woodland and small streams. We hardly saw anyone on the walk up but when we reached the top we were greeted by hundreds of Cameroonians, all in their traditional colourful and elaborate Dallah costumes. It was a spectacular sight. Each group of men from different villages were in matching costumes and they took it in turns to go and make an offering to the Fon and then to demonstrate their weapons. There were a lot of guns fired into the air that day! A festival like this would never be possible in the western world and it took a while to get used to seeing everyone walking around with a shotgun!

It was interesting to see the different clothing style of the few Fulani people who were present, they are a neighbouring tribe, whose stature, complexion and features are quite distinct and also whose traditions and costumes vary greatly from their Kom neighbours.

Traditional food of foufou, which is the Cameroonian staple, made of maize flour and water, katikati, which is chicken and njemajema, being green vegetables, was served and then eaten with the hands. We attracted a lot of attention, with many people taking photos of us whilst we were eating. I guess it’s only fair, as we were taking pictures of them firing guns and wearing their costumes!! And in true Cameroon style there was beer available.

The Fon has many wives and dozens of children, each of his wives has her own house within the palace. When a Fon dies his brother takes his place and also inherits all his late brother’s wives. As we were the only “visitors” present, we were shown the palace, given palm wine to drink and were greeted by almost everyone we passed, so much hand shaking! This is one of the benefits of ‘living’ in a country rather than just travelling, really getting up close to a culture and interacting with the people.

NEW YEAR GREETINGS FROM CAMEROON!

2013 is here, another new year. We don’t know what it which challenges or rewards it may bring but here at RUDEC we know we will continue to work towards improving the lives of underprivileged residents in Belo.

This year RUDEC hopes to extend it’s sponsor an orphan program to be able to help more children go to school. It also wishes to welcome more volunteers than 2012, build on existing projects, ensuring that they are viable and sustainable and to introduce new programs and ideas.

To all our sponsors, followers, volunteers and friends we wish you all the best for 2013, may all your goals be achieved.

At the Christmas party we asked the children to write or draw something about RUDEC, their thoughts or hopes. Here are a few things that they wrote.

NADINE MULONG NANGE aged 14

I thank you people for taking me to be among this group for help. I am so happy that I have an education. I promise to work harder in school because education is the key to success. By all possible means I will have the key of success in my life, which is education.

JOYCELINE CHIAMBAH aged 14

RUDEC has helped us in many ways like paying our school fees before the start of the academic year, giving us food to eat during Christmas. Whenever we are sick they take us to the hospital and after every year we have to go and check whether each of us has any illnesses like AIDS, malaria, eye problems, toothache, ear problems and they even give us a uniform after every year and buying books, pens, pencils etc. Some people take education for a joke; for example I know this term I played a lot and I failed but I promise this term I will make you people to smile. I think RUDEC has helped me in many ways. I am proud of my lucky.

BORIS NTAM aged 14

I wish continued prosperity for RUDEC and may God help keep it to higher heights and we the pupils pledge to put our best order to achieve it.

                                         

EVETTE NYUONGOU MUSI aged 16

I want to thank you for your kind and caring attitude towards me. Without you I wouldn't be where I am today. In fact, I did not know I would ever be in secondary school. I don’t know how to appreciate you but God will bless and reward you. And I pray and believe that God is going to guide me so that I should make you proud of me and fulfil my dreams.

Kelly 07/01/2013

ORPHANS ON WHEEL PROJECT

 Support RUDEC’s

 ‘Wheels for Orphans Project’

RUDEC supports orphans in the hilly district of the Belo region. Fieldworkers provide orphans with emotional support, health checks, medicines and books but they have to walk up to three hours to reach them. Motorbikes are the only effective means of transport to visit the orphans on a regular basis.

Here is a typical story…

Quiline & Christel

Christel and Quiline are 12 and 13 years old. They lost their parents through TB/AIDs and now lives with other orphans in Anyajua, a village three hours walk from RUDEC. A typical community comprises 1 – 5 orphans who live with a dedicated foster aunt or grandmother. The children are often lacking good health, and many had a traumatic start in life or neglected. Clinton relies on RUDEC to pay school fees and supply medicines, glasses and clothes. Local schools also require education materials. Using motorbikes we could reach Christel and Quiline on a regular basis and provide the necessary support he and 55 other orphans need.

The project seeks to be self-sustaining through bike hire as we shall put them on the roads as a means to help local people with transport and also run our projects activities. Riders would be ready at all times to get kids to the hospital as the needs arise. We shall provide a general community support as these would be emergency support services provided by RUDEC.

With two motorbikes and additional funds we could:

·        Support fieldworkers to visit orphans on a regular basis

·        Pay orphans tuition fees, books, glasses and clothes

·        Reach many more orphans in surrounding villages

·        Support schools to educate the orphans 

How you can help

·        Raise money – organise a fundraising event

·        Email this page to friends and family and work colleagues

·        Donate directly online easily and safely with a credit/debit card. 

·        Make single or regular donations - the money goes directly to the support programme

What your donation will pay for:

Item	Transportation Scheme Costs
	English £	American dollar $	Cameroon CFA
Two bikes (to be purchased in Bamenda, Cameroon)	1948	3,080	1,500,000
Safety helmet (to be purchased in Bamenda Cameroon)	218	345	168000
*Local taxes	91	144	70,000
*Maintenance costs	130	205	100,000
*Fuel costs	1519	2402	1,170,000
*Payment to riders	623	986	480,000
	Fieldwork support costs
*Tuition fees x 55 orphans (RUDEC pays fees to Parent Teachers Association on behalf of the orphans)	844	1335	650,000
*Medicines and glasses x 55 orphans	473	747	364,000
*Books x 55 orphans	810	1281	624,000
Clothes and one pair of shoes x 55 orphans	675	1068	520,000
Appeal target Total	7331	18924	5646000

*Costs are for one year

You could also choose to donate just for one item on the list of needs

Paypal instructions about here at http://www.rudec.org/donations  Please specify ¨Motorbike project¨ on the paypal detail description area