Luena Foundation & Action For Change
Action for Change is a development-driven nonprofit organization registered in Cameroon with the mission of empowering and improving the living conditions of children, women & disadvantaged rural and indigenous communities in marginalized southwest English-speaking region of the country with a focus on education, community development, water, hygiene and sanitation, environmental protection and the promotion of livelihood initiatives, poverty alleviation and economic autonomy for the less privileged.
PROJECT 1: Buea Primary School Latrine Construction & Clean Drinking Water Scheme
Project: construction of a four compartment, gender-sensitive pit-latrine, extension of pipe-borne clean drinking water to the school, provision of classroom furniture (50 desks)
Location: Muea Village, Buea Town, South West Region of Cameroon
Muea village has a growing population of over 5,000 inhabitants of which 98% practice subsistence agriculture for survival. Most families i earn less than $2 USD a day and live below the poverty line as defined by UN. Illiteracy and birth rate in Muea village is quite high with girls being most vulnerable. Cholera outbreaks in the village, especially among the children, were frequent occurrences due to the lack of safe drinking water at the school and the practice of open defecation. School classrooms in the region have become overcrowded due to the influx of IDPs fleeing the ongoing Anglophone Crisis in the northern part of the country, and in Muea Primary School’s case, many children were forced to sit on the floor during class due a lack of sufficient desks and chairs.
Our donation of $5,000 was used to construct a four compartment, gender-sensitive pit-latrine (separate sections for boys and girls), extend pipe-borne clean drinking water to the school and provide 50 desks for the classrooms. Our efforts benefit the 440 children attending Muea Primary School and their six teachers.
The project was deemed of high importance by the community and beneficiaries because it would enhance education (increase classroom retention rates), ensure hygiene and sanitation, eliminate all forms of preventable diseases and deaths resulting from poor hygiene and sanitation (including COVID-19) and drinking of contaminated water.
PROJECT 2: Kombo Primary School Latrine Construction & Clean Drinking Water Scheme
Our donation of $3,500 was used to construct a four compartment, gender-sensitive pit-latrine (separate sections for boys and girls), extend pipe-borne clean drinking water to the school, construct a hand-washing facility and provide hygiene sensitivity and COVID-19 prevention training. Our efforts benefit the 344 children attending Kombo Primary School and their six teachers.
Project: construction of a four compartment, gender-sensitive pit-latrine, extension of pipe-borne clean drinking water to the school, hand-washing facility, hygiene sensitivity and COVID-19 prevention training
Location: Kombo Village, Buea Town, South West Region of Cameroon
Kombo village community is a typical slum in the south west region of Cameroon, with above 95% of households living below the UN poverty line. The community has a growing population of over 6,000 inhabitants who are primarily poor peasant farmers with very low income. Women and children constitute a majority of the population. Kombo village is one of the host communities for IDPs (internally displace persons) who have fled from other regions that are affected by war and insecurity. At present, Kombo village hosts about 3,500 IDPs.
PROJECT 3: Buea Primary School Roof Restoration, desks & basic school supplies
Project: to renovate the dilapidated classroom block (replace the roof, repair the floor and paint the entire classroom block) and provide basic school items (exercise books, pens, pencils, educative wall charts and essential text books)
Location: Muea Village, Buea Town, South West Region of Cameroon
The school presently has just five classrooms blocks to serve the growing school population. One of these classroom blocks was destroyed by wind in March 2020 (the roof and other items of the classroom were destroyed). The community is unable to raise enough funds to renovate the classroom block and make it conducive for teaching and learning. Pupils and teachers have no choice but to study inside the destroyed classroom block since the school enrollment has far exceeded the available number of classrooms, caused by an influx of internally displaced children entering the community for safety and education.
Our donation of $3,800 was used to renovate the dilapidated classroom block (replace the roof, repair the floor and paint the entire classroom block) and provide basic school items (exercise books, pens, pencils, educative wall charts and essential text books). Our efforts benefit the 522 children attending Muea Primary School and their six teachers. Since our first project at Muea Primary, school enrollment has increased 19%.