Cameroon: Government lays groundwork for education of community leaders
By Shout-Africa Cameroon Correspondent – A delegation from the Arizona State University, USA, that visited some orphanages in Douala in view of setting up a library and computer lab for Orphanages.
Staff of the Arizona State University led by Dr. Marek Wosinski, UCP-SARnet Facilitator held discussions with staff of some orphanages in the economic capital, Douala, over the week-end. This follows the presentation to the officials of the Ministry of Youth Affairs last November 29 of a plan of creating a model of collaboration between the government, local universities, community organisations and global organisations involved in realisation of the Millennium Development Goals.
Today the delegation visited the Nouvelle Destinée, an orphanage hosting 50 children between 1-16 years and DORCAS Association. Discussions with staff of DORCAS Association, an association regrouping all orphanages in Douala, centred on possibility of placing orphanages in Cameroon, like in other countries of the continent, on a website to help philanthropists and generous individuals the world over have access to structures hosting orphans. They promised a set up a Computer Lab for orphanages in Douala and library for schools. The goal is to encourage direct funding and aid to orphanages while improving the futures of such children. Also, the collaboration which encourages government to include study modules on community leadership in all state universities equally seeks placement opportunities for the students with orphanages. “Orphanages are structures for good community leadership experience,” Dr. Marek Wosinki.
Through its programme dubbed University-Community Partnership for Social Action Research (UCP-SARnet), the University will collaborate with the Cameroon government in the area of educating community leaders. In other African countries, Kenya for example, this model with the support of African Union and World Youth Alliance will be implemented. Government has promised support for the project and advised close collaboration between UCP-SARnet, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education, as well as with the US Embassy in Cameroon.
UCP-SARnet is expected to present to all three parties involved a detailed plan of action in which the first implementation step will be the Regional Leadership Summit in August 2012. Osee Romeo Lieberman, Regional Coordinator of the network for Africa & North America, explained that the new strategies can help integrate and develop the appropriate pedagogy as holistic education systems responsive to our needs and to build dynamic knowledge societies. “The education focused on population as a human capital can result in individual and societal benefits, if it leads of course to effective teaching and learning.”
