When we were in Bechati last May we saw children being taught outside a school, under a tree. At first it looked idyllic, but we learned that they had no other place to go. This was their classroom.

In this region of Cameroon it is common to see overcrowding in the small schools. As a result, the youngest children get whatever is left over, which often means being relegated outdoors or pushed into older, derelict buildings nearby.

In the past, the Obakki Foundation has built extra classrooms onto existing schools, giving the younger students a better start. We have a plan to help change the future for these children, too.

One of our volunteers, Jeff, visited this school in November. He boiled down the red soil of Cameroon into a paint-like consistency and collected the children’s handprints. These prints represent the uniqueness of each child. They say to the world, “I am here. I deserve an education. I will I have a future.”

We’ve framed these prints and soon we will be selling them online. All of the proceeds will go towards building an addition onto the school so these children can have a room of their own. When you buy a handprint made with the red soil of the village, you will be telling the kids that they are not forgotten. You’ll know that you are giving one of these children the gift of education. And in Cameroon, knowledge leads to possibilities.

Stay tuned for more information on our handprint project.

Tags: Cameroon, handprint project, Orphans, Treana Peake

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 1st, 2011 at 10:41 am and is filed under Project Update. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.