Orphans on wheels project in Cameroon

RUDEC is a not-for-profit organization serving the neediest members in rural communities in Belo, North West Region of Cameroon. We have been doing this since 2006 and achieved many helpful things. Please see our progress at www.rudec.org and take a look at our most recent Newsletter attached to this page

Why motorbikes are urgently needed for RUDEC’s Orphan Care Program:

Our greatest problem has been a means of transportation to carry out our daily activities in the surrounding area. Most of these areas are very hilly and only accessible by motorbikes. Two fieldworkers from our Orphan Care Program must walk up to three hours to reach some of the children in the Kom region. This restricts our ability to distribute medicines and books and see them on a regular basis.

What we need:

We are fundraising to purchase two motorbikes.

How you can help:

There are three ways that you can help:

• support to find sponsors; or 
• donate funds to purchase a motorbike; or
• donate a motorbike 

Background

The Republic of Cameroon boasts a population of over eighteen million persons. Of this amount, approximately fifty (50) percent of the population is under the age of twenty. As a result, Cameroon boasts a nation with an extremely young population and a government of Cameroon constantly stretched to service its debt, provide suitable health care for its citizens and deal with issues of crime. The orphans within Cameroon are therefore cared for by various Non- Governmental Organizations. It is these agencies that have tried to make a difference in the lives of Cameroon’s orphans through increased access to healthcare and education. RUDEC is one such organization based in Belo, Cameroon.

Situation Analysis

It is an accepted fact that the children of today will be the leaders of tomorrow. However, in the Boyo division of Cameroon the future often looks dismal. On a yearly basis, numerous parents fall prey to a variety of diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Additionally, many children do not have full support of parents who suffer from disabilities or mental illness. These children are essentially orphans with no parents to care for them.

Accordingly to local Kom tradition, children that have lost their parents are to be cared for by relatives. Unfortunately, guardians are often burdened by their own expenses and are unable to adequately provide for their educational and health care needs. Hence, the children are reared in an environment that does not cater to the basic requirements of child development and empowerment.
Since 2008, RUDEC has tried to fill the need of these young orphans. At present, RUDEC provides financial, emotional and health care support for 52 orphans scattered across the Belo Division. The arduous task of paying fees associated with attending school, providing clothing, glasses and generally providing for these orphans has been made possible through the donations of individuals and organizations. However, as RUDEC approaches the two year mark of this capstone project, we have noted the need for independent sustainability of this project.

The most costly aspect of our Orphan Care Project is the transportation of our field workers. Each orphan is visited by a RUDEC field worker at least once every three months to ascertain health conditions, provide books and generally to ensure that the child is being suitably cared for. To visit a child, a field worker may have to walk up to three hours or must take expensive transportation. This practice is time consuming and reduces the productivity levels of our field workers. RUDEC is therefore in need of two motorbikes to transport our workers to and from the children’s homes and also as a sustainable form of transportation for persons within the Belo Division.

Overall Goal

To provide the orphans of Belo, Cameroon with the basic educational and medical support needed to support each child’s personal aspirations.

Objectives 

1. To facilitate ease of access for RUDEC volunteers to visit orphans scattered across the Boyo division
2. To increase the visits of RUDEC field workers to orphans
3. To obtain funds to pay the tuition of all our 52 orphans
4. To independently sustain the proposed transportation service within a year of its implementation 

Desired Outcome

1. To sustain the RUDEC Child Care Project program and further extend it to assist more orphans
2. Improve the lives of disadvantaged students and orphans in Belo 

Subsidiary Outcomes

1. Provide affordable transportation for the people of Belo
2. Teach by example that communities can assist in sustaining themselves
3. Provide capital to assist in other RUDEC development initiatives 

Timeline

1. Get Capital D day
2. Buy Motorbike D+15days
3. Employ Motorbike riders D+30 days
4. Pilot Project D+35 days
5. Full project take off D+45 days

Project becomes self sustaining D+365 days
 

Project Budget    

Sustainable Project Measurement/ Evaluation

The success of the project will be evaluated based on the achievement of the aforementioned objectives and proposed timeline.

1. Within the first month an evaluation will be done by Mr. Anyeah and Mrs. Nambia to ensure that the two motor bikes have been purchased and is in good working order. Additionally, the process of evaluating applicants for the job of riding the motorbikes should be ongoing.
2. Within the first six months a process evaluation will be conducted to access whether the proposed income of 70000 monthly has been earned within the last two months.
3. At the end of 365 days Mr. Anyeah and his team will assess whether the proposed goal of a yearly earning has been achieved prior to subtracting expenditures. 

Project Responsibilities and Coordination

Mr. Chiamba Joshua Anyeah possesses over ten years of experience working with Non- governmental organizations. He found his passion for serving other while volunteering for various organizations in Belo and beyond. Mr. Joshua has worked as with NGO’s such as BERUDEP,BDC limbe, the Wildlife Conservation Society in Cameroon. He has always noted the plight of the rural children, women and the unemployed of the Boyo Division especially the orphans and the lack of devoted persons to care for them. It was the plight of these individuals with the need to help others that caused him to start the Rural Development Centre in 2006. Since its inception, he has been its Director and has utilized all aspects of his experience to provide capacity building for the disadvantaged with the Boyo Division. However, the orphan care program which was started in 2008 remains closest to his heart. Mr. Joshua will therefore control the logistics of the motor bike usage as an added benefit to the Orphan Care program.

RUDEC has managed previous funding received from international donor agencies for the orphan care program. The funding is managed by Mrs. Grace Nambi, the Treasurer of RUDEC. Mrs. Grace has been a business woman for the past fifteen years. She has a great track record of ensuring that RUDEC financial status remains solvent. Mrs. Grace and Joshua will therefore be in charge of ensuring the financial sustainability of the motorbike for the Orphan Care Program.


More about us:

More about RUDEC’s projects can be found at www.rudec.org. International volunteers who can testify our work are listed on our website site; please do not hesitate to contact them.