Help Them Help Themselves (and a tribute to our fallen friends)

Many of you may have seen this on Facebook already, but here it is again: This is a project that a fellow volunteer started here in Ngaoundere with some of the girls that she was working with. She was teaching a business class to young women (age 16-30) who were not able to finish high school for various reasons, including marriage, pregnancy, lack of family funds, etc.

Four of the girls came up with business plans that included 29% community contribution of funds. For example, 3 of them want to be seamstresses. Their community contribution was the space and some materials. What the rest of the money will fund is sewing machines and materials for three of the girls and will act as start up money for the fourth to make a maiden voyage to a small village to buy foods to sell here in the city at a higher price.

The objective is to give these girls a chance to be financially independent. Once the money is here, it will be given to me and I will take the girls shopping for the materials. (Actually I'll probably send a Cameroonian friend with them so the vendors don't increase the prices too much for the white girl. But thats neither here nor there.) I'll be checking in on them and helping them keep track of their business revenues and expenses. I think this is a great opportunity for the girls and I'm excited to be able to work with them in my last months here.

Thanks to all of you who have donated already.

Also, I know it's been a long time since my last post, but I've been very busy with work lately. I've got some material ready to go, so hopefully soon I'll have a post up about life in the city....

And here's to some of the best (Melba Toast, Snortin Norton (not pictured), Rondo, and Houdini), we'll miss yoiu:

and just for good luck....