Community development in Cameroon

Placement number: 0215
Location:      Cameroon
Preferred Languages: English
Date:  All Year 
Minimum Period : 1 month

We are a small rural organisation that started in 2005. It is only through the efforts of our highly motivated members and the support of volunteers that we are, in turn, able to empower local communities to help themselves. We are working hard to complete our office and to achieve our objectives.

We are situated in the picturesque Bamenda Highlands, in a village called Belo. Belo is part of Boyo Division, in the Anglophone North-West province in Cameroon. The main village and the surrounding settlements are home to about 80,000 inhabitants. The nearest town, Bamenda itself, is situated 45km from Belo. There is a tarmac road between Belo and Bamenda, and it will cost you about 1.5 euros for 1 hour, travelling in a shared taxi.

There are plenty of good opportunities for walking and trekking in the beautiful local areas around the village. The dry season starts in October/November and ends in March/April. During dry season, the temperature is about 30ºC to 35ºC during the day and 15ºC to 20ºC at night. The rainy season is the rest of the year, with heavy rains in July and August. At this time, temperatures fall between 25ºC and 30ºC.

Role of Volunteer

Tourism

Conservation

School Programme

Teaching Orphans and Under Privileged Children

After school

Volunteers are needed to provide after-school tuition to children of all ages, in a variety of subjects (Mathematics, French, English, Environmental Education, Hygiene and Sciences).

Cost

You can either stay with a member’s family, where you will be hosted for free. Alternatively, you can stay in a Rest House at a cost of about 15 euros per month. The Rest House has 4 heated rooms, with a shared bathroom (toilet and shower). It also has one general parlour with a seating area and a kitchen for food preparation.

Food costs will be the responsibility of the volunteer.

As we are is in the process of expanding to hopefully become a significant presence in the Belo community, there are many important resources that we do not have easy access to. It would be greatly appreciated for any volunteer to bring whatever resources they can, such as books, computers, cameras etc. that will assist with our development. Also, due to lack of funding to initiate new projects or for the everyday needs of the organisation, volunteers are welcome to fundraise before coming to Belo to help with their work.

Travel

We can pick you up from Douala airport and take you to the village. Travelling by bus from Douala to the village will take about 7 hours. As you will appreciate, we have very few funds, so we have to request that you pay for the pick up before you arrive in Cameroon. The total fee is 40 euros, which includes the costs of transport by bus, taxi hire from the airport, and food and water needed during the journey.