Emergence Foundation, Cameroon

About Emergence Foundation

Mona Partner Since 2021

Emergence Foundation for Education and Development was founded in 2003. Its mission is to bring forth the inherent capabilities of the Cameroonian people for the benefit of their society. With a focus on education, Emergence supports and enhances the educational processes within the country by implementing the Preparation for Social Action (PSA) programme which builds capacity in the local population to take charge of their own development. The capabilities acquired allows them to improve their lives and bring about progress in the community.

The Preparation for Social Action program assists in closing the gaps in Cameroon’s current system of public education. It is currently implemented in the country’s East, Centre, North and North West regions with over 1,600 graduates. The impact of the program extends to the community-at-large which also benefits from the improved quality and variety of products sold in the markets.

The Challenge

The East Region of Cameroon has very little industry. Its main commerce consists of logging, timber, and mining. Dubbed “the forgotten province”, the region is often ignored by politicians. Most of the region’s inhabitants are subsistence farmers who grow small quantities of single crops (monoculture). Another challenge is that many farmers have poor agricultural practices (planting the same nutritionally poor crop year after year) resulting in poor overall diet. Their poor diet makes them vulnerable to disease and malnutrition, especially among children.

There is little access to secondary education to raise local capacity to address this crucial need. Education is not considered a priority, especially for girls. While primary school is free, families must pay a fee to send their children to high school, which most cannot afford.

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The Solution: Emergence Programs

Preparation for Social Action (PSA)

The program, equivalent to the first two years of high school, aims to raise the capacity of students to become effective agents of change in their communities. The curriculum covers four areas: language, science and technology, mathematics, and service to the community. Those who complete the first level earn the designationPromoter of Community Well-Being.

Emergence focuses on agriculture for the social action/service component to directly address the malnutrition problems faced in the region. Courses on agriculture

provide students with the

technical knowledge to improve agricultural practices and better protect the environment while increasing and diversifying their crops.

Students and their families are guided by PSA coordinators to apply activities in the Diversified High Efficiency Plot method. Every family delineates their plot, typically 500 to 625 square meters. There are two planting and harvest seasons. Beans, corn and cassava are planted in the first season, followed by green beans and pumpkins in the second season. Pawpaw and barbadine are planted around the plots to serves as barriers.

How we help

Mona Foundation began supporting Emergence in 2021.

2023 Achievements

Faced serious challenges in 2022, including major droughts followed by flooding in the northern region.

136 participants (Promoters of Community Well-being) educated from 14 communities;
Many Diversified High Efficiency Plot and Planting crops (DHEP) still functioning
DHEP Plots range between 500m2 to 625m2 – including bean, cassava, corn and papaya.
One DHEP assisted with a well and irrigation to advance their plot of food

2024 Needs

Will continue to provide the Preparation for Social Action program to over 130 participants
Will train and reinforce 15 tutors in East and North regions to support new groups
Strengthen the plots in the East region

Updates

About East Cameroon

There is a crucial need to diversify agriculture at the subsistence level so that each household can produce and consume a variety of nutrient rich foods, thereby alleviating hunger and malnutrition and providing a source of income. There is little access to secondary education to raise local capacity to address this crucial need.

Most of the region’s high schools are located in larger villages and towns. To get to school, students have to either walk long distances each day or stay with relatives or rent rooms in town during the school year. There is no delivery system for education to take place in the rural villages.

Education is not considered a priority, especially for girls. The generally held belief that rural life is of lesser worth than urban life has led educated individuals to migrate to the cities and left rural communities without the human resources to initiate and sustain local development.

Current educational content is not relatable to the reality of students living in rural communities.

Development Indicators

To measure the success of the project, Emergence has identified the following development indicators:

• At least 115 students will enroll in and complete the training seminar. Following the seminars, the students and their families will implement Diversified High Efficiency Plots.

• Eagerness of the participants to contribute to their community using traditional and modern scientific knowledge and skills to innovate and using participatory methods and farmer networks to enhance solidarity.

• The ability to manage their own infrastructure and systems.

• The ability to produce not only for the market but also for themselves.

• Resources for their children and greater time with their family.

• Adaptability to climate change and planting throughout the year.