Annual Report 2012: The Agatha Foundation

The Agatha Foundation’s Plan of Action (POA) for 2012 entailed consolidation of the foundation’s roots in the United States of America in view of the foundation’s grand launching scheduled for the summer of 2013. After a very successful launch in Cameroon in 2011 during which the foundation secured a sizable parcel of land on which to construct a multipurpose center, the foundation devoted 2012 to broaden its base in the United States of America and get more people on board. Outreach to the broader African Diaspora Community in the United States was the corner stone of The Agatha Foundation’s programs and activities. The Foundation created a database of community leaders to facilitate outreach to the community.

In its core mission, the Foundation took an active part in the International AIDS Conference that took place in Washington DC. The Foundation designed Young Entrepreneurs Against HIV/AIDS – Y.E.A.H program whereby young people mostly orphans from Cameroon designed traditional bags that were sold at the Conference in DC. The money was then used to pay for tuition and other basic supplies for 50 kids in Cameroon. Modeled on the idea that we must outgrow foreign aid and promote trade, the foundation used its convening powers to gather these young people and help them spend their summer in a productive way. With the experience gained from this first participation, the Foundation intends to do a health seminar here in DC on HIV/AIDs during the summer of 2013 and also plan a more robust participation during the 2014 conference in Australia.

Given its roots in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and in the wake of the plethora of reflections on the MDGs beyond 2015, the Foundation convoked a series of sessions on the role of the African Diaspora in MDGs. This was to strategize on prioritizing the foundation’s programs. The foundation contributed to lots of discussions on the evaluation of Africa’s progress towards the realization of the MDGs.

Sequel to the African Youth and healthcare forum, the Foundation decided to organize a pre-school year 2012 conference for African teachers and students within the PG and Montgomery county public schools. It was a resounding success. This was meant to identify the problems African kids face within the school system as well as the teachers. Then we established a mentorship program whereby teachers paired with students to check in regularly with them about their progress in school and problems they were encountering. The Foundation also announced a scholarship scheme to recognize the best African students within the public and private school system.

In view of its commitment to promote S.T.E.M. among African students in the Diaspora, the foundation designed a research proposal seeks to evaluate the number of African students within the Prince George’s and Montgomery counties public school system with aptitude for the S.T.E.M. program. This shall be implemented in 2013 with a view to extending it throughout the greater Washington DC metro area.

As part of its dedication to outreach, the Foundation designed a robust communications strategy. It first of all rolled out its website www.theagathafoundation.org which is still in work in progress. It hired a communications consultant working on rolling out the digital platform for the organization.

Cameroon:
The Foundation focused on sustaining the different programs it had launched in 2011. Hence, the foundation continued its scholarship scheme to underprivileged children. It expanded this scheme to include children and young people from elementary through secondary and high school to university.

At the level of S.T.E.M. the foundation began exploring a partnership with the delegation of secondary education of the South West and North West regions with a view to help reinforce programs within these regions. The foundation is working on creating partnerships between public and private schools in the US and these regions so that though virtual communication there could be transfer and share of knowledge.

The central axis of the foundation’s mission in Cameroon was to provide for the kids in some orphanages in Cameroon. The foundation made food supplies and clothing to some less fortunate kids. It also made some cash donations for the daily upkeep of these orphanages.

In December, The Agatha Foundation shipped a 40 ft container to Cameroon made up of medical equipment which she distributed to private and public hospitals and clinics all over Cameroon.