Education and Food | The Agatha Foundation | Charity and Outreach Programs in Cameroon

sitting children Many children drop out of school because they have to go to the farms and work for food. Some perform poorly in school for lack of food. While hunger plays an impactful role in education in Africa, so too does obesity.

Feed the Hungry and Trim the Obese:
Energized by the Gospel invitation: “Give them something to eat yourselves,” The Agatha Foundation seeks to provide food for hungry kids program and will collaborate with different city schools system to make food available for hungry kids in Africa. Nutrition and portion sizes are key components in the campaign against obesity.

STEM:
Children Receiving Two pillars of The Agatha Foundation are education and healthcare. Our primary target groups are women and children/young people. Inspired by the expression, knowledge is power; we believe the primary means of empowering women and young girls is by providing them with knowledge.

There is so much talk in the world today about unemployment. This is the scourge of our time and young people are the most impacted. Even though the population of the world is 60% youthful, more than 75% are today unemployed. Of this number, more than 80% are women.

The key to competition is in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The Agatha Foundation has as primary initiative the promotion of STEM among underprivileged girls in the DC Metro area.

lady talking to children in a feeding event

Within the DC metro area, we seek to partner with the science flagship programs in Montgomery and Fairfax counties. First of all, take count of the number of immigrant girls enrolled in these programs. Then, we shall establish mentorship programs and capacity building initiatives to bring in more girls into these programs. Organize an exchange program with the best of both programs coming together in a rotating fashion.

In Cameroon, we currently run a STEM After School program for children from form 4 to high school.

group of children together with the healthcare staff
KIDS INTEGRATION DEVELOPMENT SERVICES – K.I.D.S

This program is designed primarily for immigrant children entering the US school system. With the help of immigrant teachers and immigrant peers, we intend to help them adapt to the local environment and deal with the cultural shocks.

Hence in August every year, prior to the beginning of the school year, we shall get a three days’ conference for all immigrants. During these days, we shall assess what the needs are and then design a monthly program to help them cushion these. We shall provide social services to these children; run an ESOL program to complement and fast track progress for those who need these services.
Organize a parents’ conference to assess the needs of parents and to apprise them of scholarship opportunities and their responsibilities.

Library:
The Agatha Foundation has set up a public library in Limbe, Cameroon. This library serves not only the children, high school and university students but also serves professionals like medical Doctors for research, training and educational purposes.

Scholarship
We create opportunities for children to pursue their education and align this with a nutritional program. Proper nutrition and the availability of food should be simultaneous to education.

These scholarship programs we have in place will open doors for children who work in farms or those to have to maintain a livelihood to sustain their daily needs. Scholarships are open to promising youth who have a dream of graduating, to follow the path in earning a degree and becoming professionals.

More often than not, those who do complete their education through our scholarship programs will come back to their home tribes and apply what they learned to better shape the future of their communities.