SOS Schools in Cameroon

SOS Primary and Nursery School Doula

The year 2008, has just completed the first year of existence  of the SOS Primary and Nursery School as a functional facility. Composed of two cycles, the nursery and Primary, the SOS Primary and Nursery School has a staff of 215 with 67 pupils in the nursery and 148 in the primary for a total capacity of 291 seats.

The number of pupils is divided between children of the community (173) and children of the village (42), all taken in charge by seventeen (17) people with sixteen (16) permanent and one (01) stand-in.

Still being in its implementation period, the school does not yet have significant changes and illustrates itself in the mean time in gain consolidation and mark making.

At school, the children entrusted to us by families are generally of low education level. The educational staff throughout the year worked hard to reduce the delay and give them the intellectual springs to better prepare their future. Thus, the success rate at the end of 2008 was 82.64%.

On the empowerment of children, several activities were held:

• The organisation of the vote for the WCPRC (The World's Children's Prize for the rights of the child). For the first time, our school joined the rest of the children to vote for people around the world, working in a particular way for the cause of children.
• The organisation of the world peace games has been a crucial deadline in training our children for whom sport is the key element in the overall development. On this occasion, the child learns positive values of peace, tolerance, fair play, mutual understanding, respect of regulation and opponent.
• Awareness, education and information of children and families on the concept of the Rights of the Child and sexuality education.
• The establishment of an education programme.
• The holding of the ceremony of the Christmas tree with families with the distribution of gifts to the best pupils.
• The establishment of clubs at school as part of expression and involvement of children in their school. These clubs are a prelude to the introduction of The Government of Children, already operational in October 2008.
• The opening of a library with about 3,500 new books.
• Conducting a survey on the impact of family environment on school performance of children, investigation that has enabled us to target those of our pupils from very poor families that we proposed to the FSP and to the scholarship programme.
• Emphasis of bilingualism as a future integration factor of our pupils. A ceremony on the national day of bilingualism was organized in February 2008.
  

The staff of SOS Primary and Nursery school Douala has actively participated in the harmonization seminar of school programs in July 2008 at the SOS Primary School Mbalmayo.

Although our school is brand new in the area, the staff's mission is to ensure its promotion at all levels. This is how; the school took part in all the activities organised by local education authorities and major ones organised by SOS Children.
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At each of the internal ceremonies, authorities and several nearby schools have been regularly invited. The celebration of the end of the school year was the top where the most deserving pupils received awards in the presence of their parents.

Finally, several measures have been taken in the direction of targeted partners.

The flight has been taken and let 2009 be the peak of various activities to come and that only the best interest of the child be taken in account.

SOS Primary School Mbalmayo

 
During 2008, eleven years after the primary school opened, the population of our facility is summed up to 410 students with 58 from the Village and 343 from neighbouring communities, the staff that takes care of these children is the same as in 2007, seventeen (17) men and women and the recruitment of an English teacher has increased the number of benevolent from 2 to 3.
 
In the course of the year, the achievement of expected results has been the leitmotif of the activity of the caring staff, mainly in the educational field. Programs have been adequately covered and evaluations regularly done. 

Steady effort enabled us to maintain the good school results of our pupils, the success rate is summarised as follows:

• F.S.L.C. (First School Leaving Certificate): 100%
• Common entrance examination: 96%
• Entrance examination into 1st Year Technical school: 100%
• Internal examinations to upper classes: 91, 14%
  

The specialised education programme started in 2007, continued. The action of the specialised educator has been mainly focused on strengthening the capacity of educators in the identification and care of pupils in difficulties. Many pupils benefited of the re-mediation, which now has a place in our schedules.

On the advice of the specialist teacher, two children of the village with learning difficulties and subject to individual follow-up were removed from the school during the year for specialised centres best suited to their problems

The promotion of English in danger of hibernation, has experienced renewed vitality with the recruitment of a stand-in teacher to reinforce the teaching of English in classrooms.

The initiation to practical activities leading to self-employment was active during the year: kits, bags, tablecloths, food and other art objects have been made by our pupils, as part of systematic lessons and 2nd art competitions.

Harmonization of programmes:  our school received last July the teaching staff of SOS HG Primary and Nursery school Douala in relationship to a workshop on the harmonisation of educational programmes, an appropriate opportunity of exchange and consultation for the staff of these two schools.

The scholarship programme intended to promote access in our schools for children from needy families, operates since the beginning of this school year, with: nineteen (19) beneficiaries were selected by a committee on the basis of objective criteria and taken in charge by the school and the FSP.

In sports, our school illustrated itself again in 2008 at the FENASCO. The harvest was better than in previous years, with 11 medals won at the provincial and national levels and a diploma of honour, placing our school among the best in the Central Region.
 
In the cultural field, the participation of our bright students to the cultural week organized by the urban council of Mbalmayo has enabled the school to confirm all the good that is said of her and won a television set and a CitiPhone with Internet KIT.

Children's rights remained a concern in our school. Children government with the reason of being the promotion of child's right to participation is henceforth integrated into the daily life of our pupils as a real school life and a reality that they boost of. The enthusiasm of the pupils is overflowing: initiatives related to hygiene, discipline, sport and solidarity bear the mark of the children’s Government.

Training: The staff of our facility benefited of several trainings in the course of the year 2008, three organised by the school and on the competency-based approach, Internet and English.


Our main objectives for 2009:

• To consolidate our gains;
• Increase the Defence and Promotion of the Rights of the Child;
• Give to many needy children access to quality education;
• Promoting English;
  

SOS Nursery School Mbalmayo

In the course of the year 2008, the number of the SOS Nursery School Mbalmayo slightly increased, from 145 to 150 children, with only 4 children of the village. The staff assuring the care of these children is composed of 12 permanent co-workers. The only change that occurred within this staff is the recruitment of an English teacher. In fact, since 2008, bilingualism in the Mbalmayo SOS Nursery School is no longer a project but it is effective, with the presence of "Anty Lydia" who, in addition of animating the library, is responsible to make our little ones, ambitious bilinguals.

As part of their participation for the SOS Nursery School Mbalmayo in the World Peace Games, our children presented a traditional pygmy dance of eastern Cameroon, under a hail of ovation from co-workers and partners invited to the occasion.

Throughout the year the pupils conducted various educational activities, this is how those of the big section made a visit to the dentist, who gave to each of his visitors a kit and a cartoon on dental hygiene.

The visit of a super market was also a rich expression opportunity for our children in September, they were able to buy, taste, and even imitate the seller, they pushed carts and brought back a lot of candies to school. In watching them, one could have the feeling of perfect happiness.

Exchanges between the SOS Nursery School Mbalmayo and the surrounding community have been intense during the year 2008 more than 146 of the 150 children in the garden come from the surrounding community. SOS Nursery School of Mbalmayo has actively participated in training sessions organised by the Ministry of Basic Education, on the occasion of the celebration of youth day.

Meanwhile, the teachers training school based in the city of Mbalmayo sent students in the SOS Nursery School Mbalmayo to attend pattern lessons as it should be noted that the SOS Nursery School is classified as an example to follow in the schooling of young children in the Nyong and So'o divisions of the country.

Children of the SOS Children’s Village spend their leisure time in the recreational spaces of the SOS Nursery School.  That's how we find them very happy here and there on the swings, slide, hawk box or other games.

The few investments that have been realised in the nursery school in 2008 consisted of the gradual change of one of our space into a library and computer with the installation of a grid for the entrance, preparation and assembling of curtains, buying a television set, the assembling of 10 shelves and laying of a carpet.

The year ended in style with the donation of a new and complete computer from the Parents Teacher’s Association to our facility, it was with great joy that this machine was received by the Director of the nursery school in the presence of almost all parents.

Participation in the celebration of the Village 10th anniversary has also been a key activity in the year 2008, during which the National Director of SOS Children's Villages Cameroon awarded the best two co-workers of the kindergarten for the job well done.

For the year 2009, we plan to complete the development of the library and computer technology to make it fully functional.