For every child deserves to smile, The Belinga Foundation has left the South, Littoral, and Center regions of Cameroon, where it has been carrying out charitable actions since 2021, to dive into the deep East. Its choice fell on Garoua Boulaï, a cosmopolitan city where war and various conjunctural situations in neighboring countries have pushed, and continue to push, families to seek shelter.Faithful to its slogan, which advocates for “education for all and by all in rural areas”, The Belinga Foundation has set up its base at the Van Heygen College in Garoua Boulaï.

This college, located in the Sabal neighborhood of Garoua Boulaï, although Catholic, welcomes many students from other religions. Out of a total of around 300 students, the administrators estimate that 200 are boarders from other religious confessions, mainly Muslim.The college also reflects the multinationality of its students. Here, you can find Central Africans, Chadians, Congolese, Rwandans and Cameroonians… A diversity that makes it the ideal setting for implementing a cross-border and international action.

These children, whose lives are mostly marked by the aftermath of the incessant vibrations of the socio-political climate in their countries, punctuated by guerrilla warfare and political tensions, are for the most part people in need. They are waiting for something to be done, they who for many have parents to take care of, are from families where the last member received a bullet during another attack or, for the luckiest, whose father is struggling with a disability has to fight on a tricycle to bring a bowl of soup home…So, The Belinga Foundation heard their voices and wanted to bring them a breath of fresh air.

By supporting them, The Belinga Foundation is contributing to making sparks shine, to transmitting the message of hope they need to believe in tomorrow. They must believe because, among them, there are childreb whose bravery commands respect.On site this 18th december, the assembly was able to notice the eloquence of young Yakada Naomie, a form 2 student at Van Heygen College, who was the reader for the occasion, and whose voice and mastery of reading made more than one person turn around. There are indeed among these disadvantaged children, stars stuck in the mud, waiting to be cleaned to shine their light on the world.For this edition, the college chose a theme that is thought-provoking: “My Culture, My Fight.” What is your fight? As we approach the end of the year, let us not forget the orphans, the needy, the vulnerable… *Preston Kambou* Together, let’s make sparks shine.