How can t-shirts designed by high school students in the US be used to improve the lives of youth in Africa? Is it possible for a high school senior project to have global reach and affect others across the world? It is! And it’s really very simple when a community steps up to see a project succeed. Thanks to the staff, students, and family members of Wheeling Central Catholic High School, a simple t-shirt project will impact a whole bunch of kids in the West Central African nation of Cameroon.  “Buy One, Give One” T-shirt campaign, the brilliant initiative of seniors, Addie and Angela, began during the Fall of 2011 with their desire to create a community service project with a global impact Students selling t-shirts is not uncommon in high schools in Wheeling, especially around sports tournament time and end-of year activities. The social enterprise twist on a t-shirt project was new to Wheeling Central, however, and the principal welcomed the initiative. T-shirts were designed and sold all around Wheeling, WV and the word of CFDP spread. When the orders were received, Shirts N More printed doubles for recipients in Cameroon. Additional proceeds raised by the initiative helped cover the cost of shipping t-shirts to Cameroon and will help facilitate community camps all summer long – the first of which was held this past Saturday. CFDP kicked off our summer activities with a community soccer camp in Malende village, on the outskirts of Kumba. The day of CFDP activities, which included soccer drills and health and educative discussions, was the talk of the town. Many of the participating youth want nothing more than to become professional footballers – even though many have never had the opportunity to train with coaches or practice and technical /tactical drills. We can promise that these kids will surely remember this day for a long time. We made sure to explain the whole project to them so they could what CFDP stands for – bridging communities with the game of soccer – and how their extended family at Wheeling Central made this camp possible. While it may be difficult to measure long-term impact of the day’s activities on the 44 participating boys and girls, each time they put on their WCC-CFDP T-shirt they will be reminded of this experience on the soccer field that one day in Malende.
 

MVPs

Presentation of game ball to youth leader. The kids were ecstatic!

One side Malende Youth with White and Maroon CC Tees

Le Blues

Bernard stands with some of the youth participants

Loving some Wheeling Central!

Crazy photo!

YEAHH!!

Much Thanks to our family in Wheeling WV

This boy was especially grateful.

Hand painted signs. We will bring one of these home with us!

Football drills (before t-shirts)

Fun warm up - We are one big family, now!

Five Signs Which Show Development

1. Buea Road, the main business corridor in Kumba, has undergone some major improvements. The  year-long resurfacing project is finally complete! The four lane, yes – the road actually has lanes! – also boasts sidewalks on either side. This is a major improvement to the pot-hole ridden road which made getting around so difficult for so long. As the saying goes in Cameroon, “where the road goes, development follows”
2. Street Lights!! Yes, we actually have them now!! One is not forced to move around in complete darkness anymore! They came along with the road project. The city lights up at night now! You can still see the stars, bright, from inside the different quarters.
3. Kumba Town Cooperative Credit Union Ltd. – This building, opposite the Kumba City Council Hall, is micro-finance establishment which has been under construction for just 3 months and is rapidly advancing. The former establishment was burned to the ground in 2000. Since, they have been operating in a small office around the Town Green. Soon their presence shall once again be felt in the heart of Kumba.
4. Transformation of former SATA School into Community Development Institute of Kumba! Sponsored by the National Government, this initiative is infusing the rural infrastructure and agricultural development sector with proper funding and knowledge, placing graduate students from universities in Douala and Yaounde in Kumba to work with rural constituency.
5. New business infrastructure! The new Government Delegate to Kumba, appointed by the President in Yaoundé, who came into office in 2010 has mandated removal of all clapboard / plank buildings (or semblance of buildings) along main roads. This has cleared the way for many new concrete structures, a great improvement to the functionality and aesthetics of the city.

New Credit Union. Month 3 of Construction.

Contractor Sign Board

The NEW Buea Road - Main Road in Kumba!!!

Summer  Activities: Our First Wednesday in-country preparing to launch Phase II: Community-based football clubs

6:30m – Wake up with the rooster

7:00am – Early internet session…sometimes this works, sometimes it does now.

9:00am – Pass by Office of Government Delegate to City of Kumba; Meet with Chief of Cabinet to discuss hosting Conference again

10:00am – Arrive in CFDP office for meeting with team members Ashu, Collins, and Dickson to establish Plan of Action for 2^nd Annual Conference on Youth Empowerment and Community Development through Sport tentatively set for Saturday, June 30^th: Theme TDB at Monday Meeting

11:00am – Visit with Director from Global Conscience Initiative (Local Human Rights NGO) to discuss potential partnership on future projects

12:00pm – Draft Memorandum of Understanding, working with Collins and Dickson, between CFDP and Kumba 1  Council for collaboration on sports, health, socio-culture, and education initiatives. Our third meeting is next Thursday.

2:00pm – Arrange for meeting with Pa Ndoki Mukete, High Prince, Seat to the Throne of Chief of Kumba, and former Vice President of FECAFOOT, for this weekend

2:30pm – Arrange for meeting with Mr. Atem Eugene, HIV sensitization expert and potential research lead based in Buea, for Thursday

3:00pm – Break for a quick snack on the roadside: fresh pineapple; Discuss more about training sessions set for June.

4:00pm Attend Welcome Ceremony for University of Dayton Cultural Immersion Students

6:00pm CFDP team go to their respective homes to rest after a productive day; meeting with friends for a quick refreshment

8:00pm Visit to Community Development Institute of Kumba with Bernard. Engage in discussion with nearly 20 students concerning youth affairs in Cameroon and working to discover answers to the daunting question “What is development?”; formal meeting with faculty and students scheduled for Monday.

9:30pm Return to the house to a wonderful family. Kids running around the parlor; Auntie Julie and Auntie Vivian watching their Thai soap operas; the 3 younger guys hanging around listening to Douala music in their shared room in the back of the compound. Dinner is cocoa yams with a spiced sauce and fish.

11pm – Rest. Tiomorrow we travel to Buea!

Hanging with some guys at Community Development Institute - Kumba after our discussion

Kumba, Cameroon. This camp hosted on Saturday, May 12^th was made possible by Wheeling Central Catholic High School in Wheeling, WV. A million thanks to the members of this community who made this possible. We hope this is just the beginning of CFDP’s work in Malende. We know the people are excited to host us at any time.

Quick breakdown.

• 44 youths attended the camp
• Ages of the youths range from 12 – 19
• Only 4 girls came because many went to the farm
• Collins, Killian, Ashu, Martin, Wallace, Dickson and Biggie were the team leaders who actively led youths in drills, games and discussions
• All those who attended received t-shirts designed by Addie and Angela and printed by Shirts N More

Malende is a village of about 3,000 people which is located past 3 Corners (Fiango) a few miles outside of Kumba. Most of the people in Malende produce rubber, which is very uncommon in Kumba because here, like most elsewhere in the Southwest Region, Cocoa is the King Cash Crop! During the icebreakers at the beginning of the camp, youth were asked to share their future goals in life. The responses were really amazing. Some kids wanted to be footballers (of course). Many others had more professional aspirations to become doctors, lawyers, accountants, and even one young boy who wants to be a model.

CFDP leaders ran a number of different football drills which were new to the youth. They never had such an opportunity to participate in these kinds of activities. Our team also facilitated discussions on a number of different topics which encouraged youth leaders to educate their peers.

Many of the villagers gathered around the Catholic School field to watch the days activities – asking questions about how they can continue to host such activities. At the end of the day, everyone present realized more how sport, particularly football in Malende, can be used as a tool to bring people together and improve the lives of those youth. They promised to extend an invitation to CFDP to return for another youth camp. Next time, they will do more to raise awareness, specifically for the girls, and also create a more formal Welcome to CFDP to show their gratitude.

We want to send out a special thanks to all of those friends of CFDP (Shall we call you family now?) who bought t-shirts in support of this initiative. There will be more youth camps held on your behalf Thanks to the amazing job done by Addie, Angela, and the Senior Class at Central.

Please accept our grateful, emphatic, “THANKS_OOOOOOHHHHH!!”

Sun Draft. One of the youth's favorite warm ups!

Peer Education with Group Discussions. This is what CFDP is all about.

Wallace leads some football drills. The younger youth love him!

Kids having fun after the camp. They love their new t-shirts!!

Group photo at the end of the day. "Thank you, Wheeling Central!!!"