Poverty-stricken Cameroon is a tough place for kids but now, for some at least, education can be literally heard revving its way to their village on a regular basis. Catalyst Exhibits Area 3 charity work took a direct approach to the thorny problem of how to educate a large number of children spread across an inhospitable landscape. The solution: a Galaxy YH 150-5 motorbike.
Biking teachers is not the most common image you’d conjure but, if the children couldn’t make it to the teacher, why not bring the teacher to the children?
According to Unicef, only 57% of children that should be at school in Cameroon are, while 41% of those aged 5-14 years old are made to work. Illiteracy is very high, educational resources are low and forced labour is common. Education is widely recognised as the one chance young children have of getting a better life.
Teh Francis with GMMAFRICA was faced with the problem of getting a small number of volunteer teachers to a lot of children spread across a large and challenging geographical area where roads are little more than dirt tracks. Through UNV.org, Catalyst got involved. Teh Francis merely wanted help in putting together a grant application form to get a bike but Catalyst thought: why wait? So they bought the bike for them.
With insurance and maintenance for a year thrown in, GMMAFRICA and its Easy Rider teachers is giving children with no hope a second chance. Teh Francis and Catalyst are not finished either so watch this space to see how it’s worked out.
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[...] or buses because they don’t really exist. Which is why Area 3 was surprised to discover that the motorbike it provided to get teachers across rough terrain to help teach kids in remote villages was also proving a big [...]