A lot goes into establishing and running a great – and highly successful – after-school reading program for children with reading difficulties.

Debbie Valette, our ‘wunder-teacher’ in Boulder, Colorado, has done a great job with her unique after-school program, which we here at Catalyst Exhibits, try our best to keep helping out with funds, books or promotional material.

From previous stories on the Area 3 blog, you can see how invaluable her reading class has become to the kids and their grades. See

Struggling Readers Leapfrog Grades

Teaching Kids To Read In A New Way

Now it’s time to start thinking ahead for the coming year, so she’s given us an insight into what the program’s goals are and what they need to achieve those goals.

Debbie wrote: “As for plans for this year, see below…

Read the rest of this entry »

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One of the best volunteers working with GMMAfrica – Dee Ryan – headed home to Ireland last month and we’ve just had some photos of Dee from her leaving party.

Dee – she’s the most colorfully dressed one in the middle – has been there a year and although she will be coming back to check in with the education charity, she will be sorely missed. Rev Teh Francis sent some shots and this message:

“Greetings from this end. Things are pretty going on fine with GMM, Cameroon. We continue to thank you for all the support we have received from you. I just wanted to share with you some photos of a send off party of our Irish volunteer, Dee. She has been here one whole year working on the child sponsorship program and other issues still involving the organization. She has proven just one of the best we ever had. We are so satisfied with her work. We weep to see her go. She left earlier this month and will be coming back often. We forgot to share with you some photos of a send off party we had for her. Thank you again for all your concern. You can check the children still needing sponsors here.”

Goodbye for now to Dee but Rev Francis is on the lookout for other volunteers hoping to make a difference, and to take time out to go to Cameroon and see first-hand the great work being done educating children to help break them out of the poverty trap and give them a better future.

Contact him at: revteh@gmmafrica.org. More shots below

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Our friends at the charity GMM Africa sent over some shots of the kids at the school in Jinkfuin preparing to go on their summer holidays.

The children, for whom education would be impossible without the work of GMM Africa and the schools it sets up, are preparing for a well-deserved break and have just finished their last exams before they break up. Charity director, Teh Francis wrote to us:

“We thank you for your continual intervention in helping the needy people here as evidenced by your providing a means of transportation for us in the past, sponsorship and starting a sustainable project. Most beneficiaries of your support have been pupils at the elementary school Jinkfuin. They have written their final exams and are prepared for the summer holidays.

We wanted to share some photos with you before they go on holidays. Christina [pictured on the left], our partner in the UK, recently visited the institution and donated a lot of school material. Thank you for all the care you’ve been offering to the disadvantaged people of Africa.”

We at Catalyst Exhibits would like to wish all the wonderful kids and those at GMM Africa, the very best for their well-earned summer vacation.

You can read more about Christine’s recent visit in Cameroon Kids Get Special Visitor.

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Some of Cameroon’s budding education projects, led by charity GMM Africa, had a special visitor in recent weeks. Christina Clover, the founder of Commit2Africa, visited Reverend Teh Francis and the kids in Jinkfuin school to see how things are going and to catch up with Irish volunteer Dee Ryan, before she headed back to Ireland. you can see some photos from the visit.

Established in 2010, the registered Commit2Africa charity is funded entirely by donations from businesses and individuals and has concentrated its initial efforts in Cameroon.

The group’s short term goals involve getting sponsors for children in Africa to attend school – from as little as $16 per month. The group also provides donations of food and clothing to those that need it most.

With GMM, Christina and her small team have been working on getting a photocopier over there, as books cost a lot and photocopying them would allow every child to have the right material.

In addition, they have been collecting old computers and sending them over where they are put to good use. Christina also wants to build two new classrooms as the the current school is filled to capacity and more and more and children want to attend.

All of us here at Catalyst Exhibits just want to send our best wishes to Christina and Teh for the work they are doing on the ground in Cameroon and we’re proud to be helping out.

If you want to help out, visit Commit2Africa here.

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