Posts Tagged ‘kids’

Reading Lunch A Success – Chapter 1

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

debbie and lunch trip

When teaching kids with reading difficulties how to read, it doesn’t always have to be in a class-related environment. In fact, there are a wealth of skills that budding readers can learn outside of the class, especially how valuable reading can be in a real-world situation.

Our favorite teaching guru, Debbie Valette, in Boulder Colorado, takes time out to bring some of her readers out and about during the summer break, to see how they cope in the real world. She was in contact recently to let us in on how one of her summer lunch trips went.

Hi, I hope all is well with you!  We’ve been having a great summer. I met with my two motivated summer readers yesterday.  We met at a fancy restaurant called Q’s where we had the tasting menu: chilled pea soup with creme fraiche, trout on a bed of poblano hash with mole sauce, and a variety of yummy desserts.  The girls especially liked the creme fraiche!  (They said it tasted like ranch dressing!) The pea soup was a little challenging for them, but they loved everything else.

The lunch went splendidly – so many teachable moments. They learned new food-related words, how to calculate…. Read the rest of this entry »


Cameroon Says Goodbye to Super Volunteer, Dee Ryan

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

dees send off party

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

dee and teachers

dee and family


School Holidays Arrive in Cameroon

Thursday, June 9th, 2011

jinkfuin kids summer holidays 1

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.

jinkfuin kids summer holidays 2We 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.


Cameroon Kids Get Special Visitor

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

christina clover 1Some 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.christina clover 2

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.


Reading Class Needs Funding

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

debbies readers 3In recent posts we have heard from super-teacher Debbie Valette in Boulder, Colorado  about how her special reading classes is helping teens with reading difficulties catch back up  - and sometimes overtake – their classmates.

Just as importantly, it’s succeeded in instilling in them a life-long love of books and reading.

To continue and improve her reading program, Debbie has laid out her plans for the future goals below.

“In case you are interested, my goals for the future (if I receive another grant from Catalyst) include the following: Read the rest of this entry »


How Reading Changes Children’s Lives

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

debbies readers 2Last week, we read about how Debbie Valette’s unique reading program at the Centennial Middle school in Boulder, Colorado, is working wonders in helping kids leap grades they would have otherwise failed to clear. Debbie’s program is one of the most rewarding projects we have been proud to support at Catalyst Exhibits.

Debbie sent us some feedback from some those of she’s been working with – a personal take on how reading is now a huge part of their lives.

“The kids have had many success stories this year:

Maria stayed for 30 minutes past the time that the afterschool class ended to finish the book she was reading. She read for 70 minutes straight. That is unheard of for a struggling reader. Thanks for allowing me to put books in her hands that she loves.

Lewis told me that he could read for 30 minutes now on his own. He started the year hating reading and refused to read a book. I got him hooked on Playaways and…..”

Read the rest of this entry »


Motorbike Taxis Ride to Sonita’s Rescue

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

gmm student on pcIn recent weeks we’ve been hearing some moving stories from Cameroon about how the motorbike taxis we here at Catalyst Exhibits have helped sponsor have been making much more impact than just getting people from A to B. Read more here.

Teh Francis with the GMM Africa charity, which is playing a key role in getting children off the streets and into education programmes, sent us some information on a young girl called Sonita, who has been a lucky recipient from the funds raised by the taxis.

Happy Easter from GMM in Cameroon. We are all doing fine. We are excited today to share some good news with you report on how things fare because of the help you have provided. I am speaking today about a girl called Sonita [light-complexioned girl in the photograph].

She is in Form 4 in Acha Baptist College, in Belo. We only just discovered that she is an orphan girl and has been staying with an old grandmother who is sick all of the time. We are just sorry we never understood the plight of this girl earlier. The grandmother has been struggling to put her through in school with a meager income, most of which is used pay for her medicines. The girl has been attending on and off and has never attended a full week due to not having the fees. We are glad to announce that we’ve paid…… Read the rest of this entry »


Cameroon Volunteer Hunt Success?

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

jinkfuin school 1It may be a bit early for celebrations but we are delighted to report that there has been some genuine interest in the blog we ran last week looking for volunteers to help with the Cameroon children’s education projects.

The blog – Cameroon Education Needs You! – outlined how GMMAfrica, which is doing vital work with Cameroon’s underprivileged kids, was losing one of its best volunteers, Dee Ryan from Ireland. The group desperately needs new blood to fill the gap and while Dee stayed for a year, Teh Francis and his team are hoping that others will be willing to come for few months to help out with what should be a very rewarding and worthwhile endeavour.

Teh was in touch to say that there has been some good reaction to the first blog:

“I have just returned from Fundong town after I went and taught at a college and thought of dropping you a note. Thank you for posting our need for a volunteer at your Area 3 blog. Some interested volunteers are already asking for information from us. I just pray it works and we have somebody to replace Dee Ryan when she is leaving. Thanks for all the great support you’ve made to come our way.”

If you think you have the right stuff and are looking to step out of the 9-to-5 rat race for a little while, then contact Teh at revteh@gmmafrica.org