iACT team returns to Cameroon

In 2016, we promised refugees from the Central African Republic living in refugee sites in Cameroon that we would return and collaborate with them on early childhood education. I’m proud to say that we have found a way to follow through on that promise. This week, I’ll be traveling back to Cameroon with iACT’s Education in Emergencies Specialist, Kelsey Dalrymple. There we will partner with Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) to expand the reach of our early childhood program, Little Ripples. We’ll be conducting Little Ripples Teacher Training I with 56 JRS teachers and cooks from 16 community-based preschool centers across four refugee sites in eastern Cameroon. We will also be working closely with JRS education staff to build the capacity of the refugee teachers, cooks, and community to lead the community-based preschool program long-term.

While in Cameroon, we’ll also have the opportunity to reconnect with our Refugees United Soccer Academy coaches Haron, Ghislaine, Stanilas, and Rachidatou—a group we have not seen since we launched the program in 2016!—and who impact the lives of thousands of refugee children in their community every week.

This trip is an exciting opportunity and the result of years of working next to Darfuri refugees in developing our Little Ripples and Academy programs. In partnering with JRS in Cameroon, we are scaling our refugee-led model and moving the needle on increasing refugee agency, voice, and ownership over the decisions and programs that affect their daily lives and future.