Construction of CFDP Office Near Complete

It’s Official! CFDP will have a place of business in the Kumba Main Market by the end of the month! A local businessman in Kumba has converted a portion of his warehouse into an office for CFDP. A project which began in December 2010 – constructing dry-wall dividers and knocking out an own entryway from a concrete block wall – will soon be complete!

I first met Mr. Josephat Nweke while working on the Barombi Water Project in 2008. I had just arrived in Cameroon after graduating from UD (most of my classmates were at Dayton 2 Daytona) and upon connecting with Mr. Benjamin Feh, our local water engineer contact, we jumped right into things. Our first concern was materials – pipes, appurtenances, cement, gravel, sand, and tools for construction. Benjamin knew exactly where to go. He led me to the Kumba Main Market to one shop which sold plumbing materials and sink fixtures. I would soon come to learn the proprietor, Mr. Nweke, had a long history of working in rural water supply. The wealth of knowledge between him and Benjamin was far past my own as a novice civil engineer and their involvement in the Barombi Water Project was vital to our success.

Nweke sold us pipes. He most certainly gave us the best deal in town on top-quality materials. He soon became a very good friend to me and the other civil engineering students who were a part of the project. “The Hardware Man”, as we affectionately referred to him, was involved in our activities throughout the two months we stayed in country. He was a part of the team.

When I returned to Cameroon in July 2010, I made sure to pay a visit to Nweke at his store in the Main Market. Once he learned of the objectives of the Cameroon Football Development Program, he immediately wanted to get involved and I could see the wheels turning in his head during our first, short sit down.

I met up with Nweke on the last day of my very short, two-week stay in Cameroon. He invited me and Peter over to his house for dinner. Beaming, he then proposed his idea to give CFDP an office, rent-free, for a few years as we gain momentum. Needless to say, I was speechless.

Soon our management team in Cameroon will have a place to do business, like any other serious non-government organization (NGO). No more waiting in line at the internet café for a computer to use. No more trekking across town with all types of paperwork to make copies or use a printer. We will have a place for our organization and people to call HOME and a foundation for a great and sustainable future in Cameroon.

Thank you, Mr. Josephat Nweke!