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!

A Story of Cameroon

Today I want to take some time to write about a very close friend of mine and tell of the amazing things she is doing in Cameroon right now.

I met my sister Nina Ngassa back in 2006. It was my first time in Cameroon and I lived with her family for five weeks in the Fiango neighborhood of Kumba. I was working with the Organisation for Sustainable Rural Infrastructure (OSRI) whose office is opposite the High Court. It was something like a 9 to 5.

When I wasn't traveling to remote villages to meet with traditional leaders and water management committees or trekking through the bush (jungle) to identify potential sources for water supply, I spent much time in the Ngassa compound on All For God Street. The 12-foot high concrete wall surrounding the grocery store proprietor's home provided security from the sometimes-rough surrounding area of Fiango. Inside the compound, I found a new home in the conversations with my brothers and sisters. Natalie and Nina were finishing up high school and preparing to attend the University of Buea. Junior was a very intelligent and very stubborn young man of about 10. Even at that age, he was a nationalist and did not let me forget what 'my fathers' did to his African ancestors. Terrance, or Small T, was a young teen who lived with the Ngassas and cherished any time spent outside of the fortress-like compound...talking to neighborhood girls and sneaking in sweets when he could. He is tall now. Big T, their older brother named Terrance, was away at university so I did not see him all that much. He now lives in the United Kingdom.

I learned much about family from our conversations. Nina was a rebel. She followed suit when she had to, but never hesitated to voice her discontent with anything her Mom required of her. Ma Ngassa doesn't play either. She runs a tight ship. Nina and I had an instant draw...I guess because we both aim to be revolutionaries... Our conversations went deeper and we shared our dreams with eachother. Wide-eyed as we were - and still may be - we both saw our futures in Cameroon.

Nina studied Law at the University of Buea in the Southwest Region. She graduated in 2009. Her Mom and Dad encouraged her to enter another training school to pursue a position within one of the Ministries of the Government. Nina wanted to make movies. About a year ago - right about the time I started talking to Peter and Brian about starting CFDP - Nina began writing a screenplay for her first feature film.

After six months of writing, she assembled a production crew and struggled to find the much-needed financial backing to secure a Nigerian movie star as the lead and cover all other filmmaking expenditures. Pre-production planning began in November 2010 and all things are now in place to begin filming by the end of March for the 10-14 day shoot. Much of the filming will be done in the beach town of Limbe, on the Atlantic coast.

The red carpet premier is planned for May 17th in Buea. With this endeavor, she sets her sights on becomming one of the biggest producers in Cameroon. I only hope we should be so lucky to see a CFDP documentary as one of her future projects. I admire my sister Nina's ambition, persistence, and dedication. This is a story of Cameroon. This is a story of Africa.


Justin