Going to Cameroon with VSO
on Mischa in Cameroon (Cameroon), 19/Aug/2009 20:23, 34 days ago
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As I’m sure most of you already know I’m leaving England at the end of August to go and live in Cameroon for a year. I’ve been placed by Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) to work with the local education authority in the Extreme North Provence of Cameroon to develop strategies for improving primary school education around a village called Maga.Maga is in the East of the Extreme North Province, by the river Logone, which forms the border between Cameroon and Chad. It’s a large village next to a lake full of hippos and mosquitoes and is 65 km away from Maroua, the nearest large town, but the road isn’t tarmacked, and so in the rainy season becomes almost impassable (apparently then the best way in and out of Maga is by pirogue, a kind of boat made out of a log). I’ll get a house to live in, which I’ve been told will probably have (erratic) electricity and running water, and a salary of roughly £250 a month!In Maga I’ll be working with four schools with several thousand students to help them implement, monitor, and improve their school development plans. At the moment about 45% of boys and 25% of girls in Maga go to primary school, well below the national average. The reports I’ve been sent say this is forvarious reasons, including poor school facilities, local and national governance problems, and lack of support from some of the local community. A particular emphasis of my job will be working to try and increase the number of girls in primary school.Please keep in touch! I know I will be very very happy to hear from you. I will have sporadic internet access and can be reached by post at the address below. If you are sending anything other than paper mail needs to be sent from the post office by Express Mail Service (EMS) and wrapped in as much packing tape as possible to deter anyone from tampering with it. I’ll also be buying a Cameroonian mobile when I arrive in country.My address:c/o VSO CamerounCNPSBuildingBP1004MarouaCameroon
