Ambassador
Ambassador's Special Funds
Since 1983, the U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon has funded small community projects under the Self Help Program. This fund has been used for schools, health centers, wells, and other small-scale community development. It has also helped community farms, grain mills, and women's cooperatives. The funds have been used very successfully in all ten provinces of Cameroon.
This year, the Embassy is pleased to sponsor fifteen projects for a total of $165,000. In FY 2007, the Fund supported eleven projects covering seven provinces in Cameroon. The activities funded under this initiative range from well construction, sanitation, classroom construction, and urban regeneration to food processing units, among others.
This program is particularly beneficial to the people of Cameroon because it provides resources to small communities to help them realize the most pressing development projects for their community. Local communities apply for support for a specific project that is tailored to improve living conditions. Community members must agree to provide labor, materials, or some other community contribution to the project. This model helps to ensure that there is a high level of community investment and participation while making them truly responsive to community needs.
The US Embassy also committed $70,000 to support four local NGOs under the Democracy and Human Rights program working in several provinces on initiatives ranging from youth empowerment to understanding the new criminal procedure code. Sponsored activities include a youth alternative program for democracy and governance; promotion of the social, economic, and cultural development of the Mbororo community; conducting a project on youth and voting rights in the southwest province; and activities relating to sensitization about the new criminal procedure code.
By promoting human rights and democracy in this way, we can help bring about sustainable development and prosperity for Cameroon and for the world.