An organization that aims to reduce barriers to education in the African nation of Cameroon is getting a boost from $3,000 in grants from two area RTOERO groups.
District 43 Nipissing and District 44 Région du ciel bleu of RTOERO are each giving $1,500 to International Children’s Awareness to support education in Bafoussam, Cameroon, a country lying at the junction of western and central Africa. RTOERO is the largest member organization in Canada for those who work in or retire from the broader education community.
International Children’s Awareness is a Canadian non-governmental organization. It collaborates with communities in Cameroon to ensure sustainable development solutions within the realm of education, health, water, sanitation and income generation.
RTOERO funds will go towards purchasing textbooks for displaced children in Bafoussam, a city in the highlands of western Cameroon.
“A lack of textbooks is an insurmountable barrier to education,".says Doug Bolger, president, District 43 Nipissing, "This project will target underserved children in marginalized communities,”
“The textbooks will not only enhance education today, but today’s students will become tomorrow’s graduates who will be able to stimulate economic advancement of the area," adds Michelle Michael, President, District 44 Région du ciel bleu.
The District 43 and 44 funding is part of RTOERO’s annual Project – Service to Others (PSTO). Districts apply for individual projects,education-related or other community initiatives, that support a local, national or international program. Up to $4,000 per project is available.
Each fall, a committee of RTOERO members assesses the merits of each submission.
For 2020, RTOERO funded 20 projects for a total of $77,000. These projects range from providing reading resources to a home for seniors, to supporting a youth camp, to giving sleeping bags to the homeless.
Since the inception of PSTO 20 years ago, RTOERO has donated $1.6 million to more than 500 programs and projects.
District 43 Nipissing serves almost 700 members who live in Ontario’s Near North region around Nipissing, Parry Sound and Muskoka.
District 44 Région du ciel bleu was RTOERO’s first Francophone district. The district includes Astorville, Bonfield, Cache Bay, Callander, Corbeil, Crystal Falls, Field, Lavigne, North Bay, Mattawa, River Valley, Sturgeon Falls, Thorne and Verner.
