For all children, particularly those that are orphaned and vulnerable, attending school is only the first step in achieving educational success. The difference between attending school and succeeding lies in the quality of the education provided.  One problem affecting education in Cameroon, as identified in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper is that, “Cameroonian teachers are facing problems such as, larger than ideal class sizes, lack of text books and teaching materials, and insufficient class rooms and school structures”.  Teachers are expected to teach increasing numbers of children with decreasing materials and support, leading to the decline of quality education.  Not only are school structures insufficient, class sizes too large and monthly allowances small and payment irregular, even teachers text books are lacking.  The lack of basic facilities (drinking water, electricity, toilets) and specialized classrooms in most schools is a further handicap.”  In order to achieve quality education schools must be run to their maximum potential, with motivated and fully supported teachers.  Sadly this is not currently the case in our communities with pupils showing the effects of poor education.

FORCE-CAM is focused on supporting the education of our beneficiaries, unfortunately, we have witnessed that although children attend class regularly they often do not pass due problems either within the education system or concerning their home life. As the children we support are orphaned or vulnerable they need special attention in order to excel in academics. Often these children go to school hungry, limiting their concentration and they receive little or no support at home from elderly, often uneducated care givers.  It is for this reason that from September 2009 FORCE-CAM runs The King David Nursery and Primary School, with specialized teaching and a school feeding program to fully support OVC’s and the community of Ndu in general. We provide a different kind of education!

King David School was created to address a particular problem that we were facing with our sponsored children. The problems were:

1. Most of these children live with illiterate caretakers who put in little or no attention to the work that is done in school.
2. Most of these children were, therefore, performing very poorly in school.
3. Some of the children hard particular learning difficulties which needed special care.
4. The level of knowledge acquired at grade six was very low and some could hardly express themselves at that level.
5. Because the caregivers are illiterates they could not be of any help to the orphans with assignments.