The encounter
will hold at the conference hall of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic
Education and will feature experience-sharing by finalists, presentation of
other opportunities in the US and an exchange on salient issues affecting the
Cameroonian youth.
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| Fellows Pose with Gregory Thome, US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires (C.I.N) |
Four of the
twelve fellows selected from Cameroon were today on the CRTV morning talk- show
program, morning safari.
Talking on
phone, Gladys Viban of the US embassy in Yaounde and YALI 2014 fellow said the initiative is to groom future
African leaders at a time most African countries just celebrated 50th
anniversary of independence.
In Cameroon, over
2000 youths applied to take part in the YALI program, 80 were shortlisted and
12 were eventually selected who to represent the country.
“We met a lot of
many outstanding Cameroonians who would have qualified, but we could not take
all. But those who applied will still form a network back home where there will
be sharing ideas”, Yaah Viban said.
One of the
fellows, community activist, founder and director of the Bamenda-based NGO; Hope
for the Needy Association (HOFNA) Cameroon, Chongwain Christelle Bay said
Cameroonian youths should shun questioning what Cameroon has done for them. She
urged that youths should ask what they have done for Cameroon.
“In that way you
will start doing something in your own way that will create great impact”,
Chongwain advised.
According to
her, youths have to stand up and start doing something.
“If you don’t
say I am here, no one will know you are there, so they have to start doing
something, even if it means just planting one pawpaw tree somewhere, don’t say
it is small”, Chongwain said.
Questioned
whether they will return to Cameroon after the six weeks stay in the US, HOFNA
director explained that “when you have love for your country, brethren and
humanity, you want to serve humanity and you’ve already been doing something
like this, you wouldn’t want to go stay in America and let it go. You will want
to come back to your base so that you make your impact properly felt”.
In the Northwest
region that has two of the twelve YALI fellows, Chongwain Christelle and Hilda
Bih have since their selection been organizing radio talks to sensitize the
population on the YALI program and also meeting with other interested youths
who applied but were not selected.
“We had to meet
with them to start forming the YALI network, which is made up of other young
people with whom we are going to be working when we come back”.
“We did a radio
program with Hilda; ‘Women on the Move’ through which we sensitized women on
the program”, Grace one of the fellows added.
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| Christelle and Hilda in a meeting with unsuccessful Applicants |
The twelve
Fellows were selected for participation in one of three designated tracks:
Business and Entrepreneurship, Civic Leadership, and Public Management.
The president of
the Cameroon National Youth Council (CNYC), Jean Mark Afesy Mbafor said he is
going to the US to benefit mainly capacity building.
“I will be doing civic leadership, and America
is far advanced in that domain. I know I will tap a lot that will that will be
useful for me as the president of the Cameroon National Youth Council”, Mbafor
said.
An entrepreneur,
Mbafor says he chose the civic leadership not business oriented track because
he needs to build his leadership capacities to lead Cameroon youths.
According to Gerald
Afadani, another fellow from Tiko, upon return, they will mainly focus on dissemination
of information from the YALI program and mentoring other youths.
During their
stay in the USA, the fellow will have a three days summit with the US
president, Barack Obama.
“We want to know
what young Cameroonians would tell President Obama in 35 seconds, which is why
we are inviting all of them to the town hall conference at the ministry of
youth affairs this afternoon”, Christelle said.
Below is a list of 2014 YALI Fellows from Cameroon
1. Charlie
Wandji, Business and Entrepreneurship, Yale University
2. Regina
Zoneziwoh Mbondgulo, Civic Leadership, University of Delaware
3. Christelle
Chongwain, Civic Leadership, Tulane University
4. Rose Marie
Kouo, Public Management, Morgan State
5. Brice Stève
Sime, Business and Entrepreneurship, Clark Atlanta University
6. Muluh Hilda
Bih, Civic Leadership, UC Berkeley
7. Gerald
Afadani, Public Management, Howard University
8. Kizita
Forgwe, Civic Leadership, Arizona State University
9. Jean Marc
Mbafor, Civic Leadership, University of Virginia
10. Violet
Fokum, Public Management, University of Arkansas
11. Micheal
Tchenga, Public Management, University of Arkansas
12. Roland
Bonko, Business and Entrepreneurship, Northwestern University
By Ndi Eugene
Ndi in Yaounde
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