BAPESU (Benevolent
Association for the Protection of the Environment and the Socially
Underprivileged)
“Making huge benefits for local community projects with little means”
BAPESU was
founded in early 2005 by a coterie of dynamic youths with the objective
to underpin
social, cultural and economic 
development. It is a not-for-profit organisation
and apolitical based and operating in Cameroon. BAPESU depends on the
support and generosity of members, individuals, and philanthropists
in Africa and throughout the international community. BAPESU is at
its incipient
stage of development and with very limited resources and staff/volunteers.
So it really hinge on the support of generous people to make great impact
on the lives of youths and local community as it has already done with
its youth-led HIV/AIDS Awareness Program, Environmental Protection Campaign
(with nursery program) just to cite a few.
Association’s Goals/Goals of Organisation are to:
Aid in the protection of the environment through information campaigns,
sensitisation, tree planting and seedlings for farmer etc… -- Reducing
feminisation of poverty -- Rehabilitation of destitute children and gender
issues (women empowerment) -- To seek sponsorship to initiate and support
projects and programmes -- Combating HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted
diseases -- Promoting community development (participatory approach) --
Nursery of trees and seedlings for farmers -- Peace building.
Our Focal Activities: the following are our focal activities but
which are not limited to:
Awareness campaign against HIV/AIDS in rural communities; Training of
women in basic computer skills (transfer of technology -- Supply of
potable water to the rural women -- Environmental protection campaigns
(awareness
raising, tree planting) -- Income generating activities for youths and
women -- Community development programmes -- Training workshops on non-violence
conflict transformation -- Training of rural women in gardening techniques,
soil conservation and ways of improving agricultural yields -- Fostering
girl child education (female elementary education scholarship programmes).
BAPESU “HIV/AIDS YOUTH AWARENESS CAMPAIGN IN BAMBUI COMMUNITY” (North
West Province, Cameroon)
2006
has been a relatively good year for BAPESU in attaining its goals.
BAPESU in 2006 successfully executed a project to combat HIV/AIDS christened “HIV/AIDS
Youth Awareness Campaign. The project had as target group the young
people of the Bambui Rural Community, in Cameroon. The objective of
the program was to help fight HIV/AIDS among youths in Bambui via awareness.
The program witnessed the active participation of 30 Youth volunteers
that gave insightful contributions towards the realisation of the program.
The entire program ran for two weeks (27th March through to the 7th
of April 2006). This program was achieved with the benign support from
Alert Fund for Youth Activities, a youth-led organisation (based in
The Netherlands) and MEBONU Foundation (based in Cameroon). The program
was marked by: plenary discussions by youths, presentation talks which
had as theme “Youth Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS”, door-to-door sensitisation
visits that were accompanied by commercial bike riders (locally called “Ben-Sikin" or “Okada”)
and sporting activities (football boys and handball girls) that
helped in boosting massive participation of the target group being
the youths.
With the program youths were aware that they had some very pivotal
roles to play as far as the fight against this jinx of a disease
in the name of HIV/AIDS. Recommendations at the end of programs
were as
follows: * Youths should be void of alcoholism and drunkenness
that makes them vulnerable to HIV/AIDS
* Young people should avoid watching pornographic websites on the internet
and openly denounce video clubs that project such movies, for this
exposes them to the perils of HIV/AIDS * Children have the right,
and should play a vital role to counsel their parents and to kick
against
parents that carry irresponsible sexual lives meanwhile they are
married. Such lifestyles make some children ending up as orphans.
* Youths should endeavour to read local magazines that contain information
about sex and HIV/AIDS. * Young people should avoid compassion
to live
a certain lifestyle (profligate and above their means) and avoid
comparison. This comparison pushes them to do anything in the name
of sex so as
to purchase an item since poverty is rife. Christian
P. Tabifor