Many children in Cameroon are unable to attend school due to financial constraints. This is especially true for orphans and vulnerable children like Obede Jeremi, a 15-year-old who lost his parents and lives with his grandmother in the Elig-Mfomo Sub Division, Lekie Division, Centre Region of Cameroon. Their household relies on subsistence farming, and they struggle to make ends meet.
However, thanks to the CoSMO Project, Jeremi was able to receive support and enroll in the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Program in 2023.
The CoSMO Project is a USAID/PEPFAR-funded initiative implemented by the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC) in all 10 regions of the country. The project provides academic counselling, scholarships, and other interventions to help children like Jeremi succeed in school and life.
Before joining the OVC program, Jeremi had difficulty keeping up with his schoolwork and lacked support at home. He was repeating Form 3 at the time of enrollment. But, with the help of the project, facilitated by a Caseworker from the Diocese of Obala, Jeremi received the support he needed to improve his academic performance.
“In August 2023, he received a scholarship that provided him with school materials, and his grades improved significantly,” says Mbeke Vanessa, Case Worker at the Diocese of Obala – sub-recipient implementing partner of the CoSMO Project (SR-IP).
During the 2022/2023 academic year, Jeremi was the only student in his examination centre to pass the Probatoire C exam is a national exam for students in high school. Despite the economic challenges in Cameroon, Jeremi received another scholarship in August 2023 to continue his education during the 2023/2024 academic year. He is currently pursuing his final year in high school and hopes to become a hydrocarbon engineer.
Jeremi’s success is a testament to the importance of providing support to vulnerable children in Cameroon. The CoSMO Project and other initiatives like it play a crucial role in ensuring that children have access to education and the resources they need to succeed and become resilient.
CoSMO – is an acronym for Consolidating Systems and Services for the Management of Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Cameroon.
