WHAT WE DO
NDES works closely with rural communities in the North West and South West Region of Cameroon to identify and deliver support where it is most needed and where it can add the most value. Critical to this is a dedicated team of locally recruited NDES volunteers who are in regular contact with community leaders, families, and individuals, assessing their needs, listening to their concerns, and monitoring the impact of existing programs. This privileged position has enabled the NDES team to identify the most critical areas for support and pinpoint where NDES can have the most impact.
1. Infrastructure and Power;
With power outages frequently lasting up to 5 days, every aspect of daily life across the region is affected. Without power, water boreholes stop functioning, the productivity of farms and factories is reduced, communications are restricted, schools are unable to function at full capacity, and hospitals are limited in the services and care they can provide to their communities.
2. Education for Family Stability;
In the words of a well-known African proverb ‘educating a girl is educating a nation’. Women are the glue that holds families together in Cameroon, caring and providing for their children, extended families, and the wider community. NDES is focused on ensuring all girls have the same opportunities in life, that women develop marketable skills and are presented with opportunities to start their own businesses.
3. Health, Well-Being & Sanitation;
Health, well-being, and sanitation are still not something the communities of Cameroon can take for granted - despite significant humanitarian efforts over the past few decades. Clean water isn’t always readily available and deliveries of basic medical care and crucial vaccination programs are frequently disrupted due to power outages and unreliable medical supplies.
With power outages frequently lasting up to 5 days, every aspect of daily life across the region is affected. Without power, water boreholes stop functioning, the productivity of farms and factories is reduced, communications are restricted, schools are unable to function at full capacity, and hospitals are limited in the services and care they can provide to their communities.
2. Education for Family Stability;
In the words of a well-known African proverb ‘educating a girl is educating a nation’. Women are the glue that holds families together in Cameroon, caring and providing for their children, extended families, and the wider community. NDES is focused on ensuring all girls have the same opportunities in life, that women develop marketable skills and are presented with opportunities to start their own businesses.
3. Health, Well-Being & Sanitation;
Health, well-being, and sanitation are still not something the communities of Cameroon can take for granted - despite significant humanitarian efforts over the past few decades. Clean water isn’t always readily available and deliveries of basic medical care and crucial vaccination programs are frequently disrupted due to power outages and unreliable medical supplies.
Examples of our Work
1. Powering a Community of 1,500;
In 2021, the NDES team identified a need to install solar panels at the Rehabilitation Institute for the Blind in Buea. The Institute has rehabilitated hundreds of blind children over its 30 years of operation and boasts educational facilities, an ICT center, arts, and guild unit, poultry farm, and a health clinic that supports the wider community. NDES is currently working to install a 10KW mini-grid system that will not only power the Institute but also an existing fresh water borehole. With a regular and more reliable supply of power, the Institute will be able to operate at full capacity supporting those within its care in addition to the wider community. Vaccination programs along with other services will be able to be delivered without interruption and a community of up to 1,500 will benefit from clean drinking water. The Institute will also become completely sustainable through the breeding and sale of poultry from its farm.
2. New Businesses for Women;
In the words of a well-known African proverb ‘educating a girl is educating a nation’. In 2020, NDES partnered with some of the women in Konye village in South West Region of Cameroon to provide a solar energy hand truck system. The truck provides not only the physical means to bring a harvest to and from the market but also can be used as a secondary source of income in the form of a charging station. The truck is currently being used to power the cell phones and computers of a community of 1000 people, generating a steady income for the family who owns the truck whilst keeping the extended community network connected for business and support purposes.
3. Kidney Dialysis for 45 Patients;
NDES has provided 45 patients with the financial assistance necessary to secure regular, timely dialysis treatment at the Regional Hospital of Buea. Due to the chronic nature of the disease and continual treatment needed, even those individuals who have the means find it difficult to pay for their ongoing care. At $50 per treatment, the NDES Foundation is now seeking to establish a long-term relationship with the Hemodialysis Centre to support a greater number of patients across the region.
In 2021, the NDES team identified a need to install solar panels at the Rehabilitation Institute for the Blind in Buea. The Institute has rehabilitated hundreds of blind children over its 30 years of operation and boasts educational facilities, an ICT center, arts, and guild unit, poultry farm, and a health clinic that supports the wider community. NDES is currently working to install a 10KW mini-grid system that will not only power the Institute but also an existing fresh water borehole. With a regular and more reliable supply of power, the Institute will be able to operate at full capacity supporting those within its care in addition to the wider community. Vaccination programs along with other services will be able to be delivered without interruption and a community of up to 1,500 will benefit from clean drinking water. The Institute will also become completely sustainable through the breeding and sale of poultry from its farm.
2. New Businesses for Women;
In the words of a well-known African proverb ‘educating a girl is educating a nation’. In 2020, NDES partnered with some of the women in Konye village in South West Region of Cameroon to provide a solar energy hand truck system. The truck provides not only the physical means to bring a harvest to and from the market but also can be used as a secondary source of income in the form of a charging station. The truck is currently being used to power the cell phones and computers of a community of 1000 people, generating a steady income for the family who owns the truck whilst keeping the extended community network connected for business and support purposes.
3. Kidney Dialysis for 45 Patients;
NDES has provided 45 patients with the financial assistance necessary to secure regular, timely dialysis treatment at the Regional Hospital of Buea. Due to the chronic nature of the disease and continual treatment needed, even those individuals who have the means find it difficult to pay for their ongoing care. At $50 per treatment, the NDES Foundation is now seeking to establish a long-term relationship with the Hemodialysis Centre to support a greater number of patients across the region.