Context and Rationale

Although there are food assistance projects and the provision of school supplies by UN agencies, as well as one-off donation initiatives and scholarships for top students, these forms of aid have significant limitations. They cannot always be sustained over time and do not directly ensure autonomy and resilience among beneficiaries.

Existing mentoring activities do not take place between people of the same culture, who have experienced the same realities and easily understand certain habits. The involvement of sons and daughters native to the locality is not visible in the assistance process.

EduCouragement proposes a participatory approach that enables sons and daughters of a locality to boost the personal development resilience of final-year students and mentor them until their integration into society.

Overall Objective

To enable sons and daughters of a locality to boost the personal development resilience of final-year students and mentor them until their integration into society, so that they can take over and encourage their juniors, thus forming a community for the local development of the area.

Specific Objectives

• Improve the lives of children and local populations
• Support children's education and develop their mindset
• Build a decentralized network for sustainable local development by natives
• Strengthen gender capacities in leadership, motivation, and mentoring
• Train young local actors for sustainable development

Implementation Process

1. Selection of schools
2. Call for mentor applications
3. Selection of mentors
4. Training of mentors
5. Organization of an awareness session (parents, teachers, and local authorities)
6. Call for mentee applications
7. Selection of mentees
8. Launch of the mentoring program (signing of agreement, formal mentoring contract - 3 years)

Profiles and Criteria

Mentor Profile

• Share the same culture as the school area

• Hold a higher education degree in a STEM discipline

• Be a socio-economic leader native to the region

Note: Women are strongly encouraged to apply

Mentee Selection Criteria

• Cameroonian nationality

• Aged no more than 20 years

• Enrolled in final-year STEM or GCE class

• Among the top students in the institution

• Be disabled and/or in need

Note: Female applications will be strongly favored

Responsibilities and Benefits

Mentor Responsibilities

• Guidance in choosing promising careers

• Strengthening personal development

• Seeking opportunities for academic scholarships

• Academic support

• Facilitation of professional integration

• Quarterly reports on the progress of the mentorship

Mentee Commitment

• Demonstrate respect and ethics

• Achieve good academic results

• Succeed in professional integration

• Give annual testimonials in their original school

• Automatically become a mentor and ambassador of the program

• Become a volunteer actor for local development