Discovering Sang, the Pseudo Village

Discovering Sang, the Pseudo Village

Sang is one of the pseudo villages that make up the Meta clan in Mbengwi. Without any gazetted statues of a state recognised village, Sang is mostly referred to as a community. Located about some 5km from Mbengwi central town on a semi plain terrain, Sang shares boundaries with Bessi Fomukong, Zang Tembeng, Munam, Mbengeughang and Mbengbu.

Christians of PC Sang After Attending their Pastor's Sendoff Service

Ndetan Nji Cyprain is the home branch president of the Sang Cultural and Development Association (SangCUDA). In presenting Sang to Mbengwi Online, he disclosed that administratively, Sang is a speedily growing community that originated from three different fondoms in Meta, having three main quarters being Tusang whose inhabitants are from Wumnemburg, Tonsang whose inhabitants are from Mbemi and Njinsang whose inhabitants are from Guneku.  "As a community we work as one. We have one development association, three different traditional councils for each quarter and a grand joint council embodying members from all three." he added.

In terms of infrastructural development and social amenities, he revealed that Sang has a catholic nursery and primary school plus church opened since the 90s, a presbyterian church, a community hall under construction, two football fields, pipe borne water, electricity, a weekly market (Tang) and a tele-centre constructed, equipped and abandoned by the government in 2016. As to how life has been in Sang in the midst of the ongoing crisis, Cyprain said "Things have been very difficult as you can see, no school, many have moved out in search of jobs and education."

Palm Wine Bar in Sang

His opinion was corroborated by the Rev. Mbanwi Jonathan, pastor of P.C Sang. To the man of God, he's been having few challenges administering the gospel mostly on a one on one with some Christians but he thanked God the challenges were there to strengthen him.

Still in line with Mbengwi Online's recent visit to Sang, the home branch president of SangCUDA told us that back in the village, the community is now made up of mostly the ageing population and few youths. In terms of security, he gave assurance that the village is very safe and habitable. "Sang is void of the presence of both parties. So, any Sang son or daughter out there should feel free to come home and be sure of a safe return." 

Rev. Mbanwi Jonathan, Sang Parish

Ndetan Nji Cyprain, SangCUDA Home Branch President

His last word of advice to all Sang children out of the community was that they should always keep in mind that home is home. No matter where they are, they must look for a way to develop their village because one day, they'll be back. "I'm encouraging them to continue assisting us in one way or the other to see that we develop Sang" he ended. 

On Sunday June 28th 2020, Christians of Sang parish embodying PC Bessi Fomukong, PC Mbengeughang and PC Sang held a sendoff service for their pastor. After over four years of shepherding God's flock, Rev. Mbanwi Jonathan is going for further studies. As to the memories he shall be taking along from the parish, he said "The memories are too much because God has dealt with us in this place so abundantly and wonderfully. We came here when the place was seemingly abandoned but by the grace of God, it's been transformed to the envy of the Meta presbytery. Today, almost all pastors in Meta want to work here because of what God has used us to do."

Sang Tele-centre. Constructed, Equipped, Abandoned

Post Boxes at the Tele-centre. Villagers Don't Know Where the Keys Are

Within his stay, he won more souls for Christ, engaged all three congregations in new church construction project, planted many food crops mostly plantains whose fruits shall be reaped by the in coming pastor. No doubt his send off service was massively attended by Christians and non Christians alike. While others laid low when the ongoing armed conflict reached fever peak, Rev. Mbanwi marched on. Hear him, "Throughout the crisis, our service has been going on and on everyday. For four years now, we've been holding our morning prayers day by day non stop. We believe the prayers we've been offering to God here is what has brought peace to the Meta land. However, it's not been all rosy."

Luckily enough for him, he had prepared the minds of his Christians for a very long time to accept his departure from the parish and welcome any other pastor that shall be coming. Reports say he shall be furthering studies in next door Nigeria. His critics mostly found faults with his preaching style which they described as being more of Pentecostalism than Presbyterian yet it's this his style that tremendously built the parish. 

Sang Community Hall Project, "Killed" by the Crisis

Catholic Nursery & Primary School Sang, Shutdown by the Crisis

The population of sang depends mostly on farming for livelihood with food crops like corn, beans, cassava, groundnut and cash crops like palm trees being the highly cultivated. Most young boys in Sang do extract sand from the rivers for income generation. Sang has a motorable road linking Mbengwi central, a furniture and welder workshop, provision stores, beer parlours and lots more.

The Sang Youth's Union (SYU) has been very renowned until the outbreak of the Anglophone crisis. In the 70s and 80s, the union used to organise cultural weeks, bringing in Guinness and Brasseries from Bamenda, organise massive crowd pulling sporting jamborees, summer holidays (computer and Meta language) classes, offer scholarships just to name these few. It's the union that's been championing the construction of a community hall. For now, the development pace of Sang has been slackened by the ongoing crisis but hopes remain high that one day, it shall be well.

PC Sang. A New Church Construction Project is Ongoing

Pipe Borne Water in Sang

Electricity in Sang

Saloon in Sang

MECUDA Kisses Life into Orphans

MECUDA Kisses Life into Orphans

It was a joyous and miraculous Saturday June 20th 2020 in the lives of the 28 kids of House of Hope Orphanage, Wumfi-Ku, Mbengwi subdivision. Stag naked, they jumped up and down, shouting and singing celebration songs. The scenario sprung from the arrival of a fully loaded truck with goods destined for them. It was as if life had just been kissed into the kids at the nip of time.

The Orphans Overwhelmed with Joy for the Donation

Founded in 2013, House of Hope Orphanage is dedicated to raising orphaned children in a Christ centred home, emphasizing sustainability, empowerment and community development. It started with 7 kids and today has 28. Originally in Ngyen-Mbo, the orphanage was forced to transfer to Back Mbon in 2018 due to frequent gun battles around the area, traumatising the kids. Moreover, some walls of the orphanage had collapsed, posing a great risk to the children. 

The rented house in Back Mbon was a mess. Here, the kids lived in very deplorable conditions. They had moved from frying pan to fire. They had just one parlour. At night, they'll roll their skeletal mattresses on the floor and sleep on, crowded. By morning, they'll wrap the mattresses and lean against the wall, together with their dresses. The surroundings were often nasty. Hardly could one visit the kids and not hold back his/her tears.

Previous Deplorable Living Conditions in Back Mbon

When images of these their deplorable conditions were shared on social media, little did one know it was going to be the end of their suffering. Firstly, a certain son of the soil by name Foncham Humphrey from the U.S offered the kids a new home worth the salt of live in free of charge for a period of two years. The hostel-like structure used to host students and workers before the advent of the crisis but afterwards, all tenants relocated due to the crisis leaving the structure empty. That's how the orphanage was transferred to Wumfi as Mr. Humphrey asked them to go occupy it. The house includes an apartment for the matron, 5 bedrooms for the kids, a firewood kitchen and store, 2 rooms of a side house in which table birds that were also donated to the orphanage by a good Samaritan are currently being reared. 

Afterwards, four Europe based branches of the Meta Cultural and Development Association (MECUDA) precisely France, Germany, Belgium and the U.K combined their efforts in a common project to help the orphanage. A team of project executors was set up on the ground headed by Madam Tanah Rachael. For weeks, they kept fine tuning strategies on how to better go about executing the project and by Saturday June 20th, the rendezvous was taken to go donate the items. 

Madam Tanah Rachael, Head of Execution Committee

As disclosed by Madam Rachael, the four MECUDA branches offered House of Hope Orphanage 12 bung beds making a total of 24, mattresses, blankets, bedsheets, pillows and their cases, pots, buckets, cutleries, toiletries, food and money plus a health insurance that shall foot all the hospital bills of  kids that shall fall sick for a given period of time in a chosen health facility. All of these amounted to two million two hundred and sixty five thousand (2.265.000) Frs CFA. 

Madam Ayaba Malvis is the founder/matron of the orphanage. Almost speechless, she lacked words to appreciate the donors but managed to offer these few, "I say thank you very much because if someone had told me one day I'll stand looking at things like these brought to House of Hope Orphanage, I won't have believed." 14 years old Tende Clara on behalf of the orphans told the donors that "We are so grateful for this marvelous gift. We say thank you and may the Almighty God give you more open doors so that you may continue   to support us in the nearest future."

Madam Ayaba Malvis, Founder/Matron, House of Hope Orphanage, Mbengwi

Tende Clara, Spokesperson of the Kids

Preceding the handing over ceremony was  exhortation by Pastor Abanda Edwin of the Church of Christ, Mbengwi who called on all to be the ears, legs, mouth and eyes of the orphanage while encouraging the kids to remain obedient and respectful. He also encouraged society to cultivate and sustain the habit of caring for orphans and widows as commanded by the Word of God, not necessarily much like MECUDA but beginning from little.

The event had in attendance Mr. Musi Joseph, the Wumfi quarter head and Mr. Mbanwi Stephen, MECUDA home coordinator. To the former, Meta sons and daughters have been seemingly missing in the aspect of giving back to their communities like others, not until of recent that he's seeing his expectations being met. To the latter,  it's not been long MECUDA spent about 12 million to combat COVID-19 in the clan and now, these four branches in  Europe have continued in the same light by donating items worth over two million to the orphanage. "I'm overwhelmed with joy and happiness because of what God has done through our brothers and sisters in Europe who are by this gesture teaching others that when away, don't forget about home, where your navel was planted" he added.  

Mr. Mbanwi Stephen Anjeh, MECUDA Home Coordinator

Mr. Musi Joseph, Quaterhead, Wumfi-Ku

Pastor Abanda Edwin, Church of Christ, Mbengwi 

God's time they say is the best and when He decides to bless you, the deaf and dump will testify, the blind will see it. The event hadn't ended when the president of the Board of Directors of the Azire Cooperative Credit Union Limited (AziCCUL), Madam Akum Esther  arrived with a delegation to also make a donation to the orphanage on behalf of the union, comprising a bag of warm clothing and a power generator. Having visited the orphanage before and seeing their inhumane living conditions, as a daughter of the soil, she had to convince her union to reach out to the orphanage as part of AziCCUL's cooperate social responsibility. 

Coming at a time when the Momo Divisional headquarters, Mbengwi is undergoing chronic power outages, the generator came as a stitch in time to save nine. The MECUDA project was and will likely be the biggest donation House of Hope Orphanage ever had. The matron described what happened on that fateful Saturday as a breakthrough. The children are now sleeping on their brand new beds, covering brand new blankets, laying their heads on brand new pillows and eating good food. In fact, God has buttered their bread. The MECUDA national president, Ayaba David had sent words of encouragement to the committee charged with executing the project plus a token to refresh themselves after.

The successful execution of the project was thanks to the commitment of Mr. Fonjong Derick who coordinated affairs from Europe liaising with those on the ground headed by Madam Rachael as general coordinator, Amboh Gordon as secretary and myself Fongoh p. Ayeh as communicator. Other contributors included Mr. Tacho Mathias that transported the items from Bamenda to Mbengwi, Mr. Raphael that constructed the beds, Mrs. Limen née Foncham Gladys and Mr. Foncham Philip that had earlier coordinated the handing of the house in Wumfi to the orphanage.

Fallouts of Anglophone Crisis & COVID-19; Rape & Sexual Harassment of IDPs on the Rise

Fallouts of Anglophone Crisis & COVID-19; Rape & Sexual Harassment of IDPs on the Rise

"We have registered increasing acts of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the communities we serve, ranging from rape, child abuse, domestic violence and other forms that come with the measures put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19" said Madam Christel Bay Nfor, executive director of Hope for the Needy Association (HOFNA), an organization championing the fight against gender-based violence, the localisation of peace and implementation of United Nations  Security Council Resolution 1325 in Cameroon. 

Training Session 

She was speaking at the end of a series of workshops organised by HOFNA between May 25 to June 20th 2020 in the North West, South West, Centre, Littoral and West region of Cameroon as part of its National Initiative to End Violence Against Women and Girls (NITE-VAWG), sponsored by the German Mission to Cameroon.

The trainings aimed at building income generating skills for disadvantaged internally displaced young women and teenage mothers, engage active community leaders to respond to and prevent GBV through a campaign dubbed "Know Your Rights" and most especially set the pace to work with these grassroot communities to develop a local approach to the implementation of #UNSCR1325 in Cameroon which centres around peace building. 

Training Session

Munteh Florence is HOFNA's Programs Manager. Braving the challenges brought by COVID-19 on one hand and the violent conflict affecting some of the regions on the other hand, she successfully carried the team through the five regions, bringing vital information and resources to support the fight against GBV in the selected communities.

The skills of 100 internally displaced young girls and teenage mothers in these 5 regions have thus been built as they can now produce soap, reusable sanitary pads and beaded sandals/slippers to enhance their livelihoods and generate income. Most importantly, each participant returned home with basic startup materials. 

Startup Materials

The increment in child abuse, domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse of women and girls mostly the internally displaced ones comes as a result of their vulnerability. They depend mostly on others for shelter, food and income. As such most irresponsible men tend to take advantage over them. When such happens, they have no shoulder to lean on and out of fear, shame or ignorance will prefer to die in silence. 

HOFNA has however put in place measures like education, establishment of a community response system in the form of GBV Survivors Support Networks to facilitate the reporting of cases in different communities for perpetrators to be brought to book.

Church Where Christians Barely Raise 4.000 as Sunday Alms Engage in a 14 Million New Church Project

Church Where Christians Barely Raise 4.000 as Sunday Alms Engage in a 14 Million New Church Project

When Ngwe Obed, the congregational announcer mounted the pulpit, one of the announcements he made was that "Last Sunday (June 7th 2020), general offering (both from Sunday school and main church) was 4.200Frs." The total amount of alms every Sunday has often centred around such an  amount but for when there's an occasion pulling in worshippers from elsewhere. 

New Church Site

Despite their feeble number and financial immaturity coupled with remoteness, Christians of Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, Wumnebit Congregation, Wumnemburg Parish, Meta Presbytery have shun fear, giving a deaf ear to pessimists and embarked on a new church house construction project estimated to cost 14 million Frs CFA. 

There's a daring saying from one Dr. Roopleen that "If you have a dream, don’t just sit there. Gather courage to believe that you can succeed and leave no stone unturned to make it a reality." The Wumnemburg parish in the Lower Medig Zone of the Meta clan, Mbengwi has four congregations: Wumnemburg, Barakwe, Meh and Wumnebit. All have erected new church buildings but for Wumnebit. 

Madam Afor Sera, Congregational Chairlady, PC Wumnebit

Madam Afor Sera is the congregational Chairlady. She explained that this far, they've already deposited some trips of stones, gravel and sand at the site. Every Wednesday, the men do the digging while women do the transportation. "We plead on any well wisher especially all Wumnebit sons and daughters at home and abroad to help us realise this vision. Together, let's build God's house as we've built our personal houses" she appealed.

She was speaking to Mbengwi Online on Sunday June 14 2020 after a dedication service of six new members into the Christian Men Fellowship (C.M.F), Wumnebit Congregation. Centering his message on love, the parish pastor, Rev. Mujem John called on all to love God by loving man because as he said "If we love ourselves in the church, in the society, in this country Cameroon, the things we find happening around us won't happen because anybody who loves will not pick a gun against another. It is the absence of love that's killing us in this country."

Rev. Mujem John, Parish Pastor, Wumnemburg Parish, Meta Presbytery

Amongst the newly dedicated was Ngwe Obed. As concerns what was indoctrinated into them before being qualified for dedication, he said they were taught the differences between the uniforms of the CMF movement with uniform number one being fishers of men and number two signifying footprints. "We were also made to understand the signs and symbols on the uniforms like the fishermen representing old CMF members, the sea representing the world  and the boat not leaving out the colours" said Obed as lessons learnt.

The dedication rituals were conducted by some Meta Presbytery executive council members of the C.M.F led by its president, Samba Daniel. Christians of tiny Wumnebit Congregation believe that as they've developed the will to erect a new church structure, God will make a way where there seems to be no way.

Ngwe Obed, Newly Dedicated C.M.F Member, P.C Wumnebit Congregation

Old (Current) Church House

Newly Dedicated Members

Army General's Sledge Harmer Dangles Over Exploitative Control Officers

Severe disciplinary sanctions have been promised to men in uniform who have been exploiting the population especially drivers instead of executing their assigned tasks of maintaining law and order in the North West region. General Nka Valère, commander of the 5th joint military region sounded the warning note, Tuesday June 16 2020 during a special visit to the gendarmerie post in Bali.

Truck offloading goods at the Bamenda Main Market

Addressing the uniform officers, he disclosed to them that Cameroonian and Nigerian businessmen recently visited him to table complaints of their bitter experiences with the uniform officers who harass and financially exploit them at various control posts along the way through exorbitant charges for vehicles transporting goods and passengers. 

"I've given special instructions for organised teams to be checking this in civilian attires and those who will be caught (military, gendarme or police) carrying on such activities will be severely punished" he warned. Nka Valère went on to explain that it's such actions that turn the population against the defence and security forces or give room for "Ambas" to blackmail them. 

General Nka Valère of the 5th Joint Military Region 

Major supplies of goods to all major markets in Bamenda, the entire North West region right to other main cities like Bafoussam, Douala and Yaounde come in through the Bamenda-Mamfe-Ekok-Enugu corridor. This accounts for the multiple checkpoints along the highway said to be very juicy for the men in uniform to make fast cash. 

Manley Robbin is a truck driver. Very frustrated he told Mbengwi Online they were already planning to engage in a strike action should the extortion continue without authorities stepping in to put checks and balances. He said "We are facing challenges with very deplorable roads and too much control within the town, even more than the ones we come across along the way. Despite having spent much money to obtain all our vehicle's documents, the military keeps telling us they don't have time to control documents and when we ask why, they say we're in war." 

Manley Robbin, Truck Driver

He pleaded for such excesses to really be checked by authorities because it's really weighing on them the drivers as if they caused the war. "It's now big business for them because  based on what one carries, they charge us to pay what suits them. For example if you're carrying planks, you have to pay weighing fee to forestry officials which we often do yet at each control, they still collect 20.000 Frs from us. For example, I spend 200.000Frs from here to Limbe just to settle control if I'm carrying planks. As such at the end of the trip, my boss won't even have 50.000Frs and thus can't pay me, meaning I'm just working for nothing" he lamented 

 

The Bamenda-Ekok road that was constructed in 2013 as part of the Trans-African Highway linking ECOWAS and CEMAC countries with the main purpose of alleviating poverty and promoting corporation and integration has rather become a nightmare to passengers and drivers plying it. Life threatening incidences of gun battles between the military and non state armed groups are a frequent occurrence on this National Road No. 8.

Recent Road Block

Last year, decomposing corpses of persons killed during such encounters and bullet shells used to litre the road. Mounting of multiple checkpoints hasn't been a practice limited to the military only. Non state armed groups either mount theirs too from time to time or completely block the road, stranding hundreds of passengers. The latest of such took place last June 7th 2020.

General Nka Valère's visit to Bali came on the heels of a recent military operation launched in Widikum, Batibo and Bali aimed at cleaning these areas from  the activities of those they refer to as terrorists. The army has been launching successive operations to neutralise all such persons disturbing public peace in the region. The operations started in Bafut, then Widikum, Batibo, Bali and shall be continuing to areas said to be strongholds of the fighters.

Army General & Divisional Officer of Bali inspecting Recovered Items from the Operation

Farmers Wearing Mosquito Nets & Socks as Face Mask

Farmers Wearing Mosquito Nets & Socks as Face Mask

Environmental friendly trees, cassava cuttings, plantain suckers & anti COVID-19 kits

Mr. Abugicho Godfred Achekwa is the Divisional Delegate of Agriculture and Rural Development for Momo. Lamenting on the challenges faced by farmers in the ongoing Anglophone crisis and COVID-19 pandemic, he regretted that those who even went to the farm and were able to plant, some ended up not harvesting due to interdictions and gun battles. Now with COVID-19, farming groups can no longer hold meetings, farmers lack the means to buy the basic protective kits. "I saw a farmer hung a piece of mosquito net on his nose as mask and another a socks" revealed the delegate

Visibly a victim of the armed conflict rocking the North West region, Momo division in particular as he was recently shot on the leg in Mile 17 Mbengwi by gun men, he thinks that both warring parties ought to protect and not instead attack the farmer. He said "The best thing I've noticed with the parties concerned is that they know they can't fight without eating. So they ought to protect the farmer the more and give them chance to work so as to feed the population because no food, no life."

Abugicho Godfred Achekwa, Div. Del. Agric & Rural Dev't, Momo

He was speaking recently to Mbengwi Online in Bamenda during a ceremony organised by the North West Development Authority, MIDENO to donate a consignment of anti COVID-19 kits and farm inputs to farmers in the region. The handing over ceremony of  the special package to the various farming groups drawn from the 7 divisions of the North West took place on Friday 5th June 2020 in Bamenda, coincidentally, on a day that was also  globally commemorated as World Environment Day. 

Cletus Anye Matoyah, the General Manager of MIDENO in unveiling the raison d'être of the donation said "We want to preempt food insecurity because the population irrespective of what the condition is,  needs food. We're giving them diverse fruit trees to protect the water catchments and considering that we are living in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, we equally made available prevention materials to ensure our farmers are well protected" He also disclosed that in March, MIDENO launched the farming season by giving the farmers planting materials like maize, beans and agrochemicals. 

Cletus Anye MATOYAH, MIDENO G.M in a Symbolic Handing Over

Preceding the handing over exercise were various presentations by agric and health specialists to school the farmers on improved cultural technics and importance of cassava and plantain production, tree planting, environmental protection and COVID-19 prevention technics. In the midst of the ongoing global pandemic, there are farmers who basically lack common face masks and some have been improvising since mask wearing is compulsory. 

Created since 1981 by the government of Cameroon and charged with the responsibility to coordinate, supervise and support rural development in the N.W region, MIDENO according to its general manager has been committed uninterruptedly for 39 years in achieving this mission through the Grassfield Participatory and Decentralized Rural Development Project (GP-DERUDEP),  the Livestock and Fisheries Development Project (LIFIDEP), and the Grassfield Participatory and Integrated Rural Development Project (GP-IRDP). Recently, the authority secured a  funding package of over 75 billion CFA frs from the Cameroon government, the African Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank to develop the region. 

Dr. Denis Nsame, Director, Bamenda Regional Hospital Schooling Farmers on COVID-19

Among the items donated were 15.000 plantain suckers, 11.500 improved environmental friendly trees, 100.000 cassava cuttings, diverse COVID-19 prevention materials like tap buckets and wash hand basins, sanitisers and face masks. With this, it is hoped that food and water scarcity will be minimised in the region in the days ahead and the farmers remain healthy.