In the rural Ebase village in Southwest Cameroon, 99.7 percent of the population are poor peasant farmers, many of whom struggle to attain such basic needs as potable water, electricity, and health care. A lack of family resources means that education access is limited, particularly for female students. This project supports a school lunch program from longtime BGR partner the Centre for Community Development and Environmental Restoration (CENCUDER). Based since 2015 in the local village school, the program is breaking cycles of poverty and illiteracy, both by reducing the prevalence of hunger and malnutrition that affect children’s health and lead to poor academic performance and also by keeping them in school. Our partner aims, through this program, to reduce the dropout rate from 5 percent to one percent by the end of 2026, with a particular focus on keeping village girls in school. The project provides a balanced hot school lunch to 160 children—for many, the only nutritious meal they receive each day.
In the rural Ebase village in Southwest Cameroon, 99.7 percent of the population are poor peasant farmers, many of whom struggle to attain such basic needs as potable water, electricity, and health care. A lack of family resources means that education access is limited, particularly for female students. This project supports a school lunch program from longtime BGR partner the Centre for Community Development and Environmental Restoration (CENCUDER). Based since 2015 in the local village school, the program is breaking cycles of poverty and illiteracy, both by reducing the prevalence of hunger and malnutrition that affect children’s health and lead to poor academic performance and also by keeping them in school. Our partner aims, through this program, to reduce the dropout rate from 5 percent to one percent by the end of 2026, with a particular focus on keeping village girls in school. The project provides a balanced hot school lunch to 160 children—for many, the only nutritious meal they receive each day.
