Together, we can give Desire and peers a chance and move them to success

Snails business that the family has to rely onAfter the banana plantation is closed, she prepares the snails for sale. Since the banana plantations are a very good environment for snails to reproduce in terms of humidity and shade, it became a great breeding ground. Ekona had become one of the leading snail supply origins in the South West of Cameroon. After night hunting, the snails were dried for cooking and sold as a delicacy at local police checks and toll gates, which are busy with people.This snail business became an alternative source of income for Mokwe, though not reliable enough yet. But this does not stop her from supporting Desiré’s dream, to become a football player.“Neymar Junior” never knows to give upApart from this, the banana plantation organised holiday jobs for Desiré and other children of plantation workers to continue school for the next year. This was how Desiré and his mother survived.Like every residential camp where most plantation workers live, there are recreational activities in the community such as football competitions and holiday tournaments.These competitions were also held in schools and Desiré’s dream of becoming a footballer was kept alive. He was born with talents such as dribbling techniques and tactical skills which earned him the nickname of “Neymar Junior”.One of his great admirers was his mother; who had watched him play several times at the competition. To support her son’s dream and passion, she promised to help him pursue his dream even after completing high school.In spite of Mokwe’s hard work, with the eruption and escalation of violence following the socio-political crisis, schools and the plantations were shut down. The crisis is known as the Anglophone Crisis. In October 2016, protests and strikes got intense when the current administration required corporations and public institutions to use French as their main language. The act of language unification has eventually led to the elimination of anglophones.The history that divides the nationThe history that Cameron had been colonized by the French and the English explains the crisis. Nowadays, 70% of Cameroonians speak French and 30% speak English. After Cameroon declared independence in 1960, it was difficult to find employment for Cameroon’s Anglophones due to the language barrier. Therefore, the official order to unify the language triggered the minority’s anger.For more than 5 years now, this ongoing crisis continues to bring untold sufferings. Thousands have been killed, others violently assaulted and kidnapped. Many have lost their sources of income and have seen their properties destroyed. The unrest in these regions has also led to the displacement of over half-a-million people.Ekona is only one of the two English speaking regions in Cameroon. It is thus considered as one of the high-risk zones as it was a hide‐out for the warring parties. Consequently, the area witnessed sporadic attacks and became a battleground. This led to a halt to many activities; the plantation was shut down and its workers laid off, schools were closed and youths became victims of target killings.Not to mention, the activities of LCDA to help children also had to stop.There were even possible recruitments to join the crisis with armed groups. With growing public insecurity which led to limiting business activities, life became even more challenging for Desiré’s mother as well.However, activities in the Ekona community resumed timidly. Though the banana plantation is still closed, Desiré’s mother kept on with her snail business.What about Desiré? He resumed school after about 2 years of forcefully staying at home. This time around, like most children, he can only have access to school in neighbouring communities since the schools in Ekona are yet to re-open. He is enrolled at Salvation Bilingual High School, Molyko, a private school to pursue his education.What did I do to deserve itLife, however, took another twist in early 2020. With the outbreak of Covid-19 and government measures of shutting down many activities to curb the crisis, the situation further deteriorated.Snail business which had become their only source of income is no longer lucrative. The South West Region depends on basic commodities imported from the neighbouring country, Nigeria. Restricted movement and eventual closure of borders made prices of goods exponentially high. Thus, the earnings from her snail business cannot meet up her daily needs. Completing Desiré’s tuition and even providing prescribed facemasks and hand sanitisers imposed by the authorities in order to have access to schools is a challenge.These Covid-19 prevention kits have become compulsory following the increased number of infections in schools especially around the capital of Cameroon and neighbouring cities. Thus, as a preventive measure for other regions, the wearing of masks and using of hand sanitisers became compulsory for all students. Since it is challenging for Desiré to afford these items, he is forced to stay out of school.Alcohol that is more accessible than anything elseSpending time out of school, like many other idling youths, Desiré is exposed to consumption of alcohol and drugs which has become very common amongst his peers. The warring parties from the English speaking region called for a complete shutdown of schools as a means of calling the government to action. And they put repressive measures against those who violated this order. Many schools have been burnt, teachers and students kidnapped and even killed. For these reasons, Desiré was forced to stay at home. He spent most of the time hanging on the streets with his peers.This is because students at this transitional age of adolescents are more sensitive to social environments as they try to fit in and try new things with their peers. This is true as youths in Ekona have resulted in the consumption of a locally produced alcoholic drink; palm wine especially as it is very affordable (1 litre is sold for less than a dollar). Also, they are exposed to drug consumption.Recently, there have been increased cases of deviant behaviours in schools across the country. Students have been indulged in violence resulting in deaths while others are involved in immoral practices. These behaviours have been linked to the consumption of drugs amongst other factors. This worrying situation is very compromising for Desiré. Indulging in drug consumption, he may be expelled from school. If this happened, his dream of becoming a football player would be crushed as the profession requires discipline and is strongly against drugs. And of course, the illicit consumption of drugs has repercussions on his health.Due to the stories that were told above, to protect these vulnerable teenagers in Ekona, LCDA has been supportive to protect them. Before Covid-19 hit, they had carried out a lot of activities including discussion events to raise awareness on drug prevention, setting up the emergency support desk, and providing mental health care service for teenagers. However, since Covid-19 limits activities like this, delivering educational materials like notebooks and textbooks has been extremely difficult. It has been a huge struggle for LCDA to provide equal education with quality, which leaves vulnerable teenagers at risk of alcohol consumption and drug abuse.Help Desiré through LCDAThough this situation pertains to Desiré, the same narrative applies to many of the Ekona Community. Desiré, his peers and community are in desperate need of your help in order for them to start school. School is one of the most significant ways to lead the path for teenagers to live safe, pursue their dream.If not anyone, you can show them the supportBy your support, over 50 households with a total of about 250 to 300 people will be provided with food while they cannot make money to buy due to the halt of business activities. Also, Covid-19 prevention kits will be extended to school children of Ekona. This will guarantee access to school for 200 children at the age of 11 to 16.With these aids, it is expected that the exposure to and possible involvement in drug consumption by over 3,800 students at the age of 14 to 16 will be reduced. When this will be carried out, we hope to restore back smiles to this community and the dreams of the youths will be kept alive.To realise all these, LCDA is in need of 3,387,000FCFA.Contribute to this project here:Click here to read the plot on "SPIN"Reference:Cost of Living in Cameroon: prices in 10 cities compared (livingcost.org)Cameroon Minimum Wage - World Minimum Wage Rates 2021 (minimum-wage.org)