About the foundation

An educated resource-poor person will be better equipped to fighting hunger and diseases while protecting his/her habitat and environment in this fast moving global world.

The Foundation mission

The Foundation’s mission is to contribute to poverty alleviation and to enhance the well-being of present and future generations in Cameroon through financial aid and other assistance that promote sustainable education in resource-poor Cameroonian families. The foundation also contributes to the strengthening of the educational infrastructures in Cameroon.

The objectives

The Pellé Foundation is a non-religious and apolitical not-for-profit NGO devoted primarily to contribute to the reduction of the number of students leaving school prematurely due to poverty, especially among girls and boys from poor families. It will find imaginative ways of mobilizing financial resources to promote sustainable education in resource-poor families in order to help raise school completion rates in Cameroon.

Need or problem addressed

Analphabetism and poor education are a major factor that hinders development in Africa and in Cameroon in particular. This factor is pronounced in resource-poor families. With sufficient training, the needs of the poor in their own countries will be met. Education and knowledge for all is an important part of the solutions for development in Africa (please see the Background section).

The Beneficiaries

The Foundation’s primary beneficiaries are students from resource-poor families with emphasis on those who have lost one or both parents. To date, the main beneficiaries are mainly university students. The foundation also looks for external assistance to improve the educational infrastructures in Cameroon.

Methodology, plan of work describing activities to be undertaken and possible limiting factors that can affect project progress

Beneficiaries selected through existing institutions in Cameroon. Aid granted once a year and up to 4 years or until graduation. Performance at school is important for renewal of aid. For a good turnover of beneficiaries, aid will be terminated if the recipient has more than one academic failure. The goal is to raise enough aid to help 50 students per year. Lack of enough funds is the main limiting factor for project performance and sustainability. Through contacts and networks, the Foundation assists graduate students find Ph.D. training opportunities, obtains training materials that are redundant in universities in developed countries to help schools in Cameroon.

Timetable of activities and duration of project

First phase: by 2004, offer financial aid to at least 10 eligible students in Universities in Yaoundé every year, including at least 7 from 2001-02 academic year; second phase: in 2005, extend aid to other University centers; third phase: in 2008, extend aid to high schools in Cameroon and maintain an average of 30-50 students per year.
In parallel, a network to provide students with information regarding postgraduate training opportunities will be improved through a database available on the Foundation website and University campuses.
For capacity building and strengthening of educational infrastructures, contact will be made with colleagues from advanced institutions for input and assistance.

Anticipated results of the project

From 2010, each year 30-50 students from resource-poor families attend school or complete their degrees through financial aid from the Foundation.

Plan for dissemination of project results, anticipated follow-up and output

Aid is offered once a year and up to 4 years (or until graduation). More funds are needed to help 50 students per year. Linkages with NGOs involved in activities that promote post-university development will be developed.

Evaluation plan to measure how the project met its proposed objectives

The project progress report is presented at the Annual General Meeting of the Foundation in August for review. The budget and new objectives and activities are submitted for approval.

Budget for the project, showing all projected and confirmed funding sources and funding amount within the set timeframe.

• Budget needed for 3-year period: $50,000
• Budget needed for 2002-03: requested, $17,000
• Guaranteed by the founder of the foundation, $500
• Aid: $500 per student per year if funds permit
• Current level of financial aid: a minimum of 50,000 CFA francs per student per year.

Recent budget and information about the organization resource mobilization, the feasibility and sustainability of proposed activities

The budget was $100 for academic year 2000-01 and $500 (or 355,000 CFA francs) for 2001-02. Two students received aid in 2000-01 ($50 each) and seven students (50,000 CFA francs each) in 2001-02. In 2002-03, 17 students received financial aid. On the Capacity Strengthening component, 2 Gilson pipetmans of $423 were attributed to the Université des Montagnes (UdM) in 2002-03. On the Networking component, a Ph.D. student position was identified and one student was enrolled at ICIPE, Nairobi, with a full scholarship in 2003. Since 2000, the Foundation has provided financial aid and assistance to over 640 students, averaging 32 beneficiaries per year. The table below captures the Pellé Foundation’s track record:

Desired budget over a three-year period

The Foundation seeks funding to help 50 students per year. We want to raise enough funds to increase our support to $500 per student per year. The amount of funding desired over a three-year period is $75,000.