Through our partnership with the Marist Mission Centre of the Marist Fathers, a small community-run initiative in rural Cameroon is helping to protect the rights of children and young people with a disability. Overseen by the Marist Fathers, this project operates out of a small centre where this ostracized minority receives basic education and skills training through the dedication of three local teachers and one social worker.
There are currently 20 pupils aged between eight and 20 who attend on a regular basis, as well as a severely intellectually handicapped 33-year-old who has had no prior education. The students live with various impairments including visual or hearing impairments, intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy or a physical disability. The centre aims to provide these students with the skills to live life independently and provide an early intervention so they don’t end up begging or working on the streets.
In addition to the education of these pupils, the centre also provides medical care and has formed a “Good Will Association of Person with Disability” in the rural communities that make up Bambili Tubah Subdistrict which advocates for the rights of these children and young people. Community workshops are also held to educate the communities about disabilities and how they can support those in their area with a disability.
The Marist Fathers and Marist Brothers have various initiatives across the world supporting people with a disability including in Bangladesh, Timor-Leste and Cambodia. Read more about our work in Cambodia here: Lavalla School