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Within the framework of the back-to-school support project launched at the beginning of the month of August 2021, ATRUD reached out to over 20 students and pupils in Mabeta New Layout -Limbe, South West Region, Cameroon with didactic materials like books, bags, rulers, calculators, pens etc. ATRUD’s main goal was to assist the children with school materials to enable them ease their studies because many of them willing to go back to school, had not been able to do so for some years now, due to the crises in South West and North West regions of Cameroon.
The Coordinator in Cameroon, Mr Ebot Leonel Tabot used the occasion to thank all those who assisted in one way or the other to reach out to these children, especially the ATRUD community in China who are always quick to contribute when projects are launched.

ATRUD is calling on others to rise up and reach out to the less privileged either financially or materially. The displaced people of the North West and South West regions of Cameroon are still in great need of support as the conflict persists. Many children are still unable to afford tuition and school materials. Many are still homeless and jobless. Let’s join our hands and help these children to combat some of their difficulties like reading and spelling by providing them with books and readers, means of transportation, show them love and comfort.We are happy that this first phase went well and we are willing to do more. So, we call on others to help them with other things like foodstuffs, medication in anyway they can.

Friends and sympathizers of ATRUD are reminded that ATRUD is still running an IT Training center for IDPs in Douala and is in need of materials like used computers, printers, and all other accessories to boost the center. Donations in cash are welcome.

Internally displaced persons from the armed conflict in Cameroon in their 4th year after fleeing their homes are now beginning to consider the refugee camps in Eastern Nigeria as their second homes, as the end of the conflict is no where near. Many of the victims who have lost loved ones to the war, lost property, jobs and businesses see a return home as unrealistic. The refugee camps which they thought were temporary solutions have now become home. Many refugees have engaged in activities that can help them feed themselves as well as earn a bit of money. Such activities include farming, tailoring, trading and house help.

 

It is in this light that ATRUD has launched a poultry farming project with the aim of employing some of the IDPs, generating income that can be used to solve other pending issues among them and empowering those interested with skills in animal husbandry. The project was launched in December 2020 and now has about 100 3-week-old chicks, which are expected to be sold sometime later this year.

 

The director of the project Mr. Enow has thanked ATRUD and donors for the initiative and promised that the project will employ many IDPS in the long run. He pleaded with ATRUD to plead with donors and well-wishers to contribute more to the success of the project so that by the end of the year the farm should be able to produce about 1000 chicks. “We need more equipment and supplies to keep the chicks healthy and increase their numbers.” The project director pleaded.

 

ATRUD founder Mr. Tabot, commenting on the project said ATRUD will henceforth focus on more sustainable projects for IDPS  in a bid to empower them with survival skills instead of always donating items to them.

 

The poultry farm project comes as the third of such projects after the tailoring workshop and the ICT center for IDPs in Douala.

On the 3rd of October 2020, at Bepanda, Douala, Port Autonome de Douala (PAD)

in partnership with the Association for Training and Rural Development (ATRUD), reached out to the internally displaced and disadvantaged persons at Trinity Orphanage here in Bepanda _Douala. Most of them, children below 15 years and women, are victims of the crises in parts of Cameroon. The goal was to assist the children with back-to-school materials like; books, pens, pencils, math sets, chalk, rulers, etc.

 

The beneficiaries of the aid package, Trinity Orphanage and groups of IDPs, are only a small part of a long list of clusters of homeless persons fleeing in search for safety, food, medical care and shelter. ATRUD, keeps, manages and responds, in order of urgency, to the ever-growing list of persons and institutions in need of help in the region and even beyond the borders of Cameroon.

 

Port Autonome de Douala (PAD) representative from their communications department, while making the donation of the sum of 500,000frs CFA, wished ATRUD success in many more similar projects helping the needy. Cameroon Coordinator Ebot Leonel Tabot used the occasion to thank all those who made the donation possible. He thanked the Douala Port Authority(PAD)for reaching out to the IDPs and the orphans of Trinity Orphanage, and called on other big companies to rise up and reach out to the less-privileged materially or financially.

 

Port Autonome de Douala (PAD) is the first big company in Cameroon to show proof of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in partnership with ATRUD. If many more companies did the same, many more communities would be empowered and many more lives would be changed for the better.

 

If you are representing a company looking for ways to exercise some Corporate Social Responsibility, contact ATRUD for the list of available projects in various areas, from which you can choose one or two to sponsor.

 

ATRUD News Flash

 

Over 300 Internally displaced persons from the conflict in Cameroon, commonly referred to as IDPs, based in the refugee camp in Taraba State in Nigeria have benefited from a package of basic clothing, necessities and training equipment worth 5million frs CFA from a joint effort led by the Association for Training and Rural Development (ATRUD) and with contributions from KHMI based in New York, USA, ATRUD branch China, ATRUD branch Nigeria, Zionists Nigeria and FTHEA – Nigeria.

 

The project was the fruit of months of fundraising, items collection and coordination by various teams. In spite of numerous challenges and setbacks, the items finally arrived safely. Distribution was done at the local refugee mission in the area. Most of the IDPs in dire need of basic necessities expressed thanks and the wish to learn sustainable skills that can enable them earn some money for food and basic necessities.

In that light, the aid package contained 8 sewing machines for tailoring workshop sessions. This skill was identified as one of the easiest income-generating activity the IDPs could learn.

 

The next step of the project is the renting of a hall in which equipment will be set up for the training workshops on tailoring, computing, handicraft and other sustainable skills. Many of the IDPs are interested in farming projects like growing crops and animals because the projects will provide them food and at the same time some money for basic necessities.

 

ATRUD is continuing with fundraising until the end of this year with the aim of raising more money for the training of the IDPs. ATRUD is appealing to donors to show goodwill gestures once more and support these sustainable projects for IDPs. “Empowering IDPs with sustainable skills is far much better than sending them rice and cooking oil from time to time.” The founder of ATRUD, Mr. Tabot said while thanking all those who have been contributing so far.

ATRUD News Flash

The Thursday July 9th, 2020 edition of the newspaper The Horizon in Cameroon carried the following caption on its front page:

“SOS: Conjoined twins in dire need of help at HGOPY. Contact parents on 671490130 / 674982214 / 655272963.” The caption also had a picture of the conjoined twins joined by the buttocks.

 

ATRUD immediately got in touch with the family and launched a fundraising campaign on African community forums based in China. The appeal touched the hearts of many donors who chipped in what they could in spite of the hard times with many people barely surviving the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. In one week of fundraising, over 3000RMB was raised for initial support and a representative of ATRUD was sent to the hospital in Yaounde where a team of doctors was currently studying the case of the twins before surgery.

 

“Fundraising continues until the problem is solved.” ATRUD president said referring to the sum raised as initial support for basic bills because when surgery finally took place the family would likely spend many times more.

 

ATRUD is therefore appealing to persons of good will who are yet to make a gesture of support to do so without any hesitation. Donors all over the world can donate through ATRUD for proper channeling or even get in touch directly with the parents of the twins using the numbers cited at the beginning of this article.

 

The parents of the twins Mr. Ekana Richard and Mrs. Ekana Caroline expressed their thanks to the donors calling them people of God, ambassadors of goodwill and good examples of the saying: “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” They were deeply touched by the humanitarian gesture coming from people they don’t even know.

 

Team ATRUD wishes the twins a very successful surgery and a happy life thereafter with their parents. Updates on the situation will be announced through ATRUD news channels as progress is made on the case.

 

On Saturday 28^th June 2020, the Association for Training and Rural Development (ATRUD) in partnership with Coeur D’amour went to a local neighborhood in the city of Douala precisely Makepe Missoke to reach out to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). These IDPs have been in this locality since 2016 after they fled from the crisis-hit zones; the North West and South West regions of Cameroon.

 

They have been hosted for all these years by a good Samaritan, Chief, Dr. Mofor in his compound.

 

The over 100 IDPs, most of them women and children, have been faced with various challenges like illnesses; typhoid, malaria, body rashes, chicken pox in children etc., lack of food, lack of education and lack of jobs. These challenges have even led to the death of some, in spite of the efforts of their host. 

Team ATRUD, considering all what they have been going through, and abiding by our motto which is “Changing Lives and Empowering Communities”, went to preach a message of hope to them. “We told them that they still had a future, despite the hardship and the troubles they were going through” said ATRUD’s General Manager E.L Tabot, leading the team at the ceremony.

Team ATRUD in partnership with Coeur D’amour, put together an AID package of mostly food items: rice, pasta, onions, maize, beans, vegetable oil, maggi, garri, tomato paste and salt. In addition, the package also had toiletries and some medication.

Speaking at the reception ceremony, the host, Chief, Dr. Mofor thanked the two NGOs ATRUD and Coeur D’amour wholeheartedly for the gesture of goodwill towards the suffering people and asked the almighty to replenish the efforts of the team in their humanitarian projects and their kindness towards mankind.

On a personal note, ATRUD’s General Manager expressed the wish to have some of the IDPs trained in income-generating activities that could help them sustain themselves instead of waiting for AID packages from donors. Skills like hairdressing, sewing, ICT, baking, farming, etc., petty trading like fish roasting, plantain chips, etc., would all go a long way to improve the livelihood of these unfortunate victims of the ongoing crisis in the country.

 

It is our desire to teach them how to fish for themselves rather than always providing them with fish.

Team ATRUD,

Reporting from Douala.

Team ATRUD visits Kids For Tomorrow Foundation, IKOM, Nigeria

The town of Ikom in Cross River State, Nigeria continues to host tens of thousands of persons fleeing the war in Cameroon. Many of the refugees have been there since 2017 and have been forced to consider Ikom now as their second home as the armed conflict in Cameroon continues.

Most of the stranded children and women living off the streets have never received any help from the government since the crisis started. As a result, they have resorted to handouts from passers-by and non-governmental organizations like ATRUD.

The Kids For Tomorrow Foundation is one of such organizations trying to bring hope to the hopeless displaced persons. The director of the orphanage hosting over 100 children, Dr. Mercy Obassi Tabi, in a joint effort with ATRUD’s regional coordinator in Nigeria Mr. Kelly Enow, organized a visit during wish a variety of items of clothing from ATRUD donors were distributed to the refugees. Dr. Mercy Obassi Tabi, Head of Department, Environmental Sciences, Kaduna State University, also donated items to assist the needy.

As women all over the world celebrated Women’s Day, the visit was timely to boost the morale of the forgotten women and children. There was a prayer session led by Evangelist Mike Iyaji of Gospel of Cross Church, State Housing Ikom, followed by short lectures on survival tips by ATRUD representatives.

Within the same framework of assisting the less privileged, team ATRUD made a stopover in Limbe to assist the disabled of the Make Ourselves Happy Foundation, an association headed by Mr. Tekok Terrence who thanked ATRUD for the wheelchair that would henceforth help the disabled to move around more easily instead of hopping on crutches.

With so many persons in need scattered in many small camps along the border with Cameroon and beyond, ATRUD is aiming at reaching out to more donors so that many more people can be assisted in the months ahead. ATRUD welcomes any kind of donation and in any amount. Together we can change the lives of these innocent people most of whom can’t afford even daily meals. We count on your continuous support.

The Association of Training and Rural Development (ATRUD) has in the past days embarked on a campaign to sensitize the population to fight a against the deadly Corona virus also known as COVID-19 . ATRUD headed by its branch manager and staff moved from one neighborhood to another distributing medical face masks and placing containers of water and sanitizers where the population can have access to wash their hands easily thereby avoiding being infected . The population was educated on how to practice social distancing , what to do when sneezing or coughing and how to wash hands, etc .
Below are the 5 points ATRUD is sensitizing the population on :

1- HANDS: It starts with your hands, wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol- based solution.
Such frequent washing with soap and water, or preferably with an alcohol-base solution, kill viruses that may be on your hands. It is simple, but it is very important.

2- ELBOWS: cover your nose and mouth with a bent elbow or tissue when you sneeze or cough . Dispose the tissue immediately and wash your hands .
Droplets spread the coronavirus. By following the respiratory hygiene, you protect the people around you from contracting the viruses, such as cold, flu and coronavirus.

3- FACE: Avoid touching your face , particularly your eyes , mouth or nose to prevent the virus from entering your body .

Hands touch too many surfaces and can quickly pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your face, from where the virus can move into your body, making you feel unwell.

4- DISTANCE: In terms of social interaction, take a step back , stay at least one meter distance from others .

By maintaining such distancing, you are helping to avoid breathing in any droplets from someone who sneezes or cough in close proximity.

5- FEEL: If you feel unwell, stay at home. Please follow all instructions provided by your local health authorities.
If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance.
Keep informed as local health authorities provide the latest information on the situation in your area. Please follow their specific instructions, and call in advance to allow them to direct you on the appropriate local health facility. This serves to protect you and to help prevent the spread of virus and other infections.
ATRUD has promised to carry out this campaign until covid19 is kicked out of the planet . ATRUD is calling on people of goodwill to help and continue to support their efforts to fight against this deadly pandemic be it financially, morally and through material donations.

 

Click here to see pictures of ATRUD teams on the field.

 

               Since the outbreak of the deadly Corona virus in China in December 2019, the world is alert and many countries have taken stringent measures in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus. The United States of America has sacrificed the most, with over 42,604 victims (as of April 21^st) paying the ultimate price of death and over 798,742 cases of confirmed cases and counting. An entire province with a population of over 60 million inhabitants was locked down – the first in the history of mankind, in China where the outbreak started. Since then towns, cities and states across the world have undergone similar measures.

 

               The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Global Health Emergency on Thursday, January 30^th 2020 and called upon the world to cooperate in helping countries with weaker health systems.  Since then, many countries have put in place several measures ranging from evacuations, mandatory airport screenings, quarantines to flight cancelations and complete border closures. The virus, nevertheless has continued spreading to several countries around the globe, leading to serious social disorder, panic and economic losses in areas affected. Today all countries of the world have cases of COVID-19.

 

 

               The Association for Training and Rural Development (ATRUD), has instructed all teams working in rural areas to educate locals on preventive actions such as; washing hands with soap especially after using the toilet, wearing masks when going out to crowded areas and looking out for basic symptoms like cough, fever and temperature rise. ATRUD believes that one of the best ways to fight the deadly contagion is to educate people on preventive measures.

 

              Countries with unstable health systems especially in rural areas are the most vulnerable and should be given the most attention. In this light, ATRUD volunteer medical practitioners have been called upon to be vigilant and to prioritize all information and updates regarding the virus.

 

             Donors willing to contribute financially or otherwise towards the assistance of victims trapped in Wuhan, Hubei province, the epicenter of the disease, are requested to get in touch with the ATRUD head office in Douala Cameroon, the branch office in Ikom, Nigeria or its representative office in Shanghai, China for coordination and forwarding to the right quarters.

ATRUD stands in solidarity with all governments across the world in the fight against COVID-19 and with special emphases on the more vulnerable persons living in rural areas with very little means to afford protection.

Donations through ATRUD to help victims of COVID-19 can be made through our donations page. Click here to make a donation.