Voluteer Opportunity at Hadassah Billingual Nursery and Primary School

Hadassah Bilingual Nursery and Primary School is looking for volunteers with experience in nursery and primary education and administration. Volunteers who are retired are of priority but opportunity is given to all volunteers willing to offer a minimum of 2 months of volunteering time. Special consideration is given to those who will wish to volunteer for a much shorter time than required.

Job description:

-Reinforce pedagogic approaches and learning activities

-Designing class room learning environment

-production and use of didactic materials

-amelioration of the curriculum

-Amelioration of new approaches to primary and nursery school administration

-designing and application Information technology and communication skills amongst pupils

-assist in building capacity amongst the local teachers

- Work alongside local teachers

What do we offer?

Lodging within WeCCARE foundation secured premises

A monthly feeding allowance

Opportunities for tourism

What do we expect from our volunteers?

Good moral character

Volunteers can bring along whatever assistance they wish for the growth of the school

Encourage others to volunteer 

Smile Train Stories

Patient and Partner Stories from Smile Train's Work Around the World

Lau Jean’s Story

with 4 comments

Lau Jean, 54, before and after his Smile Train surgery.

Tokombéré, Cameroon—Rejected, insulted, despised, alienated, and thought of as a witch. Such was the fate of Mr. Lau Jean. Smile Train met Jean, a 54-year-old man, in Cameroon at Hôpital Privé Catholique de Tokombere.
Jean was born in a remote village in northern Cameroon called Glonhobe and from infancy his life was marked by rejection. He received no schooling and as a child lived in a world of ignorance, poverty, and fear of death. Because of his cleft, he was not allowed to partake in traditional ceremonies or village and family gatherings. Jean was unable to even sit with friends and family during meals.
As was the custom in his region, Jean’s marriage was arranged for him when he was a young adult. Jean’s brother represented him during the marriage ceremony though as he was unable to participate in this custom—his own wedding—because of his cleft. When Jean’s wife met him for the first time after the wedding, she was shocked, frightened, confused, and wanted out immediately. Her family could not allow her leave the marriage as the traditional rites had already been finalized. The couple went on to have five children.
Trying to provide for his family was impossible as no one wanted to do business with Jean. He barely had enough money to live, let alone receive surgery to repair his cleft. He was also very afraid he would die during the procedure. Luckily a social worker sponsored by Smile Train from Hôpital Privé Catholique de Tokombere arrived at his village and showed him pictures of patients whose clefts were repaired. They told him stories of how each patient, from infants to adults like himself, now had better lives. He then decided to go ahead with the surgery. After a short, but life-transforming surgical procedure, Jean’s whole world changed.
News about Jean’s new life had gotten to his village even before his arrival three days later. When Jean arrived home a celebration in his honor was waiting for him. His wife was once again confused, only this time, she was staring at her husband with eyes of joy and new love. For the children, it was the first time they saw their papa be like any other father in their community.
Jean is now accepted in all the ranks of his society as a man of honor, having now been given all the traditional rights and privileges. Although adjusting to his new life has at times been difficult, like trying to use his identification papers as his photo has completely changed, he is beyond happy and proud. He is very grateful to Smile Train and its worldwide partners for giving him, and so many other patients like him, a new life. Jean has now become a social recruiter visiting nearby villages as an ambassador for Smile Train educating communities about cleft and finding others in need of surgery.

FREE CLEFT SURGERIES AT BETHESDA HOSPITAL YAOUNDE FROM 5TH TO 9TH OF MAY 2014

As part of its cleft care program sponsored by Smile Train and the Bethesda Hospital Yaounde, WeCCARE Foundation plans to hold a free cleft surgery campaign for cleft Clients from the 5th to the 9th of May 2014 at Bethesda Hospital yAOUNDE. Join us to mobilized persons with cleft so that they can benefit .

112 year and still counting

Locating Dada an aged woman of 112 years old was not easy. We drove back and forward in the villages Tokombere to Maroua trying to find out from the villagers where she stayed. After showing some pictures of her to the villagers which we had previously taken during our last visit, she was recognized and we were then taken to her house, she was famous in the small community where she lived. As we got close to Dada’s home, Dr Oben recognized her hut and we all went in to greet Dada with a small present the WeCCARE team had prepared for her, a bag of rice and 20000frs(40$). Overwhelmed Dada cried though the dryness of the place, her old withered body and hunger will not permit tears from flowing down her eyes. She blessed us and thanked for the present all the while, making us understand she had had no food for more than 24 hours. When we met her she was trying to cook some few grains of beans which she had reserved for the hard days like the one we met her in. WeCCARE Foundation moved with compassion for her has decided to take care of her feeding on monthly bases which sums up to 30000frs (60$) . We all the same are counting on partners and donors like you to support and help us in this endeavor.

 

WeCCARE CLEFT CARE PROJECT(MAroua Tokombere cleft Mission)Sponsored by SMILE TRAIN

WeCCARE Foundation was engaged in a vast reconstructive plastic surgery campaign in Tokombere (Maroua) on Children, Men and Women with cleft lips and palate, sponsored by Smile Train a USA based organization

The WeCCARE Foundation team made up of more than 15 persons from different regions of Cameroon all converged in Maroua, en route to Tokombere on the 22^nd of February 2014 after travelling a distance of more than 1000 miles. Different means of transportation were used to bring our material and person from one place of the nation to the other, Littoral, South West, Center, Adamawa, North and Extreme North regions of Cameroon. After a short sleep of 3 hours for there was no time to rest as morning quickly approached, we all woke up for Breakfast and a lightning visit to one of the churches WeCCARE helped roof their building. From church we drove to the new WeCCARE Maroua office. Arrangements for the campaign started weeks before with trips to Maroua and recruiting of people to bring in clients with cleft lips and palate. These were sent to the six Divisions of the Far North region of Cameroon and did excellent jobs in sensitizing people and bringing them from their homes to Tokombere Catholic private hospital were the campaign was to be carried. WeCCARE took care of all the transportation of the cleft lips and their guardians.

 The WeCCARE team led by Dr Oben Sammy Orock, had four surgeons, two anesthetist, one pharmacist, three nurses, an interpreter, WeCCARE representative in the Maroua and many other members working in different departments .In Maroua we took the first set of cleft clients and their family, rented a bus and drove a distance of 50 km before getting to Tokombere where the surgeries were to be done in partnership with the Catholic Private Hospital Tokombere. On arrival we were received by the Tokombere catholic hospital staff and taken to our resting place and place of work. No time to rest was the new life style we started living, after a brief meeting, screening and clerking of the first cleft persons^, all arrangements for surgeries to begin on the 24^th were done with, and so we finally stopped work at 10pm had dinner and off to our rooms for a merited rest. At 5 am the cocks of Tokombere aware of our mission woke us as they became our natural alarm. After cleaning up, breakfast, work continued with client clerking and number codes attributed to them. Before long the first person was on the surgical desk and our cleft lips and palate surgery began.On the first day of our campaign 16 persons were operated and 64 more persons were clerked. We worked the whole day from 8:00am to 11:30 pm. On the second day 24 cases were operated and more were registered we worked again from 8:00am till past midnight. So far all seems to be fine and little or no complications.  The difficulties with had was operating people who were malnourished and malaria stricken. On day three we operated 20 persons and the last day 16 persons were operated making a total of 76 surgeries all together. Many lives were changed as we all received a lot of| “ossouko” thank you in Fulfulde. At the end of our campaign we had consulted more 230 persons discovered more than 10 NOMA cases, therefore we plan on doing reconstructive surgery for the NOMA patients when we get the sponsors necessary to fund these. WeCCARE is also planning a MARC Missions in these areas were we will consult people and give them free medications and mosquito nets etc to help them but most importantly we will give them nutritional food to help build them up.

              WeCCARE is planning another mission in Maroua in June and many more will follow. Your help and support and encouraging words and prayer have been beneficiary for us God bless you for all the endeavors and support in all kind.  Thank you. We Thank God for making all the WeCCARE FOUNDATION cleft care project possible, we also thank Smile Train for they are the sponsors and our gratitude also goes to the Tokombere Private Catholic Hospital, The Cameroonian Government for all the support they have given us in making the project come true. We cannot forget Dr Roxanne Chick for her contribution helping baby Marie Emmanuel, we are very grateful for all the endeavors you are making to change the lives of many in Cameroon and Africa God bless you and we want to say we love you all. We are privileged to work with you.

                    

                   

                        

Out of this world experience:

 

When things go far above and beyond your expectations!  We ended up taking a red eye bus trip leaving at 10:30 PM Wednesday and arriving in Etoko at 8:00 am.  Etoke is a small village about 30 Km from Mamfe.  We set up shop, prayed, I was the honorary chaplain and began to do surgeries.  During the next four days Dr. Oben, a Plastic surgeon did surgeries on 29 people, 48 different incisions, mostly hernia repair and hydrocele.  I was his assistant in surgery on about 8 surgeries, it was unbelievable, one after another they were prepped, came for surgery then to the makeshift hospital room laying on mattresses they provided, eight deep in both sides of large room.  This outreach was held at the Etoko Medical Center, now going to be called the Etoko Hospital as Dr Oben has a vision to transform it into fully functioning hospital as God Provides.  I saw things that I really didn’t care to see, these people are humble, poor farmers who suffer from large hernias. I provided consultations to about 60 men, women and children, with diagnoses, malaria, filarial, and a host of other problems many of which I had not seen before.  One child needed emergency IV for malaria but by the second day she began to recover. Their families brought in their food  I ate with them, ate there food, yes, Coco yams, Geri, cassava, coconuts, fish and ,any things I was afraid to ask what it was but my stomach survived.  The people were really receptive to the Word of the Lord that I was able to present both morning and nighttime.  They speak, English, Pidgin, and tribal dialect but we all managed and in the end the love we had for each other was truly out of this world.  Aisha means I can relate, I feel your pain and in the end I left with many of them, relatives, children and friends to, affectedly hugging me and making me promise to return, my name there as well as here in Yaoundé is Uncle P.  It was beyond precious.  For a short time we visited Mamfe which is a short distance from the Nigerian border and I was able to climb their famous “hanging bridge. “  Then there was the 8 hour trip back to Yaounde’, we got back at 5 am from the trip which is another story all together.


BY Patrick Gaughan
 

MISSION AKONOLINGA

ABARA Pauline is a young lady 23 years old, Mother of two boys (8 and 4 years) She works in a drinking spot as a cleaner in Akonolinga commonly known as club center. She was affected by poliomyelitis at a tender age and has never had a wheel chair before. WeCCARE Team led by Dr Oben drove on the 31^st December  2013from Yaounde to Akonolinga 90 km away to donate a wheel chair to ABARA Pauline. Arriving at the spot, the place was cleaned and arranged for the ceremony and her family members were present as well as her children and employers. WeCCARE Team was introduced and a power point put projected. A speech was made by Dr Oben and the delegate of social affairs, The chair was then offered to Pauline and Mrs. Oben helped Pauline into it, After the ceremony a little refreshment was shared to the people present and pictures were taken at the end of it all the WeCCARE team Hit the road  Yaounde thanking God for a wonderful opportunity to serve.

ABARA Pauline on her way to work with her 4 year old son

 Pauline weeps as she receives a wheel chair for the first time in her life

PASS ME NOT

I woke up this Sunday morning and thought of the verse that says, behold what manner of love the father hath given unto us, 1 John 3:1.....this would latter turn out to be prophetic!

A team of six volunteers from Weccare Foundation, I was one of them, met at Dr Oben's house at mid-morning to go out witnessing and follow up.  We traveled 66 km to Manyai  a suburb of Matomb.  We were looking for a man seen almost a year earlier by Dr Oben .

(Dr Oben and his wife were traveling from Douala to Yaounde when they spotted a man crawling on his hands because he apparently had no other way to ambulate.  Dr Oben said to his wife that it just wasn't right that they should be riding in a car and this poor soul be moving around in such a manner.  Dr Oben vowed to go back one day and help the handicapped man; this was to be that day!)  

Locating this individual was the first objective as Dr Oben only knew this man’s infirmity but not his name or exact location.  When we arrived in the vicinity of the previous sighting we   decided to ask if anyone knew him or his whereabouts.  We pulled over by a small road side store and described the man to the proprietor, he said not only did he know him but he would take us to his house. After a brief ride to a small, even more, rural home we piled out of the van and met the handicapped man Nka Mathurin and five others.  We shared the Gospel and the love of Jesus with the household.  Four people said they wanted to trust Jesus for salvation.  We then told the 41 year old man who was crippled with Poliomyelitis since childhood that the Weccare Foundation would buy him a wheelchair this week.   He was a reserved individual, probably from the isolation of being trapped by this affliction, but was very happy to receive such a wonderful gift.  We also said we would give follow up material to the four accepting Christ when we returned.  After taking many pictures, shaking lots of hands and receiving many thank you we departed.  I can still remember the last sight of him on his porch, makeshift wooden block hand shoes attached. The next time I see Nka Mathurin he will probably be in heaven, he sure will look different then!

By Patrick Gaughan

 

 

Emmanuel (Watchman)and Aka Mathurin

The WeCCARE Team Evangelistic Outreach and Aka Mathurin's Family