GS Illum School Project Has Built Strength of Spirit

Posted by Lydia Sorflaten

on Jan 8, 2013

The Rotary Club of Truro recently completed a project in Cameroon, Africa to rebuild and equip a two room building at the GS Illum School near Wum in the North West Region. Initially the project was about bricks and mortar, desks, chairs and cabinets for teaching materials. As the project moved forward and concluded, a new strength and spirit has developed both at the school itself and throughout the community.

GS Illum school largely serves children of Bororo grazier families who pasture their cattle on the surrounding hillsides. A number of years ago the parents established the small two room school here because the 15 km walk to the nearest school in Wum was too far for the children. Before this school was built, children were not attending school. Then, four years ago, a new school was built because more children needed to be accommodated. Girl children in particular were now being encouraged to come to school. The oiginal two room school now deteriorating was designated for the primary children. When Rotarian Lydia Sorflaten visited the school in November 2011, she and her husband Allan were upset by the conditions under which the fifty primary children and teachers housed in this mud brick building were working. The Rotary Club of Truro decided to rebuild and equip the school as a project.

When GS Ilum heard they were chosen for the project, new enthusiasm began to appear. When Allan and Lydia arrived back exactly one year later construction began. Four weeks later they were pleased to see the quality of work that had been completed throughout. This included newly rebuilt and mortared walls inside and out, a new roof and roof overhang, front platform, concrete floors and blackboards as well as windows and doors that can be locked and closed when the weather is bad. When they arrived at the school on December 4^th, 2012, the three new teachers’ desks, chairs, cabinets and bags of supplies for each student were ready for the turn over ceremony.

Allan and Lydia were the special guests and were met by 160 spirited children who formed a welcoming line with parents, teachers, and Ministry of Education officials. A well rehearsed school choir led by a student sang their school anthem. Lydia was presented with flowers and the guests were brought into a festively decorated classroom for the ‘Turn Over Ceremony’. Students presented two skits illustrating how they saw the project begin and how it has changed their attitudes to school, now wanting to come to school and eager to learn. In the year since Lydia and Allan’s first visit in November 2011, the following improvements are visible:

· Increased enrollment of girl children

· Strengthened Parent/Teacher Association

· Improved reading skills. Reading materials contributed by a private donor were turned over in March. Prior to that there were no books for the children to read. Teachers said that children’s reading skills have improved because they now have reading materials to work with.

· The Teacher Training Institute is placing a large number of student teachers at GS Illum

· A school garden approximately 100 meters square (about ¼ acre) not including the banana orchard. Teachers say this has been developed by students who are not academically inclined.

· Creation of a new sports field.

· Landscaping of school grounds

· An improved school environment for everyone.

To see how this project has developed, double click on the following link:

http://www.slideshare.net/LydiaSorflaten/gs-illum-school-project-presentation

To see a possible project for Rotary Club of Truro in 2013, paste the following address into your http box:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdoV760SIR8