Educational Innovators & Funding Partners

VIA DON BOSCO

Institutional Resilience and Sustainable Youth Entrepreneurship

Our partnership with Via Don Bosco truly sets the standard for international development cooperation. As a globally respected Belgian NGO focused on technical education and job market integration, Via Don Bosco has served as the primary institutional force behind ACOHOF’s long-term structural strength. Through several multi-year funding and program frameworks, they have helped grow our foundation from a local grassroots initiative into a highly resilient, modern hub of technical and pedagogical excellence.

For Via Don Bosco, this partnership has produced results to be genuinely proud of, marked by several major, systemic breakthroughs:

A Shift to the “School-Enterprise” (École-Entreprise) Model  
Via Don Bosco led a meaningful move away from short-term, charity-based support toward real, structural self-reliance on our campus. By funding and implementing the *School-Enterprise* approach, they transformed our vocational training into practical business incubation. Our students—especially traumatized, conflict-affected internally displaced persons (IDPs)—are not only learning agriculture. They also learn how to manage high-yield agropastoral businesses, market their products, and earn income. In doing so, the model turns farming into a respected and profitable entrepreneurial path, one that provides genuine economic independence.

Unbreakable Unity During Regional Crisis  
When a major socio-political crisis forced ACOHOF to completely relocate its original campus in Tatum and flee to the Adamaoua Region, Via Don Bosco did not step back. While typical emergency aid often disappears during geopolitical disruptions, they responded with long-term strategic flexibility. Their consistent financial and institutional support gave ACOHOF exactly what it needed to survive the forced displacement, quickly establish low-cost boarding facilities in Bankim, and safely welcome hundreds of newly arriving English-speaking IDP youth.

Stronger, More Professional Institutional Governance  
Beyond building student-focused infrastructure, Via Don Bosco has invested deeply in the people who make our organization work. They funded ongoing, rigorous capacity-building workshops for our Trainers and also supported annual external audits and strategic reviews. As a result, they strengthened ACOHOF’s internal management systems. This institutional improvement ensures that our financial transparency, pedagogical quality control, and administrative processes align with the highest global expectations.

A Concrete Shield Against Regional Vulnerabilities  
The economic opportunities created through Via Don Bosco’s support have directly helped reduce serious social crises on the ground. By giving vulnerable youth a dignified and highly productive alternative, this partnership has helped limit rural out-migration of primary school graduates, lowered the risk of trafficking of girls to major cities for domestic work, and kept conflict-affected young people from being pulled into illegal crop production and armed groups.

A Partnership Built on Equality  
Via Don Bosco doesn’t simply provide funding to ACOHOF—they stand with us as true partners in dignity. Their strategic investment has shown that when you equip a displaced community with high-quality technical tools and genuine institutional trust, they can turn a crisis into a model of regional recovery, social inclusion, and self-sustaining economic growth.

Plateforme pour la Promotion des Centres Éducatifs Familiaux de Formation par Alternance PROCEFFA

A Strong Alliance Built on Shared Leadership, Exceptional Teaching, and

Work-Based Learning 

Our partnership with PROCEFFA is the real driving force behind what happens in our classrooms every day. This is not just a typical institutional agreement—it is a meaningful, long-term bond. ACOHOF is truly proud to be a founding member of this national platform, contributing to the shaping of its vision from the very start. This relationship is strengthened at the highest level of institutional leadership, where our own Project Chairman, Mr. Justin Njobam, is deeply honored to serve as Vice President of the Board of Directors of PROCEFFA. This role reflects the deep trust between us, our shared values, and our joint dedication to advancing rural education across Cameroon.

For many successful years, our curriculum was based entirely on the traditional Alternation Pedagogy. This approach provided a solid foundation by connecting our learning directly to the realities of local rural life. Building on those years of experience, strong community impact, and PROCEFFA’s national support, we have now moved forward into a modern, more complete Work-Based Learning (WBL) framework. This transition preserves the heart of our history while upgrading our technical training to fully meet today’s global vocational standards.  

PROCEFFA can only be proud of the wide-reaching effects of our shared educational leadership, clearly shown through key milestones such as:

The Effectiveness of Work-Based Learning Through “See-Reflect-Act”  
This updated framework brings together real, practical work with structured classroom learning. Instead of asking children to memorize abstract concepts from books that feel disconnected from their lives, this model uses a new “See-Reflect-Act” method. It anchors all learning in local, real-world experience *before* introducing formal scientific and technical knowledge.  

See:

During practical weeks, students observe and record real challenges they face—such as crop pests or soil deterioration—directly on their family farms.  
Reflect:

Back in the classroom, with guidance from instructors, they use scientific thinking, mathematics, and agroecology to understand why those problems happen.  
Act:

Students then return home to apply climate-smart improvements right away, quickly boosting crop yields and strengthening food security across their villages.  

Strong Professionalization of the Monitors/Trainers  
PROCEFFA’s investment in people has been a major engine of our progress. Through ongoing, carefully structured capacity-building workshops and technical training sessions, PROCEFFA has consistently strengthened ACOHOF’s vocational instructors/Trainers into truly exceptional educators. This long-term commitment ensures that the quality of our teaching, psychological support, and student assessments at our Bankim campus meet the highest national standards.

A Model That Holds Up During Crisis  
The real measure of any education system is whether it can survive a crisis. When serious socio-political conflict forced ACOHOF to abandon its fully developed campus in Tatum, it was the strength of PROCEFFA’s curriculum plan that prevented everything from collapsing. Because our instructors had been deeply trained in the PROCEFFA approach, we were able to quickly copy, adapt, and implement the Family Farm School framework in the Adamaoua Region. This allowed us to reopen fast and begin absorbing, educating, and helping traumatized Internally Displaced Children (IDPs) heal.  

Restoring Dignity and Building Community Stability  
By treating agriculture and skilled technical work as professional, high-yield, entrepreneurial career paths, PROCEFFA’s model has directly reduced local vulnerabilities. Together, we have built a strong social support system that actively helps prevent rural youth from leaving primary school graduates behind, reduces the economic desperation that drives trafficking of girls to big cities, and offers conflict-affected young people a peaceful and highly productive alternative to illegal activities.  

The Heart of Our Classrooms  
PROCEFFA has shown that rural vocational education does not have to be inferior. Your outstanding teaching support has given ACOHOF the respect, the method, and the professional credibility needed to transform vulnerable children into confident, independent masters of both science and enterprise. We are deeply honored to carry the PROCEFFA flag of educational excellence—together, hand in hand, guided by our shared board vision.

DISOP Cameroon 

Tackling Youth Vulnerability at the Grassroots

As our main local co-founder, DISOP Cameroon helped launch our first Family Farm School (FFS+) in 2014. Your funding, program design, and support addressed major regional challenges, including rural migration, youth involvement in illegal crops, and the trafficking of girls for domestic work in cities. By focusing on local realities, DISOP helped ACOHOF reshape agriculture into a respected and profitable career. In doing so, you helped plant the seeds of self-sufficiency that continue to sustain our communities today.

Coordination Nationale des Écoles Familiales Agricoles du Cameroun - CNEFAC 

National Institutional Solidarity

As the national coordination body for Family Farm Schools in Cameroon, CNEFAC brings our schools together into a strong network. For ACOHOF, CNEFAC provides important institutional support, helps align our policies with government ministries, and ensures that our vocational programs and diplomas receive legal recognition, credibility, and respect nationwide.

Institut Européen de Coopération et de Développement - IECD 

Pioneers of Technical and Social Innovation 

Institutional Framework and the ACOHOF FFS Piggery Project

The partnership framework between the Institut Européen de Coopération et de Développement (IECD) and ACOHOF shows how strong, structured technical accountability can directly lead to real infrastructure improvements. This section clearly sets out the operational boundaries of the collaboration at the Tatum Family Farm School (FFS+). It explains how IECD’s mandate directly led to the funding and construction of our regional livestock training hub.

 IECD’s Strategic Responsibilities at the Family Farm School (2014)

When ACOHOF officially established the Family Farm School in Tatum (Bui Division, Northwest Region) in 2014, the main issue was moving beyond basic, informal agricultural training. IECD took on full responsibility as our institutional and educational anchor within its sub-Saharan flagship program, FoJeMA (Formation des Jeunes aux Métiers de l'Agriculture).

During this early phase, IECD was directly responsible for the following:

Curriculum Design:

Developing and standardizing a strict Competency-Based Approach (CBA) adapted to Cameroon’s rural realities. IECD supplied the validated lesson plans, technical manuals, and grading methods.
Training of Trainers (Monitors):

Supporting the ongoing professional development of ACOHOF’s five full-time vocational instructors. IECD ensured that the teaching team could effectively apply the “Pedagogy of Alternation,” with weeks alternating between classroom-based science and hands-on family farm practice.
National Accreditation Compliance:

Leading school compliance reviews to match the vocational requirements set by Cameroon’s Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training (MINEFOP), ensuring the diplomas received by our young people carried real, lasting legal and professional value.

 How IECD’s Mandate Led to Funding and Building the Piggery

(2014–2015)

Because IECD was directly accountable for the practical results of the training and the students’ professional integration (insertion professionnelle), they regularly assessed the school’s training tools. By late 2014, IECD’s academic audits had identified a major operational gap: ACOHOF Family Farm School of Tatum lacked a modern, commercial-scale environment for livestock applications. Students could not fully develop advanced skills in animal husbandry, disease control, or farm economics just through reading.

To meet its operational obligations and close this technical gap, IECD shifted from an advisory role to a direct capital investor. Between December 2014 and late 2015, IECD funded and built the Tatum Piggery Project on the ACOHOF campus.

 Operational and Community Integration (2015–2016)

By the start of the 2015/2016 academic year, the completed piggery completely changed how training was delivered:

Enterprise Management Experience:

Our 87 active students (53 boys and 34 girls) were given real operational control of the herd. They calculated Feed Conversion Ratios (FCR), administered veterinary vaccines, and managed breeding cycles.
Unlocking Professional Certification:

The practical training hours conducted specifically at this piggery supported the verification our students needed to pass the Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle (CQP) (MINEFOP) examinations with confidence.
Eco-Agricultural Benefits for Local Farmers:

The nutrient-rich manure, cleared daily from IECD-funded pens, was processed and distributed to surrounding smallholder crop farmers in Tatum. This naturally improved local potato and maize yields while also reducing farmers’ dependence on chemical fertilizers.

Our Partners in Hope: Fostering Significant and Lasting Impact

From our humble beginnings in Tatum to our steady growth in Bankim, the journey of ACOHOF (Afoni Children of Hope Foundation) has always been built through teamwork. It shows what we can accomplish when strong local commitment joins hands with worldwide support. Guided by our core belief—“Hope for the Underprivileged”—we work hand in hand with international NGOs, technical specialists, corporate supporters, municipal authorities, and local traditional leaders.

Together, we have turned major challenges into real, lasting results—such as educational facilities, access to clean water, digital literacy programs, and essential emergency assistance for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). None of this kind of impact is ever achieved alone. Our schools and community initiatives can survive, grow, and expand today because our partners stand with us. They share the same conviction that every child, no matter their situation or where they live, deserves a real opportunity for a dignified future. This page is a tribute to your generosity and to the lasting change we continue to create together.

Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Sweden 

Engineering Hope: The Strong Partnership Between ACOHOF and EWB Sweden

Overview of the Partnership 

Since 2015, the Afoni Children of Hope Foundation (ACOHOF) and Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Sweden have collaborated closely, combining trusted community relationships with demonstrated expertise in sustainable engineering. Instead of relying on short-term assistance, their focus is on building durable infrastructure that provides disadvantaged youth with better opportunities, enhances vocational skills, and supports rural communities.

Building Infrastructure for Real Independence 

Sustainability is about creating lasting positive change. When ACOHOF and EWB Sweden connect local needs with global sustainable development goals, they make sure each solar installation, computer lab, and water system becomes a long-term resource that benefits communities for years to come. These projects not only strengthen local abilities but also support continued growth and open up opportunities that last well beyond the time engineers leave. What truly makes this work special are the passionate people behind it, transforming engineering plans into solutions that save lives and bring meaningful change to communities.

Key Achievements in Tatum

Renewable Energy Project (Solar Cells) 

In Tatum, where the national power grid doesn’t reach, children’s education shouldn’t depend on darkness or limited energy access. To help change this, a dedicated team from EWB Sweden thoughtfully designed and installed a sustainable solar power system at the ACOHOF Family Farm School (FFS+). Some of the key contributors who made this possible include David Lingfors, Emilia Helander, Anna Bergentz, Ylva Gulberg, Joakim Nyman, and Hanner Larsson. 

This solar system transformed life on campus. It made it possible to use modern electronic learning tools, to extend safe study hours into the evening, and to improve security for both boarding students and staff.

Computers for Schools Program 

Launched in 2017, this program addressed digital isolation by building a modern computer lab at the Tatum campus. It gave disadvantaged and displaced children the technology skills they need to learn, participate, and grow. 

The lab was designed and constructed by an EWB Sweden team led by Christian Naccache, with Marcus Forsberg, Martin Engquist, Måns Wallentinsson, Marcus Östgren, and Mikael Ohlsson. The facility helped shift students away from memorization and toward critical thinking through interactive learning software. It also opened the door to information from around the world and supported teachers with advanced tools for online research.

The DevICe Center and Clean Water Efforts (WADIS & SODIS) 

To support ongoing technical and health improvements, EWB Sweden set up the Development and Information Systems (DevICe) center in Tatum. Led by engineer and former KTH educator Stefan Karnebäck, together with Gustav, the center became a regional hub for infrastructure monitoring. 

They introduced two methods—Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) and Water Disinfection Systems (WADIS). Families were taught how to use solar UV light in clear PET bottles to eliminate waterborne pathogens. As a result, water-related illnesses among local children dropped significantly.

Human Connection: Ongoing Student Involvement and Field Visits 

What makes the partnership stand out isn’t just the engineering work; it’s the consistent, practical involvement of young engineers. Swedish engineering students, mostly from Uppsala University, regularly visit the community to conduct baseline surveys, map the terrain, test soil and water, and audit the performance of energy systems. 

These visits create real two-way learning. Students bring advanced technical knowledge, while local young people share environmental experience and on-the-ground insight. Living within the community also helps engineers understand the real human effects of their solutions, ensuring the outcomes fit local culture and are truly accepted.

The Waccess Project

Engineering Hope Through Water Access in Tatum

A Vision Built on Survival and Dignity 

The Waccess Project was far more than an engineering initiative—it was a humanitarian effort rooted in the belief that genuine resilience begins with access to clean water. For years, Tatum, a high-altitude village in Cameroon’s Northwest Region, struggled with unsafe water sources. The result was serious illness, interrupted education, and a constant financial burden on families.

ACOHOF and EWB Sweden understood that clean energy and digital learning can’t succeed without basic survival needs. That’s why they committed to creating a lasting, community-wide water solution that could truly change lives in Tatum.

Discovering the Real Blocker to Development 

By 2017, the partnership had already installed solar power and a computer lab at the Family Farm School. But field research showed that waterborne illness was one of the biggest drivers of clinic visits, that children frequently missed school due to illness, and that families were spending money on healthcare rather than education or livelihoods. In other words, the real obstacle wasn’t only infrastructure, but also public health.

This discovery led directly to Waccess, linking engineering innovation to the essential need for safe water.

Listening, Learning, and Redesigning 

The project was originally planned in Sweden as a rainwater harvesting system. But after a 2018 field mission in Tatum, the plan changed. Engineers studied water flow, consulted with local residents, and learned about seasonal shortages and the region’s geography. They found that rainwater harvesting wouldn’t reliably provide enough water year-round. Instead, natural mountain springs offered a better and more centralized option.

Adapting the Plan 

The team abandoned the original design and created a gravity-fed pipeline system to bring clean spring water to the school and the surrounding community. This shift turned the project into a major long-term infrastructure effort.

Mobilizing Resources for a Lasting Solution 

With the new plan came a need for extensive pipeline construction and water catchment systems. ACOHOF and EWB Sweden reached out to international partners, donor support, and corporate social responsibility contributions to fully fund a technically reliable solution for Tatum’s decades-long water crisis.

Challenges Caused by the Anglophone Crisis 

Just as implementation was nearing completion, the intensifying Anglophone Crisis pushed Tatum into a conflict and stalled the project. Curfews, internet shutdowns, communication breakdowns, school closures, displacement, and violence forced EWB Sweden teams to withdraw and caused construction to be suspended.

The Impact That Could Have Been 

Even though Waccess wasn’t finished, it had the potential to dramatically reduce waterborne diseases, improve children’s health and nutrition, lower school absenteeism, support women and girls by reducing time spent collecting water, strengthen the local economy by cutting healthcare costs, and increase long-term community resilience through reliable infrastructure.

Thanks to ACOHOF’s trust and EWB Sweden’s expertise, Tatum was on the verge of a historic breakthrough.

Adapting to Crisis: Survival Engineering 

When large-scale construction couldn’t continue, the partnership shifted toward solutions that could work at the household level. Families were trained in Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS), using sunlight to purify water in clear PET bottles. It’s a decentralized, zero-cost method that can still work even during conflict.

A Promise That Still Lives On 

Even though the pipelines were never built, Waccess remains a symbol of ACOHOF’s long-term dedication, the serious engineering work behind it, and the fundraising efforts needed to make this kind of future development possible when peace returns. 

The spirit of Waccess continues through families using solar water purification, healthier children attending school, and ongoing advocacy for Tatum’s right to clean water.

Relocation to Bankim and the Ongoing IDP Crisis 

Due to worsening conflict, ACOHOF relocated its operations to Bankim in Cameroon’s Adamawa Region. The Bankim campus now includes the Family Farm School and the Bilingual Technical Vocational College of Agriculture and Entrepreneurship.

Current Challenges in Bankim

The Bankim campus serves as a sanctuary for displaced youth fleeing violence; however, its infrastructure is under significant pressure. Similar to Tatum, Bankim faces a water crisis that jeopardizes students' health, an energy shortage that leaves facilities without power after sunset, and the challenge of housing and feeding nearly 300 young boys and girls. The majority of these young boys and girls are internally displaced from the conflict in the anglophone regions and have only ACOHOF as their surrogate family. Additionally, the campus has limited resources to develop a modern computer laboratory, which is essential for vocational training.

A Global Call to Action for Bankim 

Building on what was achieved in Tatum, ACOHOF is now urgently appealing to EWB Sweden, other global EWB chapters, humanitarian organizations, corporate partners, and individuals worldwide for support.

How You Can Help: 

- Power the campus by designing and funding a large solar grid to light dormitories, extend study time, and run agricultural equipment. 

- Provide clean water through engineered purification and distribution systems to eliminate waterborne diseases. 

- Set up a modern computer lab by donating hardware, software, and networking infrastructure to support vocational and digital entrepreneurship training. 

While others see only crisis, the global engineering community sees an opportunity. Help us transform the Bankim campus into a safe, educational, and sustainable place of hope.

Water for Cameroon (WfC Ireland) 

Enhancing Public Health through Access to Safe Drinking Water 

The arrival of Water for Cameroon (Ireland) at our Bankim campus was a major turning point in ACOHOF’s modern history. It completely reshaped our infrastructure, thanks to the inspiring leadership and tireless commitment of Mr. Michael Toolan and Sr. Serophine. By financing and building a high-capacity, hand-dug campus well, this partnership quickly ended severe water shortages for more than 140 Internally Displaced Children (IDPs) and hundreds of families in the surrounding area. At the same time, the real value of this partnership goes far beyond water on its own—it has created a multi-layered, systemic impact.

The End of Waterborne Health Crises: 

Before Mr. Toolan and Sr. Serophine stepped in, our displaced students and host families relied on unsafe, shallow water sources, resulting in widespread outbreaks of typhoid, amoebiasis, and chronic dysentery. Today, because of the clean water supply and the widespread use of biosand filters, waterborne illnesses are virtually nonexistent on our campus. As a result, our children stay healthy, thrive, and remain consistently in class.

Improving Education and Safety for the Girl-Child: 

Bringing a reliable, high-volume water source directly to the school removed a heavy traditional burden from our students’ shoulders—especially young girls. Instead of spending dangerous early mornings or late evenings walking long distances to carry heavy containers from remote streams, our children can now use that time for learning, rest, vocational training, and play.

Building Agroecological and Nutritional Self-Reliance: 

Through WfC Ireland’s targeted training workshops on drip irrigation, ACOHOF connected the new water infrastructure directly to our Family Farm School agricultural plots. This technical link enables our students to grow high-yield vegetable crops year-round, even during the dry season, when conditions are harsh. It has significantly strengthened food security on campus and ensures that our children enjoy fresh, highly nutritious, farm-to-table meals every day.

Mr. Michael Toolan’s Gift of Economic Empowerment: 

Rather than settling for temporary charity, Mr. Toolan pushed for long-term vocational independence for our foundation. By providing ACOHOF with specialized steel molds and hands-on technical training, he equipped us with the ability to manufacture concrete bio-sand water filters on our own. This has helped establish a dynamic social enterprise within our school, giving our young people practical, highly marketable skills in engineering, plumbing, and public health sanitation.

Sr. Serophine’s Plan for Cultural Harmony and Community Healing: 

Acting as our on-the-ground guiding presence, Sr. Serophine expertly managed the community access system for the well. By opening this essential resource to both our English-speaking IDP students and the French-speaking host families in Bankim, she transformed a public utility into a welcoming space for cultural integration. Her hygiene-promotion workshops encouraged real community ownership, turning a clean-water well into a powerful symbol of regional healing, mutual respect, and lasting peace.