Afoni Children of Hope Foundation

ACOHOF - Cameroon

Motto: Hope for the Underprivileged

Partnership, Trust, and Clean Energy: How VALPROCAM and ACOHOF Are Advancing Biogas Innovation at ATVOCAE

At ATVOCAE in Bankim, a simple but powerful idea is becoming a source of clean energy, practical learning, and community inspiration. Through the Biogas Production Project, organic waste from the school environment is being converted into cooking gas and organic fertilizer, showing students and visitors that sustainable solutions can begin with resources already available to them.

Supported by Shya Lou Goes to Africa from Switzerland and carried out with the active collaboration of ACOHOF, VALPROCAM, the Palace of Bankim, and the ATVOCAE community, the project shows that sustainable innovation works best when respected local leaders understand, trust, and support it. Construction began on 1 May 2026, the first gas was produced on 13 July 2026, and by 17 July 2026 the plant was already producing usable gas.

VALPROCAM and ACOHOF: A Partnership That Builds Trust and Local Recognition

The partnership between VALPROCAM and ACOHOF has become a key bridge between institutional work and community trust. VALPROCAM’s established relationships in Bankim, its technical credibility, and its connection with the Palace of Bankim have helped communities see ACOHOF not as an outside actor, but as a committed partner working respectfully with local leadership to support young people, families, and sustainable development.

Endorsement from the Palace of Bankim

The endorsement and encouragement of the Palace of Bankim have been especially important for strengthening public confidence in the biogas initiative and ACOHOF’s wider presence in Bankim. The involvement of Sa Majesté Ibrahim NGA, PCA de la VALPROCAM, represented by Aladji Ndamsani Muhammed, places the project within a respected local framework of legitimacy, cultural acceptance, and community ownership. This endorsement signals to local stakeholders that the project is aligned with community priorities and that ACOHOF is working respectfully with traditional leadership for the benefit of young people and families.

Because of this partnership, the biogas project has become more than a technical installation; it has become a shared community achievement. VALPROCAM and ATVOCAE collaborated on practical work, such as producing molds locally for biosand filters, which built trust among technical actors, school leadership, traditional authorities, learners, and families. This bridge of trust made it easier for the project to move from concept to implementation with stronger community acceptance.

 

Support Practical Learning and Sustainable Innovation at ATVOCAE

Partner with ACOHOF to help expand clean energy solutions, strengthen vocational training, and equip young people in Bankim with the skills to build resilient communities. Your support can help ATVOCAE improve and scale the biogas system, connect renewable energy directly to school operations, provide practical training materials, and create more hands-on learning opportunities for students.

We welcome partners, technical experts, companies, schools, universities, volunteers, and friends of sustainable development who can support renewable energy education and installation. Volunteers and specialists are especially invited to help install or teach practical solutions such as solar energy systems, improved clean cooking technologies, water treatment systems, organic fertilizer production, waste-to-energy approaches, and climate-smart agriculture innovations.

Whether through technical volunteering, equipment donations, student training, mentorship, research collaborations, or financial support, your contribution can help ATVOCAE become a stronger demonstration center for renewable energy, agricultural innovation, and youth opportunities in Bankim and surrounding communities.

ATVOCAE Clean Tech & Hardware Learning Projects

Our students are actively learning how to build and assemble these practical solutions, gaining hands-on technical skills.

We are seeking skilled experts and volunteers to mentor our youth and teach them better techniques!
Product
Learning Project
Technical Specs & Practical Output
Solar Pumping System for Irrigation
Solar Water Pumping Units
Students learn to assemble DC submersible water pumps, inverter drivers, and filtration attachments engineered for school farm drip-irrigation networks. The system featured here uses a unique bicycle-portable solar array.
Young African boy installing solar panel on a local roof
Solar Lighting Kits & Panels
Students practice building portable LED reading lamps, wiring 18650 lithium cells, and safely installing solar panels on rooftops. The image highlights hands-on student learning on a local home structure.
Local African youth constructing a brick biogas digester
Locally-Made Biogas Digester
Learning to build digesters using local materials like bricks, cement, and plastic piping. Students discover how to convert organic waste into clean cooking gas and nutrient-rich bio-slurry for farming.
Biomass briquette press in action
Biomass Eco-Fuel Briquettes
Students learn the process of compressing agricultural residues (corn cobs, rice husks) using manual mechanical presses into dense, smokeless cooking briquettes.
Locally built solar thermal water heater
Locally Built Solar Thermal Panels
A hands-on introduction to thermodynamics by constructing solar thermal units with readily available materials. Students learn how to harness the sun's energy for heating water or drying crops efficiently.

ACOHOF & ATVOCAE

Renewable Energy Volunteer Support

Welcome! Thank you for your interest in supporting ATVOCAE’s practical learning initiatives in Bankim. Please choose your preferred language below.

Bienvenue ! Merci de votre intérêt pour le soutien aux initiatives d'apprentissage pratique d'ATVOCAE à Bankim. Veuillez choisir votre langue.

Volunteer Sign-Up Form

Interested volunteers, technical experts, teachers, students, researchers, companies, and community partners are invited to complete the form below so ACOHOF can follow up and match each person or organization with the most relevant opportunity at ATVOCAE.

Volunteer Inquiries

For volunteer inquiries, technical support proposals, training offers, equipment donations, or renewable energy partnership discussions, please contact ACOHOF and indicate “ATVOCAE Renewable Energy Volunteer Support” in your message.

Email: project-partners@acohof.org
Website: www.acohof.org
Phone / WhatsApp: +237 672 970 666

Formulaire d'inscription des Bénévoles

Les bénévoles intéressés, les experts techniques, les enseignants, les étudiants, les chercheurs, les entreprises et les partenaires communautaires sont invités à remplir le formulaire ci-dessous afin qu'ACOHOF puisse faire le suivi et associer chaque personne ou organisation à l'opportunité la plus pertinente à ATVOCAE.

Demandes de Bénévolat

Pour les demandes de bénévolat, les propositions de soutien technique, les offres de formation, les dons d'équipement ou les discussions de partenariat en énergies renouvelables, veuillez contacter ACOHOF et indiquer "Soutien Bénévole en Énergie Renouvelable ATVOCAE" dans votre message.

E-mail : project-partners@acohof.org
Site Web : www.acohof.org
Téléphone / WhatsApp : +237 672 970 666

Confirmation de Soumission

Merci pour votre intérêt à soutenir l'initiative d'énergie renouvelable et d'apprentissage pratique d'ATVOCAE. Votre message a bien été reçu. L'équipe d'ACOHOF examinera votre proposition de soutien et vous contactera pour les prochaines étapes. Ensemble, nous pouvons contribuer à étendre l'apprentissage des énergies propres, renforcer la formation professionnelle et créer un impact communautaire durable à Bankim.

Turning Waste into Energy and Learning

The plant uses organic waste from the school piggery and agricultural activities to produce clean cooking gas and bio-slurry fertilizer. In practical terms, this means less dependence on firewood, better waste management, reduced pressure on nearby forests, and a natural fertilizer that can help improve soil health and crop production on the school farm.

For students, the project turns the school campus into a living classroom. Learners can see how renewable energy production works, understand the circular economy in action, and develop practical skills linked to agriculture, environmental management, and entrepreneurship. Planned student training modules will help learners understand how the system works, how it is maintained, and how similar solutions can be adapted in their own communities.

Impact and Next Steps

The first gas production on 13 July 2026 was more than a technical milestone; it was a visible sign of growing trust among ACOHOF, VALPROCAM, the Palace of Bankim, ATVOCAE, and the wider community. With the Palace’s endorsement, the project carries stronger local legitimacy, reinforcing ACOHOF’s credibility, acceptance, and recognition in Bankim. For ATVOCAE, it strengthens the school’s role as a trusted learning space where young people gain practical skills and where sustainable solutions are demonstrated for wider community benefit.

The next steps will focus on completing the biogas storage system, installing the pressure regulator, connecting kitchen equipment for direct use of biogas, monitoring performance, assessing the quality of the bio-slurry fertilizer, and strengthening maintenance skills among staff and students.

ACOHOF warmly thanks Shya Lou Goes to Africa, VALPROCAM, the Palace of Bankim, the technical team, and all partners whose commitment is helping transform sustainable development into practical learning, cleaner energy, stronger community trust, and lasting local impact in Bankim. The endorsement of the Palace of Bankim stands as a powerful sign of confidence in ACOHOF’s presence and mission, giving this partnership deeper legitimacy, stronger community acceptance, and a shared foundation for long-term impact. Through this recognition, the biogas project becomes more than an innovation at ATVOCAE; it becomes a trusted community pathway for learning, cooperation, and sustainable development. We therefore invite partners, donors, volunteers, technical experts, and friends of community-led innovation to build on this trusted foundation by supporting ATVOCAE’s renewable energy training, biogas expansion, solar energy learning, and practical skills development for young people in Bankim.

Donation Options

You can support this initiative in practical ways, including donating solar panels, batteries, inverters, charge controllers, solar lights, wiring materials, safety equipment, biogas accessories, water treatment tools, agricultural inputs, training manuals, laptops, projectors, demonstration kits, and other learning materials needed for hands-on renewable energy education.

Financial donations can also help complete the biogas installation, purchase renewable energy equipment, support student practical sessions, train teachers and volunteers, improve workshop spaces, strengthen safety measures, and expand similar clean energy demonstrations to other ACOHOF-supported learning and community spaces.

Individuals and organizations may also sponsor a specific component, such as a solar training kit, a student renewable energy workshop, a biogas maintenance package, a school kitchen connection, farm-based organic fertilizer trials, or a community demonstration day where students share what they have learned with families and local leaders.

 

Join us in turning learning into action, waste into energy, and partnership into lasting community impact.