Catholic Charity Work in Cameroon

When completed, the school will accommodate 24 rooms, 18 of which will be dedicated to classrooms, and the rest for administrative and other logistics of the school. Capacity will increase from 250 students to more than 500! Your gift will double to help construct an elementary school classroom (grades 1-6) where kids will receive a quality Catholic education!

The students are all so excited about the promise of a new school. It is an answered prayer. When the children heard you would help them spread the good news quickly and soon the whole school was abuzz with excitement!

“Did you hear our class teacher talking with Fr. Eugen about our new school to be built?”

“I hear that it will be like the schools in America with toilets, TVs, water, and electricity.”

“And a canteen too with books, pencils, colors, and biscuits!”

July – October 2022

Many hands make light work and there is much work to be done as progress continues on St. Mary’s school in Nkar. Essential materials were used to construct the pillars and erect the basement walls that will one day welcome Kindergarteners. The children are so excited to see the progress and wonder and wait in anticipation for someday soon when their classrooms are ready to be explored!

In this video Fr. Eugen is showing the village, the location of the new school and the beginning of construction of the sports field. Watch the children’s joy anticipating their new school!

Fr. Eugen, our beloved partner, just sent us a dire update:

“English-speaking Cameroon is going through a horrible moment. For three weeks I knew nothing about my family in Nkar and those in Kumbo and beyond, because the pro-independence fighters in their fight against government forces cut off the roads, dug deep trenches across the roads, and destroyed bridges. No communication network, no electricity, and we are still living under curfew from 6 pm to 6 am now for months. Last Saturday, I was able to talk to my elder brother, and everyone is safe.

“Every work stopped. No schools all over anglophone Cameroon. We have been indoors for two weeks now. Gunshots everywhere. No public work or activity is going on. We hope these days war will not break out full fledged once with the declaration of the upcoming election results. Pray for us. We had to stop the work at Nkar for security reasons. As soon as we can resume, I will keep you posted. Keep us in your prayers.”

Please join us in praying for Fr. Eugen, Cameroon, and especially the students of St. Mary’s School.

Summer 2016

St. Mary’s School in Nkar, Cameroon is undergoing some major renovations! The old school is crumbling, the ceiling is falling down, and the roof has caved in some classrooms. Thanks to your generosity we were able to begin construction of a new, safe school for the children. It is a huge community effort. In June, land and crops were cleared to construct the new building! Locals have donated almost all of the labor, splitting their time between building the school and working their own land and crops. They know that the school is the only way the children will break free from the cycle of poverty.

Our goal is to raise $100,000 to complete this project within one year. However much we raise with your help will be matched, dollar for dollar, for a total of up to $200,000.

We are blessed to have Mike’s promise to DOUBLE the funds that are raised for building the new school. The new school project was started six years ago, but progress has been delayed due to civil war and the pandemic. Throughout this tumultuous time, the children and the entire community have never lost hope – and have been waiting and praying for this miracle!

A Crowd of Villagers Gather to Witness Fr. Paul Bless the Well

In May the natural spring was dug, a basin for water was constructed, and the locals have celebrated the gift of clean water over and over! As of September 2016 the water well was blessed by Fr. Paul Verla Wirsiy and his brother priest for the community.

The water well was christened “Our Lady of Fátima Water Project” in thanksgiving for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary after a Sunday Mass.

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Our Lady of Fatima Water Project is almost complete! The well does not have a generator, and when locals need water they must go to see how much the reservoir has filled before they can fill their buckets for the day.

Unlike in America, water will not be pumped to every house in Nkar, but to the hospital, school, and the church. A generator will pump water from the source faster, and will spare the community hours of waiting for clean water to fill. Fr. Eugen says when the water reservoir is not filled in the morning the locals still look to other sources for water, including contaminated streams and puddles!

We need your support to finish the water well for Nkar and provide a vital lifeline to the community!

Bishop George of the Diocese of Kumbo, Cameroon, recently visited us at Catholic World Mission to discuss Nkar, and share his gratitude and concerns. Bishop George expressed his concern for Cameroon and the disregard for the dignity of life there. He shared that Our Lady of Lourdes medical clinic will be the first that does not require people to pay when they need medical care. Bishop George spoke of the horrors poor families face when they go to hospitals: pregnant mothers with their unborn children have died in the street because they could not pay the hospital fees.

Bishop George left an ache in our hearts for the people of Cameroon, and we pray their cause will also stir your heart to help fund the worthy projects we support in Nkar.

A little baby boy was born in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in October, 2016. His mother is so thankful they now have a hospital. Her only other option would have been to walk 10 miles, while in labor, to the only other local hospital to deliver the baby safely. As the hospital stands today it can only accept outpatients, as it is not equipped with beds, or bathrooms for patients. The Nkar community looks forward to building an inpatient facility that will enable them to care for the members of their community thoroughly.

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital was named after the apparition of Mary the Mother of Jesus in Lourdes, France. Our Lady of Lourdes appeared to St. Bernadette, and told her to dig at the base of an alcove and there she would find healing waters. Lourdes, France is now a pilgrimage site, bringing millions of people each year seeking the healing waters.

Until this year, the people of Nkar only had a small clinic in their village for medical treatment. Medicine is offered there, but for many, their injuries take them 10 miles away to the local hospital for further treatment. Bishop George of Kumbo shared that this hospital is vital because it will one day have a ward for children, and a labor and delivery unit! The goal is to have multiple wards, including one for men, women, and surgery, to serve the Nkar community and the surrounding areas.

Your support and generosity make it possible to continue the construction of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Nkar.