Dear Friends and supporters of La Maison du Soleil,

I’m back from my month-long holiday in Cameroon and I would like to share with you some news about the orphanage that the Cameroon Forum is sponsoring.

The orphanage, “La Maison du Soleil” which means The House of Hope - is set in a beautiful and quiet village.

It takes about an hour from the Capital City to drive the 80 kms of non-paved road that leads to this haven of peace.

The orphanage has a capacity to accommodate 30 to 40 children. Due to limited resources, we currently accommodate 12 children aged 5 to 12 years. These include both girls and boys who have lost both of their parents through AIDS and who live in extreme poverty.

Mado, one of the girls we met, is 6 years old and in a state of extreme malnutrition. She only weighted 14kgs (2.2 stones or the weight of a 3 years old). She kept on falling and getting bruises as she was too weak to stand on her own feet!

In November 2007, renovation work started on the 2 main building of the orphanage. The structure has been completely redone with new tiles put on the roof. Local material was used for ecological and economical reasons. The second building is now almost finished as well.

The first building is the administrative building with a secretariat/reception area, a main bedroom for the manager, another 2 bedrooms with 2 beds in each for volunteers, modern kitchen, shower and toilet.

The second building is where the children live. The main living room has been completed. The dormitories (one for boys and one for girls) have been equipped with bunk beds, mattresses, blankets, sheets, etc...

The bulk of the work has been done. What we are adding now are the finishing touches i.e. ceilings, painting the walls, bringing electricity to all the rooms, plumbing to have modern toilets and showers for the children (they are still using traditional toilets and shower with a bucket of water each).

Resources are scarce but faith is there. We know that God will give us the strength and the means to finish what we have started for the sake of those children.

On behalf of all of the children and of all of the people working at the orphanage, we thank you for your interest and continued support.

Jocelyne Ngassa

Vice-Chairman & CEO of the Cameroon Forum