Cameroon Anglophone Conflict: FUHOSEA Returns from Separatists Attack with Aid for Disabled Students

By Princeley Njukang, Cameroon.
Accessing formal education in Cameroon poses a huge challenge for children and youth with disabilities. For those in the country’s Northwest and Southwest regions plagued by an armed conflict, the situation is even more dire, a gap disability organizations now struggle to fill.
One organization which is shining light in supporting learners with disabilities is Foundation United for Handicap, Orphans and Street Children of Ekona Area (FUHOSEA). The Southwest region based organization recently supported Nearly 80 disabled and vulnerable pupils and students with didactic material and financial assistance to ease their educational struggles for the 2024-2025 academic year. The event, held at FUHOSEA’s temporary residential site in the Rehabilitation Institute for the Blind in Buea, is the first in a series of such events planned to accompany the pupils and students with special needs throughout this academic year.
FUHOSEA, a not for profit organization dedicated to the promotion of inclusive education and skill development, has been at the forefront of efforts to provide equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities in Anglophone Cameroon. The outreach to disabled students and orphans came three months after FUHOSEA’S sheltered home was attacked and unroofed by suspected separatists fighters. Not even the attack on their home could alter the project of assisting these population return to school.
While opening the event, Bah Gallus Bah, Founder and CEO of FUHOSEA reminded the population of the difficulties face by students and pupils with disabilities in Cameroon, including discrimination, lack of accessibility, and inadequate educational resources. He emphasized the importance of providing these students with the support they need to reach their full potential. “You hardly hear organizations thinking about these categories of persons, whereas we too can go to school and earn a meaningful living for ourselves,” Bah, himself blind, told the press.
“We are going to mentor these children throughout the 2024-2025 academic year, so that we follow them up to see how they are doing in school. We will go to their schools to look at where they have difficulties in class, in taking notes, and in learning, because the teachers themselves need to be trained on how to handle children with special needs,” he added.
The CEO reaffirmed his organization’s willingness to ensure disabled pupils and students accomplish their goals in life, stating education is the gateway to opportunities. In a country where only one in ten children with disabilities has access to education, Mr. Bah warned that failing to prioritize the promotion of inclusive education could drag the country into further underdevelopment. He urged beneficiaries to produce excellent results, “as that is the only way we can convince our partners to keep funding your education.”
Since the start of the Anglophone Conflict, persons with disabilities have been sidelined from humanitarian initiatives, including back to school campaigns organized to help pupils and students affected by the conflict return to the classroom. Whereas Human Rights Watch notes that persons with disabilities are the most disproportionately affected by the 8-year-long conflict, it also reports that over 4000 of them are in dire need of aid to go back to school. Speaking during the event, DNA’s Managing Editor and Founder of Foundation for the Inclusion and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Princely Kesah, revealed that not only have humanitarian schemes been largely non-inclusive, but funding for organizations focused on activities of persons with disabilities has been significantly reduced. He expressed his admiration for the work done by FUHOSEA, while emphasizing the need for increased awareness and understanding of the challenges faced by these students.
Ntah Henry, Regional Chief of the unit for the protection and promotion of persons with disabilities and the elderly at the Southwest Regional delegation of Social Affairs, praised FUHOSEA for a job well done. He assured the audience that the government is committed to promoting inclusive education and providing the necessary resources to ensure that all students have access to quality education, citing numerous legislative pieces which many say lack implementation.
The highlight of the event was the distribution of didactic materials and financial aid to the students. Dozens of students received Braille papers, notebooks, schoolbags, stationery, and other essential learning materials. In addition, a number of students were awarded financial assistance to help them cover tuition fees and living expenses. Others equally received White Canes to ease their movement.

The smiles on their faces, the loudness of their songs confirmed their gratitude and joy. “FUHOSEA has been a power bank for my studies,” Claudia Mbedo’o, an undergraduate student of Translation and Intercultural Studies, said. “Words are not enough to appreciate them for what they have done to me. They have always supported me, financially and materially.”
Emmanuel Bonge, a freshman in the University of Buea, who has benefited from the assistance of FUHOSEA for the last four years, said he was ecstatic. “The money and papers I have received will help me a lot in my education,” the visually impaired student added.
The event was equally a platform for motivating and inspiring the pupils and students. Cletus Ndi, a broadcaster with Dream FM Buea, challenged them to go above the limitations set against them by society. He told them to develop a solid character, and be relentless in the pursuit of excellence. Rene Isa, another broadcaster with the same media house, used his story to inspire the audience, insisting on the need for them to consistently put out their best even when no one is watching.
Closing the event, Bah Gallus Bah, Founder of Foundation United for Handicap, Orphans and Street Children of Ekona Area (FUHOSEA), expressed deep gratitude to their partners for making the event a resounding success. “We are so grateful, and we take the rendezvous for January,” he concluded.