A new school year has started in Gouria, and things are pretty hectic.  At the  end of last year our long-standing, excellent director Felix Ngambou left Malima to start a new life in England with Susy, the VSO volunteer. Before leaving he employed François Sopsighen as director/ project manager and it is with François leading that Malima has opened its doors for the school year 2006-2007.

François was immediately met by a challenge when the Cameroonian government recruited from Malima several of the trained teachers who had been with us for some years. Some of these teachers even had their training financed by Malima and we are happy that they have been employed to use their experience and training in the public school system.   He showed initiative in finding straight away replacement teachers with the same teacher training qualifications  although without the benefit of training that  Susy and I gave when in Gouria with VSO. These teachers were ready to start school on the first day.

The first day  was a great success. Only four children in the whole school were absent and the children were excited and happy to be back at school. There are also new children starting for the first time who have come from the preschool and we will be looking for sponsors for them very soon.

We are happy to be able to say that of our last year students who passed for secondary school nearly all are now in their respective schools. Unfortunately one of our children who would have been in year 3 secondary this year decided to marry this summer and will therefore not return. The other 7 of our first graduates are all back at school. This is amazing progress for the village, particularly as 6 of the 7 are girls.

Another piece of good news is that thanks to a donation from the Royal Masonic School for Girls in London we will be able to build another classroom this autumn. This means that Malima has enough classroom s to be able to stop part time education and have all the children the full complement of hours - this has been impossible in the past because of sharing spaces.

We are sure that this year will be another just as successful one for the children of Malima and we thank you once a gain for your  support.

Since we became an independent charity in June we have new banking instructions.
I include them here for anyone who has not yet received them.

Judith