LINK-UP is a Development and Humanitarian Child Centered organization operating in Cameroon since the year 2000. It has assisted directly over 20,000 needy children in various domains including, fees, books, uniforms, birth certificates, food items, lodging, school transportation, access to educational resources, counselling, home tutoring, remedial catchup classes, construction of classrooms and dormitory structures, as well as non-formal education, where children are sponsored to learn a trade like Sewing, Byke and Car repairs, etc.
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In promoting an enabling environment for the development of children, LINK-UP also promotes easy access to learning resources through programs like the Village Libraries Initiative, the Revolving core Textbooks Programs and the Remedial Catch-up classes to unblock children with learning difficulties.
It is also involved in providing portable water and construct toilets in low income communities, to enhance hygiene and curb the spread of diseases.
Still in creating this enabling environment for the development of children, it promotes economic empowerment opportunities for poor families and host communities, capacity building in small business management, savings and access to financial services.
All these help to contribute in our mission in assisting needy children fulfill their full physical and intellectual potentials and poor families improve on their sources of income and livelihoods.
The above achievements have been possible thanks to contributions from local and international sponsors, staffs and volunteers from the following countries; USA, Britain, Spain, Estonia, Holland, Germany, Italy and students on Exchange programs from International Universities
LINK-UP has also partnered with organizations like the American Peace Corps, the Roman OBEN foundation, (USA) The Church of the Savior (Holland) just to mention a few.
It has participated and executed projects to support orphans, sponsored by the World Bank and the Global Fund to fight Aids, Malaria and Tuberculosis.
The Founder has participated in Fellowships on Social Entrepreneurship, which has greatly enhanced our work on Small Enterprise Development through Self Help Support Groups.
To guarantee the continuity and sustainability of the organization, LINK-UP is being transformed into a membership organization. Members will make regular contributions (monthly, annually etc.) out of their volition and would hold the management of the organization accountable.
Brief History
In 1999 while the Vision Bearer, was rounding up from the University of Buea, he decided to visit the Buea Central Prison with some gifts to the inmates for Christmas. This was his first exposure to a prison environment. He saw inmates living under very miserable conditions.
What really caught his attention the most, were the number of minors in detention or awaiting trial. Hence, he urged a few friends, to organize a one week campaign to raise awareness and mobilize local support for the prisoners. Those who accompanied him in this exercise were TANKE Theodore, NKWENT Joseph and Lambert.
This event was a huge success and on the millennium day i.e. 1st January 2000, the donated items were delivered to the inmates, ranging from food items, to clothing, medication among others.
This successful campaign set the foundation for the formation of the organization. And in addition to other life experiences, it marked a turning point in my life the founder.
“I had undergone a complete transformation, which led to the establishment of LINK-UP, designed to mitigate abject poverty in needy orphans and vulnerable children as a way of preventing them from getting into crime and to end up in prison”.