NFON PETER CHE

Peter is a trained Physics and Computer Science teacher who has been teaching these subjects for four years. He earned an award as the best teacher in his school during the 2014/2015 academic year. This award was as a recognition of good results at the end of course examination and assiduity in all assigned tasks. He is a trained first aid volunteer with the Cameroon Red Cross. Being a first aid volunteer has occupied all of his hours when he is not teaching.

“Always help with no expectation of reward”

Q: TELL US A FEW THINGS ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY, AND ALSO YOUR LIFE'S STORY!

Cameroon is a central African country with a population of about 23.5 million inhabitants. It is a bilingual country with English and French as official languages with over 250 ethnic groups with distinct cultures. Cameroon is often referred to as “Africa in miniature” for its geological and cultural diversity. It is largely divided into 2 English speaking regions and 8 French speaking regions. Socio-political issues in and about the Anglophone (English speaking) region of Cameroon have been a matter of contention throughout the postcolonial period. Political protests intensified in 2016. After months of protest against perceived marginalization, violence erupted in this region prompting security clampdowns. The crisis has increasingly shifted into an armed conflict. According to OCHA Cameroon, at least 1.850 people have been killed, 4 million affected and about 530 thousand internally displaced as of March 2019.

I am from a peasant family with seven siblings. As a trained Physics and Computer science with five years of teaching experience, I have had the opportunity to teach in different areas of my community. Equally, as a passionate first aid volunteer with the Red Cross, I have volunteered in many natural and man-made disasters. The most recent was as a supervisor, wherein in collaboration with other team members, we distributed nonfood items to 917 internally displaced households. Due to the ongoing armed conflict, schools have shut down so I cannot teach hence I am occupying a permanent volunteer position with a community-based organization called Community Initiative for Sustainable development as the Volunteer and Youth Coordinator. This will enable me to build a new career in the field of international development and Humanitarian action.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF THE WORLD AS IT IS TODAY? AND HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE CONCEPT OF A BETTER WORLD?

Most countries and regions are fragile states due to increase in disasters and conflicts which are as a result of many factors such as unaccountable governments full with corruption and isms, inequalities (income discrimination), poverty, religious differences, climate change and a lot more. All these factors have contributed greatly to widening the gap between the rich and the poor. This is resulting to increase deaths, forced displacements (more refugees and internally displaced persons).

To me, a better world would be a world where everyone is given the opportunity to belong, contribute and participate in the growth and development of his/her society. A world that promotes cultural diversity, social inclusion and achieves equal opportunity and justice.

Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY CHALLENGES IN YOUR SOCIETY?

• Bad governance and no change in the regime since 1982.

• Pandemic corruption, bribery and embezzlement.

• Growing insecurity in the Northern and Eastern regions with an outright armed conflict in the two English speaking regions of Cameroon where I come from.

• Poor and inadequate infrastructural.

• Poor educational systems.

• High unemployment and underemployment.

• Youths have little or no say in decision making.

• No press freedom.

Q: AS A YOUNG INDIVIDUAL WHAT ARE A FEW OF THE HURDLES THAT YOU HAD TO OVERCOME UP UNTIL TODAY?

• Poverty: From a peasant home with 7 siblings it was so difficult for my parents to feed me and my siblings and also to educate us. So at the age of 10, I had to engage in hawking to sponsor myself and my younger ones.

• Marginalization: In 2010 when I just completed high school, I sat in for the entrance into medical school, after the written part, there was oral. During the oral session, the members of the jury did not ask me any question related to medicine or health. They asked “who is your father” and “where are you coming from”. With such questions, I already knew that I will not succeed in the entrance. And that how it ended. Failure!.

Q: WHY IS THE ROLE OF A MENTOR IMPORTANT FOR YOU?

A mentor is important to me in that;

• He shares his life experiences and that of other successful people. These experiences enable me to learn to prevent making the same mistakes young people make.

• He stimulates my personal and professional growth in assisting me to take SMART decisions.

• He identifies my weakness and where I have to improve.

• He offers encouragement and helps me keep going.

• He provides a sounding board which enables me to bounce my myriad of ideas off him for an unfiltered opinion.

• He creates necessary constructive boundaries I cannot set for myself.

• He provides me with information or sources of information and knowledge.

Q: DO YOU HAVE A LESSON THAT LIFE HAS TAUGHT YOU AND YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?

Life has taught me a lesson; always do Good. In 2012 as a student at the University of Bamenda and as a volunteer with the Cameroon Red Cross, I happened to be part of a team of first aid volunteers to cover a campus football encounter. During this encounter a player had a fracture, I rushed to the scene and offered him first aid and he was later rushed to the hospital. As a result of this benevolent gesture, during my last years in the university, he searched for me and offered a room in their family house which was quite close to the university campus for free just as a way to thank me for what I did to him. This prevented me from spending close to $550 on rents that year. So in life always help a fellow human with no expectation of reward.

Q: NAME A PROJECT, A FOUNDATION OR A PERSON IN YOUR COUNTRY THAT YOU THINK IS DOING GREAT WORK IN HELPING IMPROVE OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES!

The Ayah Foundation

Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WOMEN IN YOUR COUNTRY FACE AND WHAT EFFORTS ARE MADE TOWARDS GENDER EQUALITY?

• Underrepresentation in politics

• Problems with maternity leave.

• Victims of Gender-Based violence such as forced and early marriages, rape, denial of resources, harmful traditional practices.

• Land ownership.

• Problems with widowhood rites.

• It is difficult for women to obtain means of production (land, funding, equipment, information training, capitals)

• High rate of maternal mortality.

In efforts made towards gender equality, the government of Cameroon has done a lot in the signing of conventions, instituting policies aimed at promoting gender equality, for example, Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women in August 1994. Just of recent, the National Gender Policy document 2011-2020 was instituted with the main objective to create an equitable and equal society for women and men for sustainable development. Cameroon has one of the best laws but hardly are they being respected due to bad governance. Some Non-Governmental Organizations are doing a lot on sensitization and empowerment on gender equality.

Q: ATHENA40 IS THE FIRST EVER GLOBAL SELECTION OF THE TOP 40 WOMEN FORWARD THINKERS, COMMENTATORS, ACTIVISTS, AUTHORS, ACADEMICS, ENTREPRENEURS, EXECUTIVES, INNOVATORS. CAN YOU THINK OF A TRULY INNOVATIVE AND FORWARD-THINKING WOMAN FROM YOUR COUNTRY THAT YOU WISH TO NOMINATE FOR THE ATHENA40 GLOBAL LIST?

EDITH KAHBANG WALLA

Q: SHARE WITH US A PHRASE, A POEM OR A STORY THAT YOU LOVE OR YOU FIND INTERESTING!

Extract from “DESIDERATA”

“... If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans”.

Q: TELL US ONE THING THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM YOUR MENTOR.

To be collaborative.