ident.africa’s founder, Fred-Eric Essam a wild duck

Essam_German_Embassador_RBuchholz

As a teenager in Douala, Cameroon’s largest city—an urban and commercial center very different from his father’s life in the rural north— Fred-Eric Essam, a senior solution sales professional for IBM in Germany, received a unique opportunity that would set him apart from many of his Cameroonian peers: he was given a scholarship to study biomedical engineering in Germany. Several years later, after earning his degree, Fred-Eric says, “In 2001 I had the opportunity to visit the ancestral home of my late father in Boboyo, in the Far North region of Cameroon, in Africa. Though it has gotten better, I left concerned about the region’s lack of educational and health infrastructures.”
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ident.africa meets Guenter Nooke, the German chancellor’s representative for Africa

from left: Prof. Dr. Christian Raabe, Prof. Jo Ruoff,
Madlen Ehrlich, Fred-Eric Essam, Guenter Nooke

On January 10, 2014 Fred-Eric Essam and Madlen Ehrlich, both members of the board of German NGO ident.africa, met Guenter Nooke, who is patron of the project “A pre-school for Boboyo” since 2012. Since the construction of the pre-school is about to finish at the beginning of 2014, it was the perfect opportunity to meet Mr. Nooke again to discuss recent project activities. Accompanied by Prof. Dr. Christian Raabe (RWTH Aachen University) and Prof. Jo Ruoff (University of Oldenburg), the participants talked about the the current state of the construction work and discussed the expected workload until March 2014. Continue reading

Having a look at the construction area of the pre-school – impressions and pictures by Madlen Ehrlich

At the construction site of the pre-school of Boboyo in Cameroon
In December 2013, Madlen Ehrlich, board member of Germany-based NGO ident.africa, flew to Boboyo for one week. Boboyo is the village in the north of Cameroon, where ident.africa do voluntary work since 2004. During her stay she was able to have a look at the construction field of the new pre-school. We asked Madlen to write down some unforgettable impressions for us, the participants of the pre-school project and supporters of the NGO:

Even before I visited Cameroon, I was excited that German students have agreed to fly to Cameroon to support local construction workers to build the pre-school. Between November and March, 6 groups at 6-9 students are travelling to Boboyo for several weeks – voluntarily and in large part at their own expense. During my stay I was able to meet a couple of students who have been there for about 6 weeks – excited about what they already achieved. And I met a group of students who just arrived, super enthusiastic and full of pleasant anticipations of their stay. This mix was amazing. Continue reading

A pre-school for Boboyo: foundation stone ceremony with Annette Coly, Chief of Cooperation at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Cameroon

foundation stone ceremony in Boboyo (Kamerun)
On December 17, 2013 Annette Coly, Chief of Cooperation at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Yaoundé, visited Boboyo, a village in the north of Cameroon. She aimed at informing herself about the latest project of Germany-based NGO ident.africa. During her visit, Madlen Ehrlich, board member of ident.africa, and Pascal Zoua, president of CODEBO, asked Mrs. Coly to join the foundation stone ceremony for the new pre-school in Boboyo. Continue reading