FUHOSEA Celebrates 40 Years of Africa Action, Highlights 14-Year Partnership Supporting Persons with Disabilities

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By Princeley Njukang

FUHOSEA has celebrated the 40th anniversary of its longtime partner, Africa Action, in an event held in Buea on Saturday, September 19, 2026.

The event brought together beneficiaries, staff, government officials and other guests to reflect on what FUHOSEA and Africa Action have achieved together over the last 14 years.

“Africa Action has been a friend, standing with us in our low and high moments. It’s only normal that on their special day, we join them in celebrating,” FUHOSEA’s Executive Director, Bah Gallus Bah, said.

The two organizations have worked together since 2012, with Africa Action supporting FUHOSEA to develop organizational capacity and build critical infrastructure. They sponsored the construction of the FUHOSEA Disability Empowerment Center in Ekona, which was completed in 2016. When the Anglophone Conflict brought FUHOSEA’s activities to a near stop, they provided vital assistance to restart activities in 2019. In 2025, Africa Action funded the development of the FUHOSEA 2026/2030 Strategic Plan.

“What they are doing for us is helping us to be able to stand on our own, to be able to carry on with our mission as a strong organization. In one of their slogans, they say that they don’t help Africans… they partner with African organizations for self-sustainability,” FUHOSEA’s Programmes Manager, Nanga Azefor, said during a presentation of the FUHOSEA-Africa Action Partnership.

Since resuming activities in 2019 with the aid of Africa Action, BKDW and other partners, FUHOSEA has directly impacted the lives of over 1,148 beneficiaries across the Northwest and Southwest regions. During the celebratory event, which also marked the launch of the FUHOSEA 2026/2027 school year, beneficiaries expressed appreciation to FUHOSEA and its partners for the constant support.

“I used to select what to write in order to economize Braille paper because we did not have the money to be buying them every time,” Mbedo’o Claudia, a beneficiary now enrolling in a Master’s programme at the University of Buea, said, adding that since the interventions of FUHOSEA, she no longer has to sacrifice important notes for want of writing material. Claudia says she previously spent up to 10,000 FCFA every two weeks to get Braille paper, a high price in a country where, according to the World Bank, 23% of the population lives below the international poverty line, with persons with disabilities and their families disproportionately affected.

“FUHOSEA’s support has been a huge relief for my family. They have taken the burden of providing all my educational needs,” Meh Becajum, a final-year student at the National School of Local Administration, said.

“When I became blind, my parents knew I was done. I had to stay home for three years before FUHOSEA identified me and sent me to school,” Lois Ndasi, who was successful at the GCE Ordinary Level this year, narrated.

FUHOSEA’s Inclusive Education Programme, which identifies and sponsors vulnerable children with disabilities and other needs annually to get education, has been supported by Africa Action from the onset. With major funding from BKDW, the programme targets 160 beneficiaries this 2026/2027 school year. The Buea event distributed essential school kits, transportation and research allowances to enable over 70 beneficiaries to resume school. It will extend the same gesture to the Northwest Region in October, before returning to meet other needs in the year.

Selected beneficiaries equally received food supplies during the Buea event, provided by the Cameroonian American Military Professionals (CAMP)

As Africa Action marks 40 years, FUHOSEA says it remains willing to accompany the organization to meet its objectives, especially in helping persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups gain education, escape poverty and build meaningful lives.

In Cameroon, only 10% of persons with disabilities currently have access to education, meaning only one in 10 of the 3.48 million persons with disabilities has been to school, with anecdotal evidence indicating a high dropout rate.

“We need community organizations like FUHOSEA to bridge this gap,” Fidelis Njie, South West Regional Delegate of Social Affairs, said. He told the press that persons with disabilities face significant challenges accessing education, and that the challenges have been amplified by the raging conflict in the Northwest and Southwest regions. “What FUHOSEA is doing is showing the world that persons with disabilities can work hard and become assets in their community.”

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