First Lady Chantal BIYA, Founding President of the Circle of Friends of Cameroon (CERAC), and members of the humanitarian, apolitical and non-profit-making association, have adopted the 2024 Calendar of activities that are centred on improving their social inclusion actions in Cameroon.
This was during CERAC’s 30th General Assembly organised on 11 January 2024 in Yaounde.
Mrs Chantal BIYA, in a message to her CERAC sisters, expressed her satisfaction with the projects accomplished in 2023. The UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Education and Social Inclusion pledged to “continue the noble fight for a society that is more focused on solidarity, equity and that takes into account underprivileged social groups”.
The 2023 annual activity report revealed that CERAC activities covered the following sectors: education, health, water supply, women’s empowerment, the fight against poverty and pandemics, and assistance to disaster victims.
89.19% of the projects earmarked were realised in 2023.
137 associations, representing 17,593 people benefitted from CERAC’s assistance. 11 schools and five health facilities were rehabilitated and equipped. Support was equally extended to 47 youth centres, four orphanages, two women’s empowerment and family centres, and 885 internally displaced persons from the North-West and South-West Regions. Seven drinking water boreholes were constructed while five educational talks were organised for 620 schoolchildren.
In 2024, CERAC plans to: improve access to quality healthcare for vulnerable populations; contribute to vocational training and social integration of young people; and identify the needs of localities that have not yet benefitted from its charitable work.
The 30th General Assembly of CERAC was also an occasion for First Lady Chantal BIYA to extend her motherly love and compassion to 31 children – victims of the October 2023 landslide in Mbankolo (Yaounde II sub-division). The kids were overwhelmed with joy. They sang in gratitude and prayed for their benefactor.
An exceptional reception offered by the founding president of CERAC was marked by musical performances from the “Brice Band Orchestra”, and artists such as Rinyu, Abdou Poullo, Ate Bass, Toto Guillaume, Pastor, and Prince Eyango.
The CERAC sisters presented a special cake to commemorate Mrs Chantal BIYA’s birthday. They seized the opportunity to convey a word of appreciation to her illustrious husband, President Paul BIYA, for his unflinching support that has led to the growth and international recognition of the solidarity association.
