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| HOFNA Boot Camp participants |
The Senior Assistant to the Israeli
Ambassador to Cameroon has challenged Cameroon to build on Education if the
country wishes to develop. Acha Harry was speaking in Bamenda Friday August 18,
2017 while representing his Ambassador at the opening ceremony of Girls
Leadership Boot Camp organized by the Bamenda based Charity Hope for the Needy
Association HOFNA-Cameroon.
According to the Diplomat, Israel despite a
host of challenges at independence in 1948 with virtually noting even water since
over 70% of the territory is a desert has been able to grow to a strong state thanks
to education. Citing the natural resources Cameroon has, larger surface area,
more populated than Israel the Diplomat indicated that with Education Cameroon
will go bigger and better. Using Israel’s example of having a female Prime
Minister in 1969 just 20years after independence to inspire the girls, Acha
Harry stated “there is something in the success of this country (Cameroon) that
must be given to women and it starts here.” He will maintain that Israel’s main
resource is brain power reason why in the absence of many things they train
their children and invest in their education. When quizzed to clarify his point,
Acha advised that Cameroon takes responsibility for her education policies.
“Every Country has a responsibility for its policies and that is policy in the area
of education, or health or economic or development. The state of Israel is not
in the position to access Cameroon’s options. What the state of Israel is doing
with its friendly country and partners like Cameroon is to share experiences in
the various sectors. Israel has a long history of successful education and ways
in which their education has seen fruits in the economic sector and for
Israel’s diplomatic mission in Cameroon the purpose is to share that
experience. The assessment of Cameroon Education is a matter for Cameroonian.”
As to what type of Education the girls at the
Camp should acquire at this moment with the growing need and quest for female
leadership, the Ambassador’s representative replied “the first thing is for
these girls to believe in themselves and the education of girls is not only the
matter for the individual girls who are taking part in this boot camp. It’s
also a whole social education for the rest of the communities in which they
live. Its education for ourselves for myself because beyond the issues that
females have you know our societies, they only have them because males perceive
them in a certain way and so the education is not only for girls, its education
for girls, its education for men, its education or the whole community and once
that platform is strong and properly constructed every other thing science,
technology, politics and others will fall in place.”
The over 37girls drawn from the North West
and South West Regions have been reflecting on the theme “inspiring the next
generation of female leaders.” With support from the Israeli government, the
young girls have spent four days gaining inspiration from a cream of well
selected facilitators drawn from various walks of life with the hope of
empowering them to achieving positive change in their lives as HOFNA’s mission
demands.
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