The assistance was distributed on Sunday, 13 September 2026, at the couple’s residence in Old Town, Bamenda II Subdivision, where children from vulnerable families, including internally displaced households, received exercise books, pens, pencils and other essential learning materials.
The initiative focused on children whose families face difficulties meeting the basic costs of returning to school, particularly in a community that has absorbed a growing number of families displaced by the crisis in the North West Region.
The beneficiaries were identified with support from Know Your Neighbour, a community-based group largely made up of mothers who have direct knowledge of families facing hardship in Old Town.
Speaking to the children and their parents, Ndi Tsembom Elvis urged the beneficiaries to see education as an opportunity that must not be lost because of the difficulties confronting their families.
“Education is the key to success. Among you, tomorrow we will have doctors, teachers, and magistrates. Go to school, study hard, and make your parents proud.”
He also cautioned the children against treating school merely as a place for recreation, urging them to protect the materials received and use them to improve their academic performance.
But beyond the distribution of school supplies, the intervention went further for two children identified as being in particularly difficult circumstances. Their families, according to Ndi Tsembom Elvis, could not afford even the basic requirements for school, including tuition.
He consequently committed to paying the school fees of both children for the new academic year, removing a financial barrier that could otherwise have kept them out of school.
According to Ndi Tsembom Elvis, the decision was rooted in the realities of Old Town, where displaced families have sought refuge amid the continuing crisis.
“We cannot be sending our own children to school while other children are cut off from the picture,” he said, maintaining that keeping vulnerable children in school offers them a route towards changing their circumstances and supporting their families in the future.
The intervention drew an emotional response from parents who said the timing of the assistance was particularly significant as schools prepare to reopen.
One parent said the family had been struggling to determine how the children would return to school.
“I was still contemplating what magic I would use to send my children back to school. Things have been very difficult this year,” the parent said, expressing gratitude to the couple for the support.
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Another parent whose children were selected for the fee assistance said the intervention came when the family had almost given up hope of meeting the costs of the new school year.
“As schools were about to resume, my prayer every day was that God should not forget me. By this gesture today, He has remembered me,” the parent said.
The parent added that the support would allow the children to return to school with their peers rather than remain at home or feel excluded because of their family’s financial situation.
The back-to-school initiative was financed and implemented entirely by Ndi Tsembom Elvis and his wife, with the stated aim of helping vulnerable families in Old Town meet immediate educational needs and ensuring that children affected by economic hardship and displacement are not left behind as the 2026/2027 school year begins.
By Hilltopvoices Team with Reports
Tel: +237 694 71 85 77
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