Help missionaries like Fr Noah give children back their future through the Red Box
Father Noah MHM is the Parish Priest of St Francis Xavier Catholic Mission Station in Fundong. Cameroon. In the midst of the escalating conflict, the Mission Station is not just a church. It’s a sanctuary; a place of refuge.
In Cameroon some schools had been closed for over two years, largely because of the risk of children being kidnapped. Fr Noah’s Mission Station looks after a primary school which has stayed open. But with many more families seeking refuge in his parish, the community needed to build more classrooms to accommodate all the new children arriving. Fr Noah’s priority became providing a safe place to educate children who had been denied an education for so long.
All hands together
Volunteers from the community made the bricks which built the classrooms
The Parish Council and the school Parent Teacher Association decided to build some new classrooms to accommodate the growing number of children. Everyone got together to help, Fr Noah explains:
‘The local community provided material like stones and sand, made sun-dry bricks, and gave their time and labour. But due to limited resources, they could not provide the industrial materials. I contacted the Lord Mayor for Fundong Council who provided cement, iron rods and one bundle of zinc.’
A new threat – and a helping hand
It’s inspiring what Fr Noah and the local community achieved by pulling together. But now a new threat was looming. Time was running out to find the funds to complete their new classrooms before the rainy season began. Fr Noah was really worried that all the community’s efforts would literally be washed away! He says:
‘Despite the valiant efforts of the parish community and support of the Mayor, we did not have sufficient funds to complete construction of the classrooms. I was worried that the approaching rainy season would undo a lot of the good work already done. Heavy rains risked collapsing the half-completed sun-brick classrooms’.
That’s when he reached out to Missio for help. And over Easter 2021, thanks to your support, we were able to send funds to complete the basic construction of the classrooms.
Fr Noah shares:
‘Thank you so much for helping us realise our project. You have brought us a lot of relief. Thanks for the quick response. We will roof our new classrooms. I am now sure the rains will not destroy the structure’.
The Missio difference
Now that the basic structures are complete, the community is sure the school will make an immense difference to the lives of the children and their families. But there are more and more children in need and the community needs our support to help them. The school needs to be finished and plastered, and the children need supplies for learning.
With your help, and by working together, says Fr Noah, we can ensure that:
- Children can continue to enjoy learning in a safe and welcoming environment. They will acquire the confidence and skills to face the world with determination.
- The construction of a Catholic school will make God known, loved, and served. The school will strengthen the faith of the community and infuse beliefs, values, and standards that children will carry all their lives.
- The school will enable the pupils to reach the fullness of their potential as individuals created in God’s image.
In his latest message, Fr Noah shared:
‘You can see the contribution you are making to our children. It is the only school in that area. The workers have finished putting the ceiling boards and windows in on the classrooms. The children are at least protected from the rain. We are so happy that our school managed to score 100% in the First School Leaving Certificate. Thank you so much for the support. We are keeping you in our prayers’.
Give a gift that counts
With your prayers and support, we can help missionaries like Fr Noah bring faith, leadership, and a renewed hope to the communities they serve. We can support the efforts of more communities, like this one in Cameroon, which are striving to give their children a reason to hope in the future.
Did you know?
The Catholic Church supports nearly 45,000 secondary schools and 100,000 primary schools worldwide – many run by missionaries like Fr Noah. With your help, we can make sure every child gets the education and the future they deserve.