Believing in the power of my thoughts.

16 years ago, Isat in a classroom made up of 5 girls and 35 boys taking a course in Engineering. There was a day when I wanted to have a private talk with another girl because I had a burden to share. During the break, I looked round the class and I realized that 4 of the girls were absent. Discovering that I was alone, I became very shy, full of fear and intimidated by faces of the boys.

Feeling sad,I asked myself; “What can I do to have as many girls as boys sitting in this classroom? How do I go about to change this situation? A thought floated in my head:“I pictured a society where women have equal interest and access to STEM fields and the opportunities they provide”

I didn’t immediately know how to realize this vision but it was more powerful than me and it quickly led me to various on line communities suchas Techwomen, ABI dot Local, World Pulse,SystersandTechnovation, as well as accomplished mentors around the globe.

Since the initial thought triggered me into action I’ve connected with hundreds of people, organized about 30 events, participated in 5 trainings, taught myself to code, mentored 40 girls, registered a lot of success in attracting more than 200 girls into STEM field.

More recently, wanting to advance this dream I was accepted into the Advanced Digital Changemaking program. This incredible opportunity will help me amplify my mission and provide opportunities for connections and mentorship that will strengthen mydream that will never give me peace until my vision changes into a concrete reality: Building a society where women are secured via strong engagement in productive and sustainable activities in STEM fields.

I was very motivated when I applied to participate in the Advanced Digital Changemaking program organized by World Pulse.

Being selected for the program, this boosted my acumen in moving towards my dream. With a lot of enthusiasm I happily accepted the offer. Presently I am taking part in the online training, which requires me to be constantly connected to the internet. In order to access training material, do my assignments, run live calls in a virtual classroomwith classmates and have Skype calls with my Vision Mentor. What an amazing experience!

It is a great privilege for me to participate in this training especially because I had been attached to avision mentor who is available to communicate with me when necessary. In my early years when I was a student, it was difficult to have someone that you can look up in your professional career.

Realizing my vision requires challenging cultural and behavioral change. Girls have low self-confidence for this field, this has typically been seen as a male dominated field.

Realizing this vision also requires access to technology and equipment and good computer labs are not often available.

Realizing this vision requires trained and committed mentors who will be willing to serve as volunteers.

Realizing this vision requires a reliable source of internet connection and other accessories. Something that most people take for granted these days but in my region in Cameron we’ve been blocked from access since the 17thof January 2017.

What a surprise to wake up one morning to find out that the internet had been cut off in the part of the country where I live,Bamenda,the Regional Headquarter of the North West Region of Cameroon which is English speaking.

I could not believe myeyes thatit would be impossible to communicate and express myself to the world.Was my vision going to die? Will my voice be lost? Will my classes stop?Many questions pondered my mind making me restless.

I paused for a few days and reflected deeply on how I was going to carry on with my vision.I had to reposition myself, as well as my state of mind. Presently, I have to travel every week for 3 hours over a distance of about 7.5 Km to access strong and reliable internet connection. Makingthis trip on a very bad road to a nearby French speaking region that is enjoying internet services every day makes me tired by the time Iget there.

However, I cannot forgo this training because of internet outage. I have made up my mind to complete this training. Though living in this nightmare has been very frustrating and painful to me I will keep forging ahead while keeping a positive attitude.

I will not give up the struggle to make mydreamareality in Cameroon. I have decided to stay focused and Itrust the power of my thoughts.The power of my thoughts turned into vision will prevail in overcoming these various blocks in the road…one by one, perhaps slowly yet confidently, they will be conquered. That’s how powerful this vision is! The realized vision will be more meaningful because of them!

How to Get Involved

You can support my work at CYEED by donating laptops. Computers, tablets, office equipment, projector and screen.

Your generous donations will go a long way to bring digital skills to women across Cameroon.