Small grassroots volunteer organization committed to fight illiteracy and disease in Cameroon and eventually greater Africa.
Today, Ascovime has achieved two major milestones with one big donation: 100 donors and over $5000 raised. This is a nice goal and is a testament to the grassroots nature of this small organization. Everyone out there is chipping in a little bit and helping get much needed healthcare and educational supplies to those in rural parts of Cameroon.
If you’re wondering how Ascovime does its work on the ground, this video pretty well encapsulates it. The scenery, music, makeshift equipment and transport, and a jovial attitude are all represented in this fine work. Credit to TristanChampion for putting this video together.
For those of you that understand French out there, here is a nice little slideshow that was put together by the folks in Paris. They are the original Ascovime and have been working diligently throughout the years to support the medical teams on the ground in Cameroon. Check out the slideshow!
Exploitation of the poor is a long standing tradition among empires throughout history. From the Roman empire to that of Imperial Japan prior to World War II, killing and enslaving peoples in order to steal natural resources has been common practice. And today is no different.
The American empire, built of collusion between the military, corporations, government, banks, and intelligence agencies, has managed to do the same as many empires of the past. In the 1960s and 70s, our America was responsible for several assassinations as well as other orchestrated coups in order to install leaders that would be receptive to our interests in the region. Today, we do this in the Middle East and Africa, with Cameroon being no exception.
Back in 2000, a corporate coalition led by Exxon Mobil started a project to build an oil pipeline from southern Chad through Cameroon to the Atlantic Ocean. Continue reading ‘Building an Empire Through Third World Exploitation’
Donations for Christmas!
I traveled to Cameroon, a country on the Atlantic coast of Africa, this past May and June on a medical aid mission. Upon my return, others have kept spreading the word of Ascovime, Dr. Georges Bwelle’s grassroots medical organization and have also continued donating. NPR did a segment of “The Story” with Dick Gordon about Dr. Bwelle and Ascovime which helped bring in donations from all over the United States. Along with many substantial monetary donations, others have expressed great interest in volunteering and donating medical supplies.
School and Medical Supplies
Global Links and MediFree have been generous enough to send two boxes worth of sutures (over 200), gauze, catheters, spinal needles, iodine swabs, as well as school supplies for African children. This was all facilitated by the work of another small organization called Sutures Are A Human Right. Please be sure to check these sites out and support. Thanks again to Global Links, MediFree, and Sutures Are A Human Right!
Hi everyone, it’s been a while since I posted something. I’ve just caught wind of an NPR story about Dr. Bwelle! Dick Gordon of North Carolina Public Radio hosts a show called The Story and will be doing a piece on Dr. Georges Bwelle. It should air in Vermont on Monday 10/18/2010 at 2pm. Check it out here: http://thestory.org/
Updated 10/18 – The Story is out:
The Story producer Anita “Bekang” Woodley was in Cameroon this past summer, with a tape recorder, looking for her own ancestral village when she happened upon the doctor by chance. Today, we’ll hear Anita’s story of returning to her village, and Dr. Georges’ story of bringing health care to rural Africans.
Blog posts from my trip to Cameroon, where I was lucky enough to join with Dr. Georges, are here. By the way, he can always use your help. Here’s how donations that we raised before my trip in the spring 2010 were used.
Thanks for coming in!
Under the headline “UVM graduate discovers career in rural Africa” the Burlington Free Press printed nice follow-up article about my trip to Cameroon.
He recently returned from an intense four weeks in the African nation of Cameroon helping surgeon Georges Bwelle minister to those unable to afford medical care.
Bwelle’s base is Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, but every weekend during the dry season he and a team of volunteers head into the poorer, rural sections of the country to set up free temporary clinics. None of the volunteers are paid for their efforts, and Bwelle doesn’t have the money to recruit help. He relies on word of mouth and the generosity of others.
Stay Classy Cameroon
Quick update: I safely touched down in the U.S. after a 24 hour journey from Cameroon. The flights all went smoothly and I’m back home in Vermont. I didn’t have internet for a week so I’ll be posting more stories of my experiences in the next couple days so stay tuned!
I don’t know how to put this, but the World Cup is kind of a big deal. Even in the United States, perhaps as a result of hosting the 1994 World Cup, the popularity is rising, whereas in the rest of the world, it’s all-consuming.
This is Eto'o. More popular in Cameroon than God or Allah.
Cameroon is a huge soccer country. Where ever there is a flat rectangular area, or just a flat area for that matter, children or adults have erected makeshift goals. Young and old can be seen playing in the morning, at lunch, after school, and also when they’re supposed to be at work. If you want to come to Cameroon, but you’re worried about not knowing French, well, learn to play soccer instead. The most widely used language in the world is football (soccer).
Luxurious nets at the American School of Yaounde
Continue reading ‘The Latest African Epidemic: World Cup Fever’
