Last year you supported our One Tribe campaign, a campaign consisting of education and health specialists striving to make knowledge and healthcare accessible to communities in rural Cameroon.
Our mission is to enhance the quality of life for the people we serve and to provide them with health and educational tools that empower them now, and for generations to come.
We’ve set out to build up to 10 Library & Health Branch Centers, each providing books, health products, and a trained librarian, health educator and consultant.
With a current life expectancy of 52, over 73,000 children dying before the age of five, and only 38% of Cameroonian girls enrolled in schools, providing healthcare and education is critical for upliftment.
In the past year, we have shipped 20,000 new books to the Himalayan Institute Cameroon (HIC), built three new library & health branch centers, and expanded the our primary library in Kumbo. We’ve also trained 52 new public health specialists that have successfully reached a community of 320,000 people.
Our Approach to Library-Health Branch Centers
Villages Apply. We select them based on:
- Need and interest for Books
- Political and social stability
- Partners capable of sensitizing the community about the center
We ensure the community can and will:
- Provide secured facility
- Recruit potential staff
- Suggest ongoing improvement
We form a local committee to:
- Provide supervision
- Create a space that encourages learning
- Measure and maintain the progress of the Center using a system designed by HIC
We identify candidates for training:
- Individuals apply and are selected
- Candidates engage in an intensive health and library training
- Graduates become branch center custodians and independent health consultants
What makes a good library?
- Regular and frequent use by patrons
- Books are relevant to people’s interest
- Ample space for patrons
- Good lighting and ventilation
- Collaborative groups and mentors
Our Branch Centers
Kumbo Public Library
In 2009 we founded the first public library in Kumbo Cameroon. In 2015 year we added 7,000 books to this flagship library, the Kumbo Public Library. These books were strategically selected to meet the demands of existing patrons and renew excitement in the community.
Melim
The Melim Library & Health Branch Center is located several miles away from our main library in Kumbo. For years, students from Melim have made the two-hour walk to our main library. Now they have their own Branch Center filled with 3,000 books, a computer lab which offers various courses, internet access, and a trained librarian and health specialist, Lesley.
Mbonso
Our Mbonso Branch Center is located in a small village 2 hours away, by car, from HIC. Mbonso is in the heart of farmlands and isolated from larger towns. Their community member, Dixon, has become a certified public health educator and consultant, as well as a trained librarian. His knowledge and passion to serve others, coupled with the village’s new resources has provided a surge of upliftment in the community.
Tatum
The Branch Center in Tatum, a town of 6,000 people, is run by an older gentleman named Samuel, who recently graduated from our Health and Library training course. This centrally located 2,500-book library is the first in Tatum. While the library serves the entire village, it has been especially helpful for students at the local Teacher’s Training College.
Commitment To Growth
The Himalayan Institute’s Humanitarian Division is passionate about improving the lives of others. Through accessible healthcare, education, and job training, we’ve had the opportunity to witness extraordinary transformations in individuals and their communities. We are grateful for your contributions, which have accelerated our projects growth in the past year, and look forward to keeping you updated on our progress.
Check out our latest campaign
While we continue building library & health branch centers, we have a new 10 Years of Service campaign designed to celebrate our accomplishments and accelerate our work moving forward. It’s supporters like you who make our work possible and we’re excited to share with you highlights from the past decade and plans for the near future. To learn more, click here.
