About us

History

Afiti Bongô was initiated by Virginie Nke. She was born in Cameroon and has lived in Switzerland since her childhood. Virginie has been involved with orphans in Cameroon since 2005.

2012

At the end of 2012, thanks to the help of Daniela Polo, she put together a team that wanted to make a professional contribution to this direct help.

2013

Aifiti Bongô was founded in 2013 as an association based in Basel (CH). The name means “hope for children” and is also our program.

2013-2016

During the four years 2013-2016 our focus was on supporting Caredor, an orphanage in Mbalmayo. At the end of 2016, we officially separated from Caredor.

2017

In September 2017 we founded our own home with currently six children in the capital Yaoundé. And we are now officially registered as an international organization in Cameroon.

2018

In June 2018, Afiti Bongô officially opened its first home. The opening ceremony was also broadcast on Canal 2, a national TV station.

Vision

Orphans and needy children in Cameroon can grow up in security and security. The children should spend their childhood free, happy and healthy. The aim is to provide the children with a life with structures that are common in families in Cameroon.

Mission

Afiti Bongô supports structures that enable children to grow up in a respectful and nurturing environment that replaces the family of origin as well as possible. This includes care, education, health and nutrition.

We pay attention to the following values:

Strategy and Projects

Afiti Bongô opens 2017 its own home in the capital Yaoundé. The children are orphans or needy children who have been severely traumatized and neglected. They are well looked after at Afiti Bongo by a team that has been carefully selected, they go to school and receive medical support.

In order to realize our vision, we have developed a strategy that allows us to support projects that are all aimed at improving the lives of orphans and needy children in Cameroon. This is how we cultivate good relations with the Foundation Petit Dan et Sarah. This is an orphanage that has existed in Yaoundé for more than 30 years. 60 children live here. Another project that is very important to us is the foyer, which gives home to around 30 blind and mentally handicapped children. These children have neither a normal toilet, nor any blind-friendly infrastructure. The founder and director of the home is already 84 years old. We also have contact with a youth prison in Mbalmayo. Here live young people who have stolen a goat, for example, to save their families from starvation. They make bags with embroidery to occupy themselves. Next we have a small watermelon project that employs 32 people. This project is very important because it helps to preserve the natural and biological environment of these people and gives them a guaranteed income for a year. Thus, they can themselves look to their orphans and needy children and integrate them into their society

Our project portfolio is growing. We’ll keep you up to date!

Our Network

Our network has grown organically and today there are many great people. We can not mention everyone here, but we are very happy with the many local people who are always helping and helping us!

Basel hosts several projects in Cameroon. There are four organizations that work on different issues in Cameroon. We know each other and maintain good contact.

Board

The board of Afiti Bongô is made up of four active members: Claudia Jäggi Talary, Frances Kern, Virginie Nke and Philippe Linscheid.

Claudia Jäggi Talary works independently as a coach and therapist, has an education as an economist (including in the field of developing countries-economy) and is responsible as president for finance and communication. Frances Kern is retired laboratory assistant, passionate Fasnachtlerin and dedicated member of Afiti Bongô. As vice president, she is responsible for food and health. Virginie Nke strengthens our team thanks to her bridging function between Switzerland and Cameroon. She has two children and works for an airline. She has recently obtained CAS in Designing Strategies and Projects for Humanitarian Action. She is the President of the Board of Cameroon and responsible for the staff. Dr. Philippe Linscheid has been involved in a project in Tanzania for more than ten years. He brings his experience and expertise in fundraising.

Thanks to the diversity of our team, we regularly ask pertinent questions, activate the right people and, step by step, realize our projects together. Our team is characterized by a fruitful cooperation. We are focused, solution-oriented, constructive and able to learn.

We also have “ambassadors” and “junior ambassadors” who support us in our work in many ways.

The former FCB star Thimothée Atouba is the godfather of our projects and board member in Cameroon

The board of Afiti Bongô in Cameroon includes experienced people involved in social affairs, sports, TV / media, medicine, food / catering, education and law. For us in Switzerland (especially in Basel) one name is well known: Thimothée Atouba. The former FCB star actively supports us as a member of the board of our organization in Cameroon. We are very happy to have Thimothée as an active member. He always opens new doors for us and for the children he is the perfect godfather who visits the home regularly…of course whenever there is a football this is a good opportunity for a game.

Board members of Afiti Bongô

The board of Afiti Bongô is composed as follows:

Claudia Jäggi Talary, President

• Finances
• PR and Communications

Frances Kern, Vice-President

• Finance
• Food
• Health
• Sponsorships

Virginie Nke, President of the board in Cameroon

• President of the Board in Cameroon
• HR and Relationship Manager

Dr. Philippe Linscheid, Fundraising

• Fundraising
• Philippe brings 10 years of experience in a project in Tanzania.

Network of Afiti Bongô

Ambassador:

• Peter Matzenauer
• George Talary
• Claudia Pfenniger
• Camilla Matheisen
• Jan Kessler
• Simeon Bedzigui
• Martin Lachenmeier
• Charles Rüegg

Junior Ambassadors:

• Noémie Jäggi
• Leah Talary
• Zoé Nke
• Asha Trefzer
• Rebecca Bolli
• Rachel  Bolli

Homepage: Dimitri Schweizer

Cameroon

Cameroon is a country with 22.5 million inhabitants. The country gained independence from France in 1960 and from the UK in 1961. The gross domestic product per inhabitant is 1’050 CHF. The average income is around 800 CHF.

The country’s GDP is 42 percent agriculture, 22 percent industry and 36 percent services. Although agriculture accounts for only 42 percent of GDP, around 60 percent of the workforce is employed in agriculture.

Unemployment in 1992 was an average of 25 percent of the population. A large proportion of the population is employed in the informal sector without social security and without labor law protection. The largest employer that hires employees under applicable labor and social security laws is the state. (Source: Wikipedia)