I came to Belo to volunteer with RUDEC for a certain numbers of reasons, some more noble than others. None of them was later deceived.

The less noble ones: First, the flexibility of RUDEC allowed me to fit this volunteering time in a tight summer schedule without having to sacrifice neither a job nor other plans. Second, the cheap cost of volunteering was very attractive to my student budget. Third, having to pay only the costs of rent and pick-up upfront, and being able to handle my money by myself for all other expenses was a well-appreciated guarantee of transparency and a security against scams, that happen all too often in those regions. The very good contact I had with Joshua and French people that knew him was also a guarantee. Fourth, I must admit that the few pictures I had seen of Belo and the extraordinary surrounding landscape, as well as the hight above see level that was a guarantee against too many mosquitoes and diseases, made it the most pleasant place to volunteer I could ever think of

Now the more noble ones: First, I really wanted to be involved in teaching in primary schools, and the situation of an English-speaking minority in a dominantly French-speaking country made my skills more valuable than ever. Second, the fact that RUDEC was such a root organization, with so little resources and so great need of help, made me know I would have a great impact in the organization, like all other volunteers that came here. Third, the size of RUDEC, its reactivity, and the enthusiasm of Joshua every time I started new ideas even before coming, made it an organization where I knew it would be possible for any good idea to thrive into becoming an efficient working project very fast. I knew I could also help with all parts of the activity of such an organization, thanks to my management skills freshly acquired in school...

I knew I would prove myself useful not only in one way, but in as many ways as good ideas I would have to make myself useful! Indeed, it is exactly what happened...

Those were my reasons and expectations when I took-of from Paris, on Sept. 2nd, having never been south of the Sahara and having no international volunteer experience. As expected, the first hours in Cameroon were not enchanting. Tired and waiting for 150 kg of registered luggage (school books that I had obtained from schools in France to give them there, and 2 old computers, one for a school and one for RUDEC, all of this having been allowed by Air France as free overweight aid material), not knowing whether the customs would accept to let them go, with a bribe or not, locals asking for money to pass them through... Actually, don’t listen to anyone trying to scare you: customs officials are now honest in Douala airport, and I did not have to pay anything!

After a long trip the following day, made delightful by the discovery of such a new setting to me and by the friendly presence of Joshua who has become a true friend to me, I discovered the wonderful surroundings of Belo: beautiful and sharp mountains, covered with green trees and grass. A big relief came: Belo people are very nice and grateful that you are here, and they do not try to scam you! The people are very welcoming and friendly, although not all of them speak English well. I quickly learned some Kom, the local language, and some Pidgin English!

The very first evening, I went out with another volunteer and some locals for a nice time. And the very first morning in Belo, I left the house at 6am to start a big day of work. Things were getting started fast and very promisingly!

The first week was dedicated mostly at helping another volunteer with her goat project, at widening the orphans project by registering new profiles and updating the website, at sorting and distributing the books I had brought to 4 primary and 4 secondary schools, and at meeting with the teachers of the school I would teach in the next week. It was a week full of work but also full of delights as I discovered Belo, its surroundings and its way of living.

The food you can buy in the streets is delicious... Cameroonians usually eat whenever they find food and time, and that suited me perfectly as I was very active. Tropical fruits freshly harvested were a delight, and fried food was very good and nutritious. You can find a great variety of food sold along the paths in no particular order. Belo is actually a widely spread group of villages, with a small center through which passes the road from Bamenda (the nearest big town) to Fundong, the capital of Boyo division, which is the Kom territory.

The next weeks were even more busy than the first one: together with all the previous activities, I taught French in primary schools every day from 7:30 to between 12:30 and 14:30. I was very involved in the teaching, especially with the oldest class of the bilingual school, to which I thought a huge amount of French! I became very close to them. In the evenings I taught computer classes to adults on the computer that I had brought to give to the bilingual school. Sometimes people with already good skills came, but my classes were aimed at complete beginners, so that they could be able to later use a computer, which will become very necessary in a village like Belo that is quite isolated. At the same time, I worked on the orphans’ profiles and on the website, and I helped Joshua with many advice on the running of RUDEC. Together, we created documents such as the budget summary for the last year and we discussed future projects and ways to expand the activity of RUDEC.

Joshua is one kind of a man, he is probably the most generous person I have ever seen. He involves all his work in RUDEC, when he has so little resources for himself... One example will be enough: on the last day before leaving, I wanted to go trekking one last time, on top of very high cliffs that you see from Belo. I am a very fast and tough trekker, and even though he is even better than me, he knew this would be a tough day. But nevermind, he woke up earlier than 4am and trekked more than one hour to get to the house of an orphan to whom he wanted to provide books, because he wanted to make sure she has them to go to school on Monday. Then he trekked all the way back to be on time at our meeting to go trekking with me in the mountain. That is what kind of a man he is, and he applies this to every aspects of his life: when he started RUDEC, he had no support from anyone, he provided the first funds himself with all he had, and he kept trying until people started involving.

Trekking is the one thing you have to do in Belo: the landscape is so marvelous! I spent all my free time trekking, sometimes covering up to 50 km in one day! The paths are so diverse that they can fit all shapes, there is no need to do such thing as trekking 50km at once, which is quite hard. I also went horseback riding, because Belo is actually surrounded by very high highlands that you do not see from the village, where the Fulani people, a group of Muslim horseriders, rise cattle and tea. It was great to trek up there and then do horseriding!

This stay was one of the best moments in my life. It was the one when I felt most useful, and the one when I discovered most new things. It was an experience I will never forget, full of joy and bewilderment.

To you who is reading this, I have only one advice: go there, people need you, and you need it. As for myself, I know I will be back...