Mission Trip Update
11/26 to 12/10/2007

President and Co-Founder Abong Fankam led a delegation on a fact-finding trip to Cameroon

What an awesome trip, Our team of 7 was warmly welcomed by our partner agency (NAFI), the Christian Womens Fellowship group of Presbyterian Church Mbungwi and other local gourps. I cannot tell you how people with a heart for God do everything to be hospitable when you visit with them.

We arrived in Cameroon on November 27th, 2007. We visited with families of the villages of Babungo, Bambalang, Bafanji and Bali-Gashu located in the NorthWest province of Cameroon. Many of those living in these villages have been directly affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Many of the children have been orphaned by AIDS and malaria.

The majority of the children in Babungo, as well as those in other villages in Cameroon, are uneducated. Poverty prohibits them from from being able to afford school tuition, clothes and school supplies, even though approximately $50 would pay tuition, provide books, supplies, uniforms, shoes and backpacks for one child for an entire year. Last summer Selwyn Avenue Presbyterian Church where Abong is a member, learned that these children use grocery bags which is not easily affordable to carry their books to school. The church did a backpacks drive and collected 150 backpacks that were shipped to Cameroon.

We traveled with with 150 gift and supply bags, 100 backpacks, to give to the children in Babungo and its' surrounding villages. The bags were filled with pajamas, school supplies and daily hygiene. These gifts bags replaced the operation Christmas Shoebox program. What an awesome display of God's love to the poorest of poor in Cameroon. Face to face, in direct eye contact, we handed out the gifts to these children. With joy in their face, we could not miss the sincerity of their gratitudes. Finding a pair of pajamas in his bag, one child proudly wore them to World AIDS Day event the next day.

The need for this type of support is so great, however, that some of the children received the gift bags and other unfortunately did not. This was a big challenge for the mission group. We learned that there were over 4500 AIDS orphans in this division. When we got to the van, most of us were heart broken because there were so many more children who did not receive anything.

An additional obstacle to the children in Cameroon receiving education is the lack of teachers. In some schools 2 teachers were responsible for teaching 6 grades. A teacher could be supported annually with a donation of $1400.

We were honored in Cameroon on World AIDS day. The Rev, Schaap Freeman, Associate Pastor at Selwyn Avenue Presbyterian Church was invited by Rev Mathias Akiy of Presbyterian Church Babungo to preach and serve communion.

What an awesome experience, our lives will never be the same.

Mission Trip 2008.

Isaiah 6:8. Then I heard the Lord's voice saying "whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" So I said, Here I am send me.

A Place of Hope Inc. will be partnering with Samaritans feet to distribute shoes and backpacks to thousands of children in Cameroon this summer. Please help us give Hope to a child in need.

You can make a donation on line or send checks to A Place of Hope Inc, C/o RAIN, P.Box 37190, Charlotte, NC 28237. For pick ups call Abong Fankam @ (980)253 5791