Managers

In Knowledge for Children Cameroon, most of our staff is Cameroonian. We have a management team that consists of me as the Country Director, our Finance Manager and two Program Managers. They are all Cameroonians. Our managers are essential for our organisation; they have a very important role to play in all decisions concerning the organisation.

This seems to be special. Recently there was an intern in our organisation for one day of research. He was asking me how it is to work with African managers, because it is so uncommon. In many (international) organisations, the field work is done by Africans, but the management is in hands of Europeans or Americans.

Some time ago I also spoke with the director or a partner organisation. He was saying that I am so lucky working with Knowledge for Children staff. They are all working so hard and they are all so committed. According to him that is something special.

Our Cameroonian staff is very committed. They work very hard and try their very best to make our organisation better. I am always very happy that they come with suggestions to improve on projects, structures or even small things. We can’t always take every suggestion they do, but we always consider them, and we always try to improve on the problems they identify. And we always explain why we can’t do something, or we discuss and come up with a better solution together.

Sometimes my white face is opening doors that remain closed for them. But without our staff, our work would not progress. They know which doors I have to knock on and how I should knock. And they tell me. And then I can open doors, without them it would be difficult!

Cameroonian directors are normally very hierarchal. Often they have a bell in their office and they ring it when they want to see someone. I am obviously from a very different culture. I don’t expect our staff to come to my office in the morning, bow and say; Good Morning Madam! We chat and have fun together. If there is an event you will see me cleaning chairs. In Knowledge for Children that is very normal, we are a team and we do it together. But often people from outside are shocked to see the director (or even the managers) cleaning chairs, carrying tables or handing out water. ‘

For me, the strength of Knowledge for Children is this team spirit, working together in everything. And the real strength is in our Cameroonian staff, who will sustain all the work for long and who will always look for ways to improve our work. 

Mud, mudder, mudst!

The rainy season in Kumbo has started. It rains almost every day, or night. Because of all the rain, all roads become big muddy slippery puddles. Yesterday I saw a taxi gliding down the hill where I live. I saw the driver tried to brake, but the mud is so slippery that it doesn’t help. (He slipped into the gutter).

The road to Oku during
the dry season... 

Reaching my house can become challenging. Going up is not so difficult. Our car has four-wheel drive so it can make it. I see a lot of cars which get stuck just below my house because it becomes a little steep and they can’t make it. But for me, the real challenge is to go down. It is difficult to control the car, you can’t brake.

Walking is also dangerous. Not so much because of the walking itself, but because of the cars, bikes and trucks that are still trying to come up our down. They can’t control themselves so they might just slip and hit you if you are not careful. Taking a bike is even worse, and taxis can’t make it up.

Right in front of my house is a depot of Brasseries, who distributes drinks. Many big trucks go there. Of course that is not really helping the quality of the road. They made a rain gate now just above my house. That is a gate which they close when it rains so only normal cars can pass, and no trucks. The heavy trucks destroy the roads too much. So hopefully it will be a bit better.

Last year I wanted to visit the village a bit further up hill. We drove up and met a truck stuck in the mud. We couldn’t pass so we turned around and wanted to take the other road. Just below my house, another car was stuck and we couldn’t pass again. Fortunately the car was removed soon so we could still travel.

My colleagues are very skilled drivers on all these roads. Soon schools will re-open and we will have to go everywhere again. We go to remote places and some roads are extremely bad. Sometimes we have to leave the car to see how we can pass a pothole, especially in the rainy season they can be full of water and you can’t see how deep they are. One road going out of Kumbo had a real swimming pool! But thanks to the cardinal’s mum (see previous blogpost) it is a bit better now.

The rain brings many challenges, but the dry season brings dust. Also a challenge! In general, roads over here are just a challenge and I still try to learn how to master them!

View from my office