Back to School in Ngaoundéré: The Joy of Learning Begins with a Backpack
Ngaoundéré, the capital of the Adamawa region, is a city where social inequalities are keenly felt every school year. Children walk for miles to get to school, often without supplies, sometimes without shoes. It is in this context that Bazironde launched the Back to School 2025 project in the city.
Local volunteers, well-known in their neighborhoods, were the first to mobilize families. Their strong community ties allowed them to quickly identify the children most in need—those whose parents work as day laborers, street vendors, or farmers, without a steady income.
The distribution took place in a festive yet warm atmosphere. School administrators made their classrooms and staff available to facilitate the event. Each child left with a complete kit: backpack, notebooks, pens, pencils—everything they needed to start the year off right.
What particularly struck the volunteers in Ngaoundéré was the children’s reaction. Some had never owned a new backpack in their lives. Upon receiving it, they clutched it tightly like a treasure. This simple gesture, so full of meaning, perfectly encapsulates the spirit of Bazironde.
« I’ve been supervising the school for ten years. I’ve never seen so many smiles on a distribution day. These children felt that they mattered to someone. That’s priceless. »
— A school principal, Ngaoundéré, October 2025
