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Njobati Sylvie Verinyuy from Nso in the Northwest region of cameroon and lone Anglophone winner of the “la main d’or du voluntariat” has prayed for peace to return in the restive Anglophone regions of Cameroon.
She made the plea in an interview with MMI after receiving the award.
The award was handed to her during the first edition of the Cameroon national volunteering awards on Tuesday 3rd December 2019 at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel.
The event presided at by the Minister of youth affairs and civic education, Monouna Foutsou marked the end of celebration of the 34th edition of the international volunteer day observed under the theme: ” Volunteering for an inclusive future”.
As Sylvie Verinyuy returns to the northwest region, she said “how I wish I was returning to the Northwest carrying a bag of peace accompanying this award to take it to northwest and say this is what i brought for you from the capital city of Cameroon! It is not the case. However I’m My prayer is for peace to return to the praying day in day out that we of the northwest and Southwest Regions get to find peace. It is not going to come from space. That is why we as individuals are also contributing to the peace process”. She added that, “but then I keep praying that things should get back to normal”.
While dedicating the award to her grand father, reverend pastor Samuel Antieh, whom she says had instilled in her the spirit of volunteerism right from childhood, the winner of the year urged people most especially the youths to get indulged in the freewill exercise. “In the course of volunteering, i have been able to build my skills and open to various opportunities”. She noted. However, Sylvie emphasises that the best type of volunteerism is the self-type and not necessarily under an organisation.
The lone laureate from the two English speaking regions of the country while noting on her qualification for the award said ‘we were evaluated and assessed from the impact created in the lives of people and the community through volunteerism. The sustainable development goal advocate while expressing absolute happiness and felicity for the recognition, she belives the award is an urge for her to work more harder.
The one among the six winners of the “la main d’or de voluntariat” for this year in Cameroon, is working on a program of volunteerism driven towards assisting children affected by the armed conflict in the Northwest and Southwest Regions. “As someone who is into sustainable development goals and as an advocate, I understand quite well the importance of education. So I took it upon myself to provide non-formal education to the displaced children. So i bring them together at the training center to talk to them and do different artistic works so as to build their competence and skills.”
Speaking to the media after the occasion, monister Monouna Fotso said, “This first edition of the Cameroon national volunteering awards is very important for the promotion of volunteerism in cameroon. As you know, volunteerism is an important tool for national and local development. But to promote this, we need to develop the culture of volunteering and that is why it is important to sensitise the candidates to volunteering and the population in general,”
He added that, “we also need to sensitize the srructures incharge of promoting volunteering to engage them in action. This Cameroon national volunteering awards ceremony is very important to sensitise all the stakeholders to be really engaged in the development of volunteering in cameroon”.
“This is the main objective and I believe that the impact on the population and the youths in particular will be assessed next year.”
According to Monouna Fotso, the laureates are going to serve as models and hopes many are going to intensify action in volunteerism.
By Beng Humphrey Fang (Mimi Mefo Info)
