On International Human Rights Day and the culmination of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Bright Light Projects (BLP) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ‘Her Innovative Cameroon’ (HIC), a non-governmental, apolitical, non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for women’s and girls’ rights. HIC focuses on fostering interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) among women and girls, enhancing their education, ensuring access to essential resources, and engaging them across Cameroon’s 10 regions through seminars, conferences, and projects. The partnership will provide long-term mentoring from high school through careers, preventing dropout from STEM fields and promoting inclusion in governance processes.
This collaboration amplifies BLP’s Eco-STEM program in Buea, Southwest Region, which integrates environmental stewardship with STEM curricula at the request of school authorities like St Rita Cascia College. Launched in alignment with Reforesting Hope (2020), Eco-STEM has reached 15,000+ community members, planting 5,000+ trees with an 85% survival rate and improving soil health for 200+ farmers, while equipping 150+ students per session with hands-on skills in eco-innovation and climate resilience. By partnering with HIC, BLP will expand access for girls, combining GSR’s 540+ empowered beneficiaries (95% job/business placement since 2018) and BLP Free Computer School Training’s 2,140+ students/teachers (95% success), to create pipelines for 500+ girls in STEM by 2026, fostering self-reliant leaders amid the Anglophone crisis. “This MOU is a beacon of hope, turning rights advocacy into actionable STEM pathways for lasting equity,” said Franco Bonghan, BLP Executive Director.
The timing resonates deeply: Ending the 16 Days campaign under the theme “UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls,” this alliance advances UN SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 4 (Quality Education), addressing barriers to education related to GBV while building resilient communities. BLP’s mission is to foster initiatives through partnerships for sustainable development across livelihoods, food systems, environmental stewardship, and energy access, envisioning a society of self-reliant leaders shaping equitable futures, guided by our motto: Rebuilding Broken Communities.
For more on our impact (22,000+ beneficiaries, 90% success rate), visit www.brightlightprojects.org.
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