HI Community Center Update

[This post was written by Brian Fulp]

Cameroon is nothing like you can imagine. If you have ever asked the question “Why Cameroon?” when you hear about the HI Community Center, the answer lies just as you step off the plane. Vegetation is lush and green in all directions. Off in the distance on the hillsides you can see farmers working in their fertile fields. Breathtaking.

By plane we traveled nearly 18 hours to reach Cameroon from the US. Add another 10 hour drive by van to cover the distance between the Doula Airport and the HI Community Center in Kumbo- a long but rewarding journey.

The next day we traveled to a great handicrafts market. We discovered masks, and many other wooden carved items made by local craftsmen. The most exciting discovery was finding artisans making metal sculpture. On the side of a dirt road, they had just pulled sculptures from the fire and were using a hammer and chisel to reveal the treasure deep inside.

We continued on to Kumbo and as we arrived at the HI Community Center we were greeted with open arms. As someone who has been with the Institute for more than a decade I knew that the center would be great. I’d seen pictures and heard stories; but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw that day.

Everything was amazing. The entryway to the center holds the HI logo- the gate, the sign, all the way down to the painted trashcans that read “Helping Keep Kumbo Clean” with the HI logo. We are greeted by the locals with “You are Welcome” before we had the chance to say anything. On our morning walk- we met students on their way to HI Community Center’s Total Health classes dressed much like they were going to church.

The land behind the community center holds a nursery that is used for experimenting with different ways to grow plants and trees. You can find the herb Artemisia (used to cure Malaria), Castor and Pongamia Trees growing nicely in the fertile soil.

Drawing Up Plans

The Himalayan Institute has purchased 50 hectares (123.5 acres) of land in a rural town outside of Kumbo, Cameroon. The land is intended to be used as a large classroom, teaching local people and farmers the methods of sustainable agriculture.

Chelsea Wolfenberg has drawn preliminary plans for the development of this land. The design includes plans for the School of Energy Farming as well as an entirely new Himalayan Institute Campus, which will include residential facilities, classrooms and a library for the School of Energy Farming. Chelsea graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with a degree in Interior Design. She has been working as a volunteer for the Institute for the last year, and will make her second trip to Cameroon to work for the next 5 months.

Team Returns to Cameroon to Prepare for the 2008 Help Africa Move Forward Conference

A team of volunteers left Thursday, May 29^th to join colleagues at the Himalayan Institute Community Center in Cameroon.

After 24 hours in the air and another 10 hours on a bus, the team will arrive in Kumbo where they will begin preparations for the 2008 Help Africa Move Forward Conference, which will be held during the beginning of June. Delegates from around the world are expected to be in attendance.

Each member of the team will carry two bags to Cameroon, each weighing 50 pounds. One of the bags is for personal items such as cloths and toiletries, and the second is a bag full of necessary supplies for the community. These supplies include herbal and homeopathic medicine, TB tests, and step-down converters for the new appliances and computers.

Himalayan Institute in Cameroon Prepares for Grand Events

Institute representatives and 25 guests from Japan, Bangladesh, Israel, India, and the U.S. will arrive in Cameroon on June 2 to see the Himalayan Institute Community Center firsthand and to participate in several milestone events. Among the guests are the Minister of Youth and Employment from Senegal (West Africa) and the representative of the Tibetan Government in Exile’s Department of Home.

Moving the Institute’s humanitarian work for social regeneration to the next level, the events include:

- Grand Opening of the School of Energy Farming on June 7
- Graduation of the inaugural class of 14 interns in training for
   the Himalayan Institute Total Health Center
- Grand Opening of the School of Carpentry and Construction
- Ribbon cutting ceremony for the Kumbo Public Library

Total Health Center Training Has Begun

The Himalayan Institute Total Health Center in Cameroon pioneers integrative, preventative health solutions tailored for the unique health needs of rural Africa.

Fourteen students were selected to join the HI Total Health Center’s 6-week training and internship program, which began on May 12th. Students will be trained in the fundamentals of the HI Total Health methodology. The HI Total Health Center is piloting application of 6 specially formulated herbal supplements, a once-daily multivitamin, and a range of Homeopathic remedies that were all especially selected with the health needs of Cameroon in mind. The students will learn about the holistic health principles which underpin lasting healthcare solutions and specific applications of these formulations. Upon graduation these students will be empowered to bring this knowledge to the rural interiors by launching their own HI Total Health micro-enterprise.

Presentation in Buffalo, NY

Help Africa Move Forward Presentation
with Ishan Tigunait
Director, Global Humanitarian Projects

Thursday, May 15, 7-8:30 pm at the Himalayan Institute in Buffalo

The Himalayan Institute’s Help Africa Move Forward campaign supports sustainable knowledge-based empowerment. This vision has been turned into a reality through the Institute’s flagship rural empowerment project – HI Community Center in Cameroon, West Africa. Established in summer of 2007, the HI community Center is now launching a range of new projects in 2008, including the School of Energy Farming, Carpentry and Construction, and the Kumbo Public Library. No charge

Himalayan Institute Buffalo
841 Delaware Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14209
Phone: (716) 883-2223
E-mail: info@hibuffalo.org
Web: www.HIBuffalo.org

Eric Mangeh Mbacah Takes 32nd Place Overall at the Boston Marathon

Mr. Eric Mangeh Mbacah (age 24) completed the Boston Marathon in 2:25:51 taking 32nd place overall, 30th place for his gender, and 25th place for his division. He averaged 5:34 per mile.

Mr. Justilin Foimi (age 23) completed the Boston Marathon in 2:27:58 taking 39th place overall, 36th place for his gender, and 29th place for his division. He averaged 5:39 per mile.

Miss. Immaculate Wirngo (age 23) completed the Boston Marathon in 2:58:47 taking 1059th place overall, 42nd place for her gender, and 37th place for her division. She averaged 6:49 per mile.

Mr. Januarius Bongkiyung (age 35) completed the Boston Marathon in 2:53:26 taking 598th place overall, 576th place for his gender, and 442th place for his division. He averaged 6:37 per mile.

There were 25283 runners in total who competed in the race: 14844 male and 10439 female.

Boston Marathon: A Real-Time Update!

Mr. Januarius Bongkiyung (age 35) reached the 10 km mark at 34min 15sec. His pace is currently 5min 30sec per mile. His predicted finish time is 2 hours 24 minutes 31 seconds.

Miss. Immaculate Wirngo (age 23) reached the 10 km mark at 40min 19sec. Her pace is currently 6min 29sec per mile. Her predicted finish time is 2 hours 50 minutes 7 seconds.

Mr. Eric Mangeh Mbacah (age 24) reached the 10 km at 32min 34sec. His pace is currently 5min 14sec per mile. His predicted finish time is 2 hours 17 minutes 25 seconds.

Mr. Justilin Foimi (age 23) reached the 10km mark at 32min 9sec. His current pace is 5min 10sec per mile. His predicted finish time is 2 hours 15 minutes 39 seconds.

Track the runners yourself!

Just enter their Bib Numbers:
1519 - Bongkiyung, Januarius
1527 - Foimi, Justilin
1124 - Mangeh Mbacha, Eric M.
12254 - Wirngo, Immaculate T.

Himalayan Institute Hosts Cameroonian Athletes Running In Boston Marathon

Honesdale, PA/ Dyberry Township — Four athletes from Cameroon in West Africa are being hosted by the Himalayan Institute from April 15 to 24. The athletes will run as part of the Elite Group in the Boston Marathon on April 21–the first time athletes from Cameroon will compete in the prestigious Marathon. The athletes from the Milano Kumbo Sports Academy in Kumbo, Cameroon have been training at the Institute’s main campus and surrounding roads in Dyberry Township after arriving from Cameroon on Tuesday.

Three men and one woman qualified for the Boston Marathon when they placed in the Big D Texas and Dallas White Rock marathons. The Institute sponsored two of the champion athletes in the Dallas White Rock Marathon in December. The Cameroon delegation includes Mr. Roland Kiven Mbenkum, Executive President, Milano Kumbo Sports Academy, Mr. Jean Claude Kammogne, National Coach for long distance and mountain races, and the team physician, Mr. Amougou Oyono. Institute representatives will accompany the delegation to Boston on April 19. The champion athletes running in the Boston Marathon are:

Mr. Januarius Bongkiyung (age 35): Took 1st place in the Big D Texas Marathon in April 2007 qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Took 1st place in 2006 and 2007 and 2nd place in 2008 in the Mt. Cameroon Race in the male group.

Miss Immaculate Wirngo (age 23): Took 5th place in the Big D Texas Marathon in April 2007 qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Took 1st place in the Mt. Cameroon Race in 2005 and 2006 in the female group.

Mr. Eric Mangeh Mbacah (age 24): Took 14th place in the Dallas White Rock Marathon in December 2007 qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Took 1st place in the 26 mile Njalla Quan Race in Cameroon.

Mr. Justilin Foimi (age 23): Took 40th place in the Dallas White Rock Marathon In December 2007 qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Took 2nd place in the Mount Cameroon relay team in 2007, and is the 10,000 meter Champion in Cameroon.

The Milano Kumbo Sports Academy is a leader in community sports and youth programs in Cameroon. The Academy was conceived and founded by Mbenkum, who is also President of the Kumbo High Court. Mbenkum had a vision to serve the community and underprivileged children by offering a constructive and empowering alternative to the petty crime and

unrest he observed in his judicial practice. “In the High Court, you see kids going to jail for small things…the Academy gives them a chance to use their natural talents to do big things. You can see that they want to do something” said
Mbenkum. “The runners have accomplished so much on their own, running Cameroon has lost its challenge for them. International races are the next step. With a lot of willpower and contributions from many directions, what seemed very far away is now very close as we head for Boston.” The Academy’s motto is “Helping young people to realize that sports can give them a future by helping to build self-esteem and community.” Operated entirely by volunteer support, the Academy specializes in running. Many of the children in Academy programs are displaced and orphaned, and have been adopted by Mr. Mbenkum and his family. They have taken them into their home to offer them a safe and healthy environment and education as they continue their training. Many have gone on to win races around the world.

“Our runners have excellent endurance” as evidenced by their wins in the 39 km international Mt. Cameroon “Race of Hope” (Elevation 14,000 ft.) “and other mountain races,” said national coach Kammogne. Athlete Mbacah expressed the sentiments of his fellow runners: “We’re extremely happy to realize our dream to take part in an international competition like the Boston Marathon, and meeting athletes from Kenya and other countries….we’re not afraid of anything.”

The delegation will return to Honesdale from Boston on April 22 for a few days of rest before returning to Cameroon.

For further reading, check out the article from AllAfrica.com!

Seeking a Runaway Success

They traveled more than 5,700 miles to run just over 26.

But for Januarius Bongkiyung, 35, Immaculate Wirngo, 23, Eric Mangeh Mbacah, 24, and Justilin Foimi, 23, crossing the finish line at the 112th Boston Marathon on Monday will be more than just an athletic feat — they’ll be the first runners from Kumbo, Cameroon, to compete in the famed race.

“Our dream was to at least take part in an international competition,” Ms. Wirngo said.

On Tuesday, the runners arrived in Honesdale at the Himalayan International Institute, which offered to host them and their supporters — team doctor Oyono Amougou, coach Jean Claude Kammogne and Roland Mbenkum, executive president of Milano Kumbo Sports Academy and president of the Kumbo High Court.

Read the full article from the Times Tribune here.