Helps International (HINT)

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Information for Volunteers

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Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Helps International (HINT), Cameroon. There are a number of volunteer opportunities to help build individual & community skills, create employment opportunities and place a smile on many faces through our 5 major operation areas:

Your participation will help us get to the point where we can approach and collaborate with the international development community in a more effective way.

We accept volunteers with a wide range of skills and a strong belief in the value of sustainability and who are willing to make a long-lasting contribution in the work we are doing. Volunteers will bring the most value in their organizational skills, reliability, project and people management, and basic enthusiasm. Each volunteer will be provided with ‘SMART’ objectives upon arrival. At this point, our work depends largely on volunteer support and involvement plus their generous financial support to kick-start some of our projects or replicate sustainable ones.

Volunteer Location

Currently, all of our projects are taking place in the town of Buea in the South West Province of Cameroon. You can learn more about the historic town of Buea on Wikipedia Volunteers will be accommodated at home, usually living with an assigned caretaker and his/her family. Security and cleanliness are of prime importance to us when deciding where to place volunteers.

Examples of projects you could be working on:

  • Teach Computer Education to students at one of our partner Schools or train IT Instructors for these schools
  • Write funding proposals for some of our projects and help with fundraising.
  • Organize fundraising activities for our projects including contacting and following up donors. This can be excellent for online volunteers who do not or cannot leave their home countries to Cameroon.
  • Coordinate shipment of computers and other equipment such as medical suppliers and the distribution and installation in schools and community centers.
  • Teach Computer Basics (MS Window, Internet, Emailing, MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access, MS PowerPoint) at one of our partner scholls in Buea or at our Community IT Centres
  • Teach Web Design or Networking, or Computer repairs and maintenance, Desktop publishing or Photo Editing to about 10 students in class for 3 hours a day.
  • Serve at our Community IT Training Centre as Office Secretary, Cyber attendant, IT Instructor or IT Technician.
  • Run HIV/AIDS sensitization seminars in schools, prisons and at Community Groups, etc
  • Train HIV/AIDS Educators at our Centre, in schools, prisons, at Community Groups, etc
  • Participate in a medical outreach as part of a team.
  • Train young social entrepreneurs in basic business set up and management skills.
  • Identify needy orphans especially those orphaned by AIDS in targeted communities for subsequent support.
  • And there can be other opportunities…

Volunteer Requirements

Volunteers with HINT are required to:

  • Be at least 18 years of age.
  • Be available for a minimum of one week.
  • Be able to speak English fluently. Ability to speak French will further ease communication because Cameroon is a bilingual country.
  • Be able to mentally adjust to new culture and way of life.

When do we recruit volunteers?

You can volunteer at any time throughout the year. Volunteers can stay from a period of 1 week to 12 months.

Cost to Volunteers

HINT asks for a contribution of USD 10 per day per volunteer. We require that each volunteer pays the sum of USD 300 to cover living expenses for the first month and AIRPORT PICKUP BEFORE arrival in Buea. The remainder is paid upon arrival in Buea. This can be easily done via our PayPal account. The monthly fee covers:

  • Airport pick-up and drop off.
  • Accommodation (Home stay with a family, a room of your own, shared baths with other volunteers or you may have a bath of your own depending on number of volunteers present), water, electricity, Phone use (at home and in the office), documentation, etc
  • Breakfast, Lunch and a snack for dinner. In our culture, lunch is the heavy meal while most people may just eat a snack or some fruits for dinner. Tea and Coffee is available at all times.
  • Internet Access at our head office
  • Administration and communication fee
  • If you need to, you can convert currency at www.xe.com/ucc.

This fee does not cover:

  • Your flight ticket to Douala International Airport and back
  • Cost of visa processing in your country and visa renewal in Cameroon (if need be).
  • Personal sightseeing & photography in Cameroon.
  • Insurance (Health), if necessary
  • Departure tax of XAF 10,000 ($20) per person at the Airport
  • Bottled water (Tap water in Buea is pure and quite healthy)
  • Beverages and entertainment
  • Any other related personal cost

Basically you can get by on US$20 per week for your miscellaneous expenses or US$ 30 per week if you do not want to live on a tight budget.

About Cameroon and Buea

Application Process

Fill out our online application form.

Heather Talbot, England

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Heather Talbot, UK

Hev worked with HINT for one full year from July 2006 to June 2007. While here, she conducted a research in the Bonduma/Buea area that revealed the most urgent need of the population which is a Health Centre. She then had to overcome many obstacles to pioneered the setting up of the Wotolo Community Health Centre to provide free consultation & general health advice, HIV/AIDS Counseling, and access to affordable/essential drugs.

If you want to hear more about what it is like volunteering for HINT, then you can contact Hev through her web blog or email: hevtalbot@hotmail.com for more information about her time with us.

Hev is a Senior Nurse at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, England.

Achieving Organisational Sustainability through IT

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1.    Project Name: Computers for Sustainability (CFS)

2.    The Problem:
We have relied on freewill donations, gifts and meager funds raised from our IT Centre to be able to run our non-profit organization called Helps International (HINT). However, shortage of funds has always been a huge hindrance to implementing our mission to improve the social and economic well-being and health of the poor and under privileged in our society through education, skill development and job creation. We have projects in the areas of IT training for underprivileged youths, educational support for orphans/underprivileged children; micro-loans for rural women; HIV/AIDS sensitization and information/training seminars. Most of the time, the progress of these projects has been hampered due to lack of funds. Over the years, these projects have expanded as the needs become enormous but there has not been a corresponding increase in the amount of funds needed to support these programs.

3.    The Solution:
Therefore, instead of continue to rely on spontaneous donations from our partners (to whom we are very thankful for their generosity in the past), we will like to work with them (current partners) to establish a profitable social enterprise that will generate the funds needed to support our on-going projects and to initiate new ones. After research I have discovered that sale of computers and accessories is one of the most profitable businesses in the country now. Calculations have shown that the business will generate about 21,091,250 million CFA XAF (US$ 42,781) annually.

4.    Implementation:
The business idea is to ship 400 refurbished Pentium 4 computers to Cameroon and sell. Some of the computers will also be used to set up 2 additional IT centers that will employ a number of people too.

5.    Fundraising:
The fundraising strategy is to get 2753 people all around the world who will donate $25 each. This will raise US$ 68,831, the needed start-up capital for the business. This amount will cover cost of shipping, seaport clearing and setting up the sales centre in Buea, Cameroon. I will be launching an online appeal for donations as soon as all plans are made concrete. I will also be in the USA between May and August 2009 mainly to raise these funds. I hope to visit churches, organizations, individuals with whom we have a relationship and trust that all needed funds will be realized by October 2009. Shipping should take place in November/December 2009.

6.    Logistics:
I should have asked for hardware donations but that would be difficult to assemble and ship. We will work with an organization such as interconnection.org in Seattle, USA that assembles and ships refurbished computers to the developing world. I am also researching the possibility of shipping from computeraid.org in the UK or from Dubai, wherever shipping cost will be minimal with high quality computers. Mr. Paul Fonkwo a Cameroonian based in CA who has been shipping PCs to Cameroon will be providing advice and help.

7.    Accountability/Transparency:
All funds will be collected and managed by the following organization:

Hope Outreach International Ministries (HOIM)
10993 N Harrell’s Ferry Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70816
Phone: 225-272-5432
Fax: 225-272-6805
Email: hopeoutreach @ gmail.com
Website: http://www.hopeoutreachinternational.org/

HOIM is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and will manage all in-coming and out-going funds for this project and issue tax-deductible receipts to all donors. Financial records will be available to all donors at the end of the fundraising drive, and also upon request.

8.    Business Ability:
I developed a Business Plan for a similar project while at Santa Clara University in 2006 while attending the Global Social benefit Incubator (GSBI). I received a full scholarship (US$ 25,000) to attend this highly prestigious and competitive business training opportunity because of the impact we were already making in the lives of young people in our community through IT. My desire for social and economic change especially among the youths and the need for our NGO to be financially sustainable are the main motivations for such project.

Implementation of this project will provide a permanent base of financial support for the work of HINT and we will not have to continually ask our friends and donors to support our work year-in year-out. I believe if you had to make a choice, you would rather teach someone how to fish than to give him fish. By supporting this project at this time, you are actually making provision for years to come.

9.   Budget:
To see details of how the capital will be invested click here.

10.   Conclusion:
I will greatly appreciate your suggestions, thoughts, advice, opinion or any kind of support on this project. Just use the form below to comment.

Thank you.

Genesis G. Tinshu
Executive Director/Helps International (HINT)
https://www.hintonline.org
Cell Phone: +237 76274131
Email: tinshu @ hintonline.org

Executive Summary of School PCs Project

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Problem : Only about 5% of secondary schools and almost 100% of primary schools within Buea and its surroundings have computers installed in their schools, yet the government has introduced computer science as a subject to be taught in secondary schools. Lack of access and training in Information Technology is contributing to underdevelopment, not only in the educational sector butt in the whole of the Cameroonian economy.

Solution: Conscious of this need, Helps International (HINT) in partnership with Computers for Africa (C4A), UK will undertake to install computer labs in primary and secondary schools all over Cameroon. This will help bridge the digital divide and expose students and teachers to the large amount of information available on the Internet. Primary school labs will have a maximum of 10 computers while secondary and high school labs will have a maximum of 20 computers. The first phase will aim at providing general exposure to computers and training on how to use a computer. The second phase will aim at providing Internet access. About 20 school labs and 2 community centres will be set up with a 20ft container of 250 computers.

Project Name: School PCs

Funding requirements: Funds will be needed to ship computers from the UK to the Douala International seaport; clear the container from the port, transport it to Buea, and install software on the computers ready for deployment in schools. The total cost is CFA 4,599,000 to install 20 labs in 20 schools and 2 community centres. We need your support to make this project a reality. Please do not hesitate to help.

Organization and its expertise: HINT has been involved with IT projects since its inception in 2003. Our first Community IT Training Centre was set up in 2005 and since then we have provided training and access to IT services to community members and especially underprivileged youths. Over 1200 youths have been trained through our two IT Centres over the last four years.

Genesis G. Tinshu
Executive Director
Helps International (HINT), Cameroon
Email: genesis @ hintonline.org
Cell Phone: +237 76 27 41 31

Entire Proposal can be downloaded by clicking here.

Some of HINT's major achievements

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  • 250 computers shipped from the UK to Cameroon for use in HINT’s School PCs Project in 2009
  • HINT is an approved and certified ICIP partner with INVENEO in Sans Francisco, USA
  • ‘s IT project selected as a finalist in the Stockholm Challenge Award in 2008
  • More than 800 youths have been trained since 2003 to be able to effectively use the computer and the Internet.
  • We currently run 2 IT training centres located in Buea, Cameroon equipped with over 35 computers.
  • More than 100 children have been helped to attend school.
  • More than 30 unemployed youths have been trained as web designers.  With their new skills, they can generate income that will help them overcome poverty in their lives.
  • About 40 women have so far received training & loans for micro-businesses expansion or start-up.
  • More than 120 community leaders have been trained to become HIV/AIDS Educators within their communities.
  • HINT is a certified training partner with Kabissa’s “Time to Get Online” Training program. Kabissa is a Washington-based NGO.
  • HINT won the Global Junior Challenge competition in 2004 in Rome.
  • HINT’ was a participant at Africa Source II, which ran from Jan. 8-15, 2006, in Uganda, organized by Tactical Technology, Netherlands.
  • HINT’s Director is a graduate of the 2006 class of the  Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI) program at Santa Clara University, USA.
  • HINT has been congratulated by Cameroon’s Minister of External Relations with a letter dated Jan. 24, 2005 and referenced 000219/DIPL/D3/SDCNG/ONG

About HINT

Our mission is to improve the well-being of the underprivileged in our community through education, skill development, and job creation.

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