Opportunity Africa

Our mission is to enable Cameroonian students to achieve their educational dreams in order to overcome poverty and improve health outcomes.

Clarisse graduated near the top of her class and wanted to become a nurse. Vieux wanted to get his Master's degree in environmental science so he could engineer solutions to address malnutrition in his home country. Abdoul wanted to become a doctor to help people in his village he saw struggling with malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV.

But one thing stood in their way: they couldn't afford to continue their studies.

Opportunity Africa was founded by a Minnesotan woman who studied abroad in Cameroon, West Africa in 2001. Overwhelmed by the extraordinary warmth, generosity, and hospitality extended to them, she wanted to find a way to give back. 

Why help kids halfway across the globe? As the late Senator Paul Wellstone once said, "We all do better when we all do better."

With your help, Opportunity Africa is preparing the next generation of Cameroonian scientists, health workers, teachers, and political leaders by giving individual scholarships to academically talented students who can't afford to go to school. This year, each scholarship student is also implementing a Community Service Project. They each identify a need in their community and then develop a solution to address it. Our Community Advisory Committee in Kentzou will judge the projects at the end of the year and determine a winner!

We are also fostering cross-cultural learning opportunities with our award-winning Classroom Connections program, by connecting students in Minnesota with students in Cameroon. In addition, we are partnering with the innovative Two Rabbits project to expand educational opportunities to the indigenous Baka communities in Eastern Cameroon.

Investing in a child’s education stimulates a ripple effect of improved health outcomes, increased prosperity, and greater freedom. In addition to hopefully providing people with a broader range of future opportunities, for some, education alone helps provide a sense of purpose and direction.

World change starts with educated individuals -- be the change for these students.