“To educate girls is to reduce poverty.”

Kofi Annan

“When women are educated, their countries become stronger and more prosperous.”

Michelle Obama

In keeping with our mission to empower the girl-child, we are beyond excited to announce the results of the pioneer ExSSA USA Dreamer’s Scholarship competition launched on April 5, 2021. We received 170 applications with 12 duplicate translating to a total of 158 unique applications.

While the underlying eligibility for this scholarship is extreme and prolonged unusual financial challenges, each year we may decide to focus on a specifically disenfranchised group. This year in addition to our primary criteria, our target group is “Internally Displaced” young girls who passed the common entrance in either 2020 or 2021. 

The selection process was excruciatingly thorough. Applicants were effectively screened multiple times on the stated criteria by our Dreamers Scholarship Committee composed of Sakerettes in Cameroon and the USA. Finalists were then vetted in multiple ways including in-person and virtual interviews of applicants, their family members and other relevant persons. We also made strenuous efforts to strive for regional balance in awarding these scholarships.

The four young girls selected have been awarded full scholarships for six or seven years to Saker Baptist College,Limbe, Cameroon from form one or form two to upper sixth. This scholarship also ensures that these young girls are catered for holistically to ensure continued success in the classroom. To these young girls, attending a boarding secondary school was a dream, not to talk of attending the high ranking and prestigious all-girls Christian boarding school, Saker Baptist College. We hope that these Scholarships will make their dreams of a successful future also come true. 

"If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation."-African Proverb

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." -Sir Winston Churchill

The awardees who have already been validated by the Principal of Saker Baptist College, Mr. Ghawi Shomsi are:

1. Berinyuy Tessy-Freda Ate-e 

Common Entrance Results: List A

Present School: Government Bilingual Primary School(LAC) Group 4, Yaounde.

School Before Crisis: St. Augustine Catholic Nursery and Primary School, Bamkika-ai, Kumbo, Bui Division.

Registered as IDP at CCU, EMIA, Yaounde.

2. Tarkang Henrietta Ebob

Common Entrance Results: List A

Present School: Community Education Center via McDonald Nursery and Primary School, Mamfe.

School before the crisis: Clark Bilingual Nursery and Primary School, Kumba, Meme Division.

Registered as IDP at CEC, Buea.

3. Njimah Favour Sih

(Missed 2 years of school due to the war)

Common Entrance Results: List A (2020) Entry accepted into form 2

Present school: Government Bilingual Grammar School, Mbanga

School where Common entrance was written: Government Bilingual Primary School Group 1 Mbanga. Littoral Region

School before Crisis: Catholic School Baingo, Belo subdivision. Northwest Region.

Registered as IDP at GBPS Group I, Mbanga.

4. Pauline Makane Luma

Common Entrance Results: List A (2020- Entry accepted into form 2)

Present school: Lycee Molyko, Buea.

Common Entrance school: Government School great Soppo in 2020

School Before Crisis: Catholic school Bekora Barombi, Ekondo-Titi Subdivision, South West Region.

Registered IDP at Buea Council.

WARNING: Awardees have been reminded that per the agreement on their application forms, any misrepresentation, falsification, or omission of any facts called for in the application or vetting process may render their award void and will be cause for termination of scholarship, whenever discovered.

We want to use this opportunity to once again extend our gratitude to our Sakerette sister who ignited our own dreams with a huge donation for impoverished young girls. We realized we could use her donation to make a long term impact on two young girls for whom attending Saker Baptist College was only a dream. Thus, the Dreamers Scholarship Fund was created. ExSSA USA was able to match our sister's donation which enabled us to add two more students to this pioneer edition, bringing the total awards to four.

We also want to thank all Sakerettes across generational lines in Cameroon who were either part of the Dreamers Scholarship Committee or were part of the vetting process on the ground in Cameroon.

We are equally grateful to the leadership of ExSSA at our headquarters in Cameroon for all the support and to the Principal of Saker Baptist College for the help in validating our process at each stage.

This is a developing news story and we will have more updates including reactions from the organizers, committee members, awardees, and family members of awardees. Stay tuned!

In Love, Unity and Sisterhood.

Chair, EXSSA USA’s Dreamers Scholarship Committee.