| Cameroon, Benakuma school  The school was started by the Christadelphian Bible Mission as the first girls’ school in the district. Until it opened, many girls in the area were unable to gain any education and so were severely disadvantaged. The school quickly became an example of good practice in educating girls. The quality of the education offered is so good that now families with boys also want them to come ! The school has grown to its present cohort of 310 children.
CMaD took some interest in the school as well, providing a grant to construct a much-needed second classroom block.
Recent funding
The school was handed over fully to CMaD fromJanuary 2009, and is now fully funded by the charity. The primary school children study in classes of 35 each year. The Cameroon educational system requires 6 separate years of learning, and children move on to the next year only after they have passed the year end exam. Those that take longer to learn have to do that year again.
Unusually for CMaD, this school also has a senior division. Senior school children are in classes of 20, and undertake 5 further years of learning.
So the school has 210 juniors and just 100 senior students. Only the most academically capable move on to the senior school. Those leaving school after primary education are able to read and write and use their maths skills. Also they have a working knowledge of geography, history and other subjects in line with the Cameroon National Curriculum.
The senior school students are taught subjects such as chemistry, biology French and English. Those students leaving with good grades are readily accepted into the Cameroon University system, following which they may take up government paid professions such as teachers or doctors. Without the opportunity of the senior school, the children at Benakuma would have no opportunity to work hard to further themselves to this goal. The costs of their university education is not funded by CMaD, but by the student.s wider family.
Further investment
CMaD has paid for clean drinking water, supplied from a new deep well. Benakuma is on a flat plain and clean drinking water can be scarce during much of the year. Toilets have been installed to cater for the school’s 310 children and staff. Classsrooms have recently been refurbished - the floors have been concreted, shutters installed at the window to keep out the rain in the wet season and the buildings painted. The old furniture has been replaced with new tables and benches.
The Benakuma church hall has been constructed on the same site as the school, and has a parallel use as a number of classrooms during the week – a good example of how church resources can be shared with the community. 
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