(EBONG Jarvis Akang, CEO ISUDEV)
The Initiatives for Sustainable Development also referred to as ISUDEV, a youths-led nonprofit organization has been working removing all barriers for the alleviation of poverty among vulnerable children, disadvantaged youths, marginalized women and communities, merged with environmental sustainability.
ISUDEV recently offered some scholarship to students in GSS Ekanjoh BAJOH to help some less privilege children in that community go to school for the 2026/27 School year.
Eco OUTLOOK Newspaper talked to ISUDEV CEO,EBONG Jarvis Akang to find out more.
GSS Ekanjoh students brandish their scholarships
INTERVIEW EXCERPTS ;
1) You are the CEO of Initiatives for Sustainable Development (ISUDEV). Can we know what this organization is all about?
Thank you very much for having me. Initiatives for Sustainable Development also referred to as ISUDEV is a youths-led nonprofit organization created in 2020 with a mission of removing all barriers for the alleviation of poverty among vulnerable children, disadvantaged youths, marginalized women and communities, merged with environmental sustainability. ISUDEV was created by a group of university students as a volunteer group to help children, youths and families who dropped out of school or lost their livelihoods as a result of the ongoing armed conflicts in the South West and North West Regions of Cameroon. From the organization of holistic educational support activities for needy children and youths, to the carrying on of agricultural extension sessions for farming families, ISUDEV has been working within the South West and Litoral Regions of Cameroon, with over 11 successfully completed projects that have benefitted more than 500 families. As a young organization, we are under the mentorship of Center for Community Regeneration and Development (CCREAD Cameroon).
2) ISUDEV has just supported some vulnerable students of GSS Ekanjoh to return to school for the 2026/27 School year. Can we have more details on why and how is the support?
As mentioned earlier, supporting education for vulnerable children is one of the factors that led to the creation of ISUDEV.
So assisting students to return to school is not only within the core objectives of our work, but also a reason for our existence. Now, as someone who comes from around that area, I know the challenges parents and guardians there face to send their children back to school, especially those who have more than one child. I have also experienced the same challenge as a child from around the area.
The people there are small peasant farmers who also produce cocoa on very small scales. Usually their sales are often not enough to provide their children’s school needs and also meet up with other crucial household needs simultaneously.
This cocoa season has even made things more difficult for the parents because of significantly low cocoa yields and its lateness.
So, through our findings, we realized that many children will not return to school this year without an external support given to their parents. So, students who would actually not return to school this year or next, were carefully selected with the help of our project volunteers for them to benefit from our scholarship scheme.
The scholarship is towards the payment of the student’s registration and tuition fees which was the main challenge identified, while their parents and guardians were left to purchase their school books and other essential materials.
The students all stand a chance to be supported in subsequent academic years based on their performances this year.We have not only given scholarships to students who attend G.S.S. Ekanjoh-Bajoh, we have equally given to students who attend G.T.H.S. Bangem, in a combined 25 number of students whom, without this scholarship would not have had a chance to go to school this year.
We will like to use this opportunity to thank our Swiss partner (InfA) who is funding this wonderful initiative.
3) Is this a new initiative or a continuation of what has been going on?
This is not entirely a new initiative as we have, in the past, been providing other forms of scholarships such as the free donation of school supplies to primary school children within Bangem Sub Division.
However, for this particular time of the new school year, our focus was to provide school fees for the students mentioned above as their needs were more pressing. We are still looking forward to extending our hands to many children in other schools within the region.
4) Apart from supporting education, what other activities has your organization been carrying out and where.
Apart from educational support, ISUDEV is also engaged in supporting sustainable agricultural activities.
This is done under our Sustainable Agriculture Program (SAP). Under this program, we assist farming families grow their crops with minimal pressure on their immediate environment, while they harvest enough and nutritious food for their families and also make earn income.
Other areas of intervention at ISUDEV include Socioeconomic Empowerment of women and youths, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH Program); and the Sports for Social Change Program.
Many of our projects take place in Kupe-Muanenguba, Meme, Fako and the Moungo Divisions of the Litoral and South West Regions.We also have plans to extend our work to other regions of Cameroon.
EBONG Jarvis Akang handing over pakages to beneficiary students
5) Certainly there have been challenges.
For sure. There have been. Our main challenge is limited resources, especially financial resources. Our organization operates at the grassroots level and we identify new and different challenges faced by different groups or categories of people on a regular basis, but we are limited to what we can do as meeting these needs often require financial resources.
We often have good and verifiable project ideas but lack the financial resources to implement them at the desired scale, especially as we are often unable to secure large funding from big donors.We are equally limited by material resources such as office supplies, tools and means of movement with which to carry out our interventions within communities.
All of us at ISUDEV are working on voluntary basis, and sometimes we use our personal tools such as computers or motorcycles to carryout project activities.
We also have a challenge of human capital. As a very young organization, our team depends heavily on a few committed individuals who work on a voluntary basis, but perform several tasks at the same time. So, I am indirectly saying that we need more volunteers to join our team.Another main challenge is the difficulty in accessing most of the communities we serve.
Many of the people we support reside in very-hard-to-reach forest communities, most of which so many people, even my family does not know exist. In many cases, even motorcycles do not reach there and the only option is to carry the project materials on our heads.
6) Tell us about yourself. Who is EBONG Jarvis AKANG?
Ebong Jarvis AKANG is a development practitioner and a social entrepreneur with a strong passion for improving the lives of vulnerable and underserved communities in Cameroon. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Economics, at the University of Buea, which has strengthened my understanding of poverty, inequality, livelihoods, human development, and the economic challenges facing households and communities.
However, my interest in development goes beyond academic knowledge. I believe that development becomes meaningful when knowledge is translated into practical solutions that improve people’s everyday lives.I am the founder and Executive Director of Initiatives for Sustainable Development (ISUDEV), a youth-led organization working with communities, particularly in underserved and rural areas.
Through ISUDEV, I have been involved in initiatives focused on education, youth development, women’s economic empowerment, agriculture and food security, water and sanitation, and community infrastructure.What drives me is the belief that people should not be defined by the challenges they face.
A child growing up in a disadvantaged community should still have an opportunity to receive a good education. A woman in a rural community should have opportunities to access productive resources and build an independent livelihood.
And a community should have the opportunity to participate in finding solutions to the challenges affecting its own development.I see myself as someone who is still learning and growing. I do not claim to have all the answers. What I bring is commitment, a willingness to learn, a strong connection with communities, and a determination to turn ideas into practical action.
Ultimately, I am someone who believes that sustainable development begins when we stop seeing vulnerable people merely as beneficiaries and start seeing them as partners in creating solutions. That is the philosophy that continues to guide my work and the work of ISUDEV.
7) Any advice to Bakossi youths in general and Kupe-Muanenguba community in particular?
My advice to my Bakossi brothers and sisters and Kupe-Muanenguba youths in general is that we should all rise up push our area forward. Let us take our education seriously. The government is trying its best, but they may not be able to solve all our problems.
Let us take ourselves to the level of becoming problem solvers and not lamenting in front of our problems.
