The non-lucrative association handed over equipment to a multifunctional youth centre yesterday, November 11, 2015.

Just like in many other emerging countries, youths who are mostly school dropouts are exposed to several social ills in the society. It is within this backdrop that yesterday, November 11, 2015, the Circle of Friends of Cameroon (CERAC) under the auspices of its Founding President; Mrs Chantal Biya, handed over diversified gifts to the Youths Empowerment Multifunctional Centre in Yaounde. The event took place in the presence of several members of government.

While handing over the gifts which comprised amongst other things; tailoring items such as sewing machines and threads, scissors, ironing table, steam iron as well as hair dryers and refrigerator, the General Coordinator of CERAC, Linda Yang told the young people to be wise, industrious and duty conscious in whatever they are called to do so as to better integrate in the society and in addition continue to merit the confidence of the First Lady and other goodwill people in the society.

In line with other speakers at the ceremony which took place at the CERAC Headquarters in Yaounde, Linda Yanga stressed that empowering the youths is one of the objectives of CERAC which is aimed not only at helping them to build their future but also to contribute in developing Cameroon. 

The event, which was a prolongation of the 2015 Day of An African Child, gave an opportunity to CERAC members, particularly the Founding President to educate the youths on the dangers of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and cyber criminality which according to experts is as deadly as other diseases. In an interactive manner, the Centre Regional Coordinator of the National Committee for the Fight against HIV, Dr Leanord Bonono shared more light on the HIV disease, how it is contracted and how youths can curb the spread of the virus which is greatly present amongst young people particularly girls.

With the HIV prevalence rate in Cameroon standing at 4.3 per cent with Bamenda, Douala and Yaounde being the highly infected towns in the country, Dr Bonono underlined that it is necessary for everybody to take personal precautions to prevent the disease. An expert from the Police force and the National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ANTIC) noted that with the internet age, not all that glitters is gold for cyber criminality is gaining grounds in the society with youths at high risk that could lead to death.

The youths were urged to denounce all threats they get from an identified person through the internet as well as protect their internet accounts and their images they put on social networks that could be used against them.

The Director of the Youths Empowerment Multifunctional Centre in Yaounde, Pierre Mveme as well as the beneficiaries themselves expressed gratitude to the First Lady and CERAC members for the gifts which will go a long way to improve the quality of their training in different socio-professional fields such as sewing, hair dressing, motor mechanic, building and secretariat duties.