Done with the official recognition in 1998, UAC set out to develop a caring and sustaining society through innovative programmes and addressing some of the problems children and young people encounter because of a Cameroonian educational system that is examination oriented; not readily preparing children for the professional market.

On the ground, UAC has initiated the elementary educational, vocational training and sports programmes. According to the promoter, Orock, who trained as a Guidance Counsellor, the aforementioned programmes at UAC promote the wholistic development of a child through basic lives skills, self employment, with special attention given to young people from rural areas. “We have placement and mentoring programmes for our ex-trainees. We provide start-up capital, which is refundable, with the intention to encourage independence and not dependency,” he explained.

The Entrepreneurial Concept

At UAC, education has been designed to fit in the spirit of entrepreneurship. In their nursery school department, there is the one-child-one chicken programme, whereby during holidays, UAC provides a chick each to all their pupils, these children rear the chicks, which subsequently become chickens and at school reopening, those chickens are sold to the parents during a public ceremony in the school campus. “The objective here is to instil a sense of responsibility and care on the children,” Orock noted.

In their quest to catch-up with the new world order, UAC is pursuing the one-laptop-per child programme, the one-child-one tree exercise, where the children are expected to plant a tree each as part of the UAC’s drive to enable the children develop a love for their environment.

There are also the sewing rooms, the wood workshops and the sports programme. In the latter, the power of football is exploited to bring together the energy of the children, which they are invited to make it useful for their communities. In the process, UAC throws out productive initiatives, thematic discussions are organised, there are community sensitisations campaigns, parents are encouraged to enrol their children in schools while budding football talents are identified for subsequent trainings.
The UAC Projects are operational in Buea and Mamfe and according to its founder; they are ready to extend to other parts of Cameroon if the necessary resources are available.

After their experiences in Buea and Mamfe respectively, the UAC Schools-On-Wheel Programme is now functioning in Limbe. The children in the outskirts of Limbe municipality, like their counterparts in Buea and Mamfe now have the opportunity to improve on their performance in school. “In the morning, the UAC buses bring the children in the urban setting to school. In the evening, the buses carry the UAC teachers and didactic materials into the suburbs to reinforce the inadequacies of the teachers out there and in the process improve on the learning process of the pupils,” Orock said. “The buses we have are donations from one of our partners, while UAC motivates the teachers who are in the Schools-On-Wheel programme,” he added.

The enthusiasm shown by parents as they ensure that their children take part in the Schools-On-Wheel programme has been a huge assistance to the survival of the exercise. The relentless efforts of the international volunteers to get the exercise going is commendable. Statistics from UAC have it that about two hundred pupils usually come out for the Schools-On-Wheel exercise. These children are put into separate classrooms.

The UAC Impact

The impact of the UAC Project is glaring, says the proprietor. “We are joining forces to reduce unemployment in Cameroon. UAC has a staff strength of sixty and more Cameroonians. We are reducing youth unemployment through our training programmes, many children now have access to quality and value-based education,” Orock said.

To him, it is time for Cameroonians to learn more about the UAC ideology of an educational system that has to be functional. “We have to push forward changes and reforms that will motivate the other private and public schools in Cameroon to sit up in terms of infrastructure and pedagogic approach to education. Through UAC more than five hundred international volunteers come to work in Cameroon. It is a booster to our children, Cameroon’s tourism sector and an opportunity for cultural exchange,” he mentioned.

The UAC executive expressed disgust at a Cameroonian system that is centralised, while urging the government to take bold steps in making the educational system functional. “The introduction of entrepreneurship into our educational system is important,” Orock requested.

The Future Is Bright

From the commitment shown by his staff members, the very receptive nature of parents and the support from partners, UAC’s boss is upbeat about the future. “When I look back on our modest start and where we are today, I am confident that our future is bright.”

The Man

Born 1965 in Mamfe, Manyu Division, Southwest Region of Cameroon, Thomas Orock in 1977 obtained the First School Leaving Certificate, FSLC, from St. Joseph Primary School, Mamfe Town. He will proceed to Government High School, Mamfe, where in 1982; he passed the Ordinary Level Examination. His next stop was Bilingual Grammar School, Molyko, Buea and in 1985 he made the Advanced Level Certificate.

Interested in education, Orock moved on to the then University of Yaounde, where in 1990 he graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Public Law.

In 1995, he left the National Teacher Training College, ENS, where he specialised in Counselling and from 2001 – 2002, Orock did a post graduate study on Counselling in Malawi. It was a UNESCO Scholarship programme.

In quest of the Golden Fleece, Orock will jet out of Cameroon in 2007 to undertake a Project Management Course in Belgium.

Done in Belgium and still in 2007, he was appointed Regional Chief of Service for Vocational Training & Apprenticeship Programmes in the Southwest Regional Delegation of Employment and Vocational Training, Buea.

Thomas Orock is the Second Deputy Mayor of Tinto Council in Manyu Division and doubles as the chairperson of the Board of Directors of “Voice of Manyu Multimedia Centre”. This is a community radio station.

He is the country representative of the Street Football World Network. Thomas Orock is married to Emilia (a teacher) and they are blessed with five children.