Yaoundé Vocational School

Training based on the German model and prospects for families

A vocational school is being built near Cameroon's capital Yaoundé with the support of the Bavarian State Government. Since August 2022, young people have been trained here in tailoring and carpentry. Further vocational training will follow in the areas of electrical and solar technology as well as car mechanics. The sponsor of the school is the "Wings for Africa e.V." association founded in the Bavarian town of Windach.

More than 40 percent of Cameroon's population lives below the poverty line. Education is essential to combat poverty and economic dependence – for the future of the country as well as for the future of every young person. The "Wings for Africa" association has set itself the goal of creating prospects for families on the African continent. The Yaoundé Vocational School is intended to provide young people with a solid education based on the German model. 

Young people were involved in the construction of the school 

The school building was built with resources from the Bavarian State Chancellery with rooms for workshops, teaching staff and administration. Young people from the region were involved in the construction: In this way, they were able to acquire bricklaying skills. Around 750,000 people live in villages within a radius of 25 kilometre around the project location. They have only a few opportunities to expand the family-oriented agricultural structures. 

For young people there are no openings for qualified training and hardly any career prospects. More and more young people are therefore migrating to the capital, where they mostly live in slums and are exploited as low-cost workers. Crime, violence and prostitution are major problems. Practical vocational training should provide a basis for a self-determined lifestyle – and at the same time allow for structural change in the region.  

Implementation of the sustainability goals 

With the opening of the vocational school in July 2022, girls and young women in particular are also to be given a chance of education. The project is aimed at the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDG) of the global community, in which gender equality is also enshrined. In addition to funding from the Bavarian State Government, the Wings for Africa e.V. association relies on other organisations to fit out the classrooms and workshops and on monthly school sponsorships from many committed donors.