Comprehensive Education for the children in São Tomé with CACAE Association
HOW WE STARTED
WHO WE ARE ?
CACAE Association was founded by a French entrepreneur and Santomean friends living in São Tomé city, at the heart of a beautiful island, unfortunately one of the poorest country in Africa.
THE CONTEXT
In São Tomé, happiness abounds, yet serious challenges remain. People lack basic necessities like water, electricity, and education. Unemployment is high, and many families struggle to put food on the table.
Most families live in simple wooden homes without running water. They spend hours fetching water and washing clothes. Children often help with these tasks, missing out on playtime, and educational activities.
Due to limited birth control, there are more children than adults. Without enough kindergartens, many kids play unsupervised in unsafe areas.
WE WITNESSED THIS UNFORTUNATE REALITY AND WE DECIDED TO REACT
As we are based locally, we are in direct contact with the population.
We started our activities by accident, in 2017, just by offering shelter to young coconut sellers who got wet by pouring rain. Then things added up... We already had a classroom (teaching night classes foreign language for locals), so we only had to buy some color pencils and prepare tea and biscuits
THE BEGINNING OF AN ADVENTURE
In 2018, we opened our doors to local families, offering children activities like drawing, games, and math classes.
By 2019, we sponsored four children, providing full scholarships covering school expenses, meals, clothing, and extracurricular activities.
In 2020, amid the pandemic, we adapted our approach, rotating groups of children visiting our center while facing financial challenges due to the border closures. Since our main sponsor, a local travel agency, also faced challenges, we found ourselves in a tough spot. So, we devised a plan and we built this website, turning public our activities, and reaching out to our friends overseas and asking for help.
We managed to collect about 4000 euros, which enabled us to keep providing food and support for the kids and families.
In 2022, the recovery of the tourism sector was complete and we could resume to a normal activity. But since the kids had grown up, and since their neighbors, brothers and friends were also eager to participate in our activities, then we decided to evolve and adapt to a new strategy.
THE NEW PLAN
Facing growing demand, we decided to implement education and sports clubs directly in the area where the beneficiaries live. This allows us to reach more people and involve the local community.
So, we began recruiting supervisors for the clubs, usually young adults living in the neighborhood.
Following this approach, we started providing tennis lessons and opened a chess club. We already had some chess sets, so we only needed to collect more (thanks to Chess referee Mr. Duque), and with the help of friendly travelers, we managed to collect tennis rackets and balls.
In 2023, we partnered with a local soccer coach and received donations collected by a friendly Portuguese couple who visited us for one week.
In February 2024, we found a great martial arts teacher to launch Karate for children and Jeet Kune Do for young adults.
If we manage to raise enough funds, our plan for the near future is to bring a volunteer from overseas to help at the association on a long-term basis (we need to host and feed them).
We also aim to start teaching reading and writing to young adults and offer after-school classes.
Last but not least, we are officially requesting to the Ministry of Youth and Sports the provision of an associational space in the neighborhood, which will ultimately allow us to organize more activities (teaching classes, local library, computer room...).
NEW CHALLENGES
In 2022, Portugal eased visa restrictions for Santomean people, prompting many to leave the island in search of a better future.
This exodus included several of our teachers, leading to a temporary pause in some activities such as tennis and soccer. However, we are actively seeking new supervisors and remain optimistic about resolving this situation.
Stay tuned for updates!
BE PART OF OUR PROJECT
If you like to keep updated about our activities, feel free to subscribe to our newsletter. If you like to support our work and help us provide better opportunities for the children, do not hesitate to check the page : How to help
HOW WE STARTED
WHO WE ARE ?
CACAE Association was founded by a French entrepreneur and Santomean friends living in São Tomé city, at the heart of a beautiful island, unfortunately one of the poorest country in Africa.
THE CONTEXT
In São Tomé, happiness abounds, yet serious challenges remain. People lack basic necessities like water, electricity, and education. Unemployment is high, and many families struggle to put food on the table.
Most families live in simple wooden homes without running water. They spend hours fetching water and washing clothes. Children often help with these tasks, missing out on playtime, and educational activities.
Due to limited birth control, there are more children than adults. Without enough kindergartens, many kids play unsupervised in unsafe areas.
WE WITNESSED THIS UNFORTUNATE REALITY AND WE DECIDED TO REACT
As we are based locally, we are in direct contact with the population.
We started our activities by accident, in 2017, just by offering shelter to young coconut sellers who got wet by pouring rain. Then things added up... We already had a classroom (teaching night classes foreign language for locals), so we only had to buy some color pencils and prepare tea and biscuits
THE BEGINNING OF AN ADVENTURE
In 2018, we opened our doors to local families, offering children activities like drawing, games, and math classes.
By 2019, we sponsored four children, providing full scholarships covering school expenses, meals, clothing, and extracurricular activities.
In 2020, amid the pandemic, we adapted our approach, rotating groups of children visiting our center while facing financial challenges due to the border closures. Since our main sponsor, a local travel agency, also faced challenges, we found ourselves in a tough spot. So, we devised a plan and we built this website, turning public our activities, and reaching out to our friends overseas and asking for help.
We managed to collect about 4000 euros, which enabled us to keep providing food and support for the kids and families.
In 2022, the recovery of the tourism sector was complete and we could resume to a normal activity. But since the kids had grown up, and since their neighbors, brothers and friends were also eager to participate in our activities, then we decided to evolve and adapt to a new strategy.
THE NEW PLAN
Facing growing demand, we decided to implement education and sports clubs directly in the area where the beneficiaries live. This allows us to reach more people and involve the local community.
So, we began recruiting supervisors for the clubs, usually young adults living in the neighborhood.
Following this approach, we started providing tennis lessons and opened a chess club. We already had some chess sets, so we only needed to collect more (thanks to Chess referee Mr. Duque), and with the help of friendly travelers, we managed to collect tennis rackets and balls.
In 2023, we partnered with a local soccer coach and received donations collected by a friendly Portuguese couple who visited us for one week.
In February 2024, we found a great martial arts teacher to launch Karate for children and Jeet Kune Do for young adults.
If we manage to raise enough funds, our plan for the near future is to bring a volunteer from overseas to help at the association on a long-term basis (we need to host and feed them).
We also aim to start teaching reading and writing to young adults and offer after-school classes.
Last but not least, we are officially requesting to the Ministry of Youth and Sports the provision of an associational space in the neighborhood, which will ultimately allow us to organize more activities (teaching classes, local library, computer room...).
NEW CHALLENGES
In 2022, Portugal eased visa restrictions for Santomean people, prompting many to leave the island in search of a better future.
This exodus included several of our teachers, leading to a temporary pause in some activities such as tennis and soccer. However, we are actively seeking new supervisors and remain optimistic about resolving this situation.
Stay tuned for updates!
BE PART OF OUR PROJECT
If you like to keep updated about our activities, feel free to subscribe to our newsletter. If you like to support our work and help us provide better opportunities for the children, do not hesitate to check the page : How to help