00:00This school in Cameroon has extremely dilapidated and hazardous classrooms.
00:04No running water or electricity and only a single toilet shared by over 3,000 kids and staff daily.
00:10And what's even worse is despite the school's mission to empower young girls and provide them a safe haven from
00:15domestic abuse
00:16and other challenging conditions, many children cannot enroll because of overcrowding and deteriorating conditions.
00:23So in this video, we're going to rebuild this school from this to this,
00:27this to this, and this to this, to give these kids a better opportunity at life.
00:33We started out by sending Dan and Darren there a few months ago to see how we could help.
00:37Upon their arrival, they met with Francis, an extraordinary man who has dedicated his life to combat inequality and suffering
00:44in Cameroon.
00:45He is the founder of CDBTA, an organization that helps build wells, facilitates solar power installations,
00:51and aids the development of education throughout Cameroon.
00:54When we first visited the school, what we saw of those children were actually under conditions of lack of sanitation.
01:01Some of them were abused.
01:03They had no right to raise their voice.
01:05They could not speak for themselves.
01:06These conditions had no dignity.
01:09These conditions would not make a child believe that the future is bright.
01:14The kids that are in the school are sitting in classrooms that are literally made out of scrap wood.
01:20I've been shooting in one of these classrooms for five minutes and my face is literally dripping with sweat.
01:25I can't imagine what it must be like to sit in here for an hour-long lesson and learn.
01:30The environment is first of all dirty.
01:31There is dust all over.
01:32We don't have ceiling bars.
01:35The state of these classrooms is tragic for many reasons, but mainly because this school is on the border of
01:40the English and French parts of Cameroon,
01:43making it a rare junction point between two populations in ongoing conflict.
01:47This school could help unite these communities.
01:49Many people have moved from the English part and they settled in this area.
01:53This school became a safe place for them to come and get educated here.
01:57But because of the poorly built infrastructure, rain leaks through the roof in winter.
02:02There is no electricity and the school was beyond maximum capacity.
02:07Once we saw this, we knew we had to do something, so almost immediately...
02:11The team quickly got to work to completely transform the school and surprise the kids before they got back from
02:16their school break.
02:23And before the kids returned from their holidays, Darren and Dan went to visit their brand new classrooms.
02:29Darren and I looked at the new structures which have airflow, they have lights, they have electricity.
02:35I can't wait to see the look on the kids' faces, the teachers' faces when they get to see the
02:40new classrooms, also the new bathrooms.
02:42The school is going to transform thousands and thousands of lives in the future.
02:48The next day, it was finally time to surprise the kids.
02:51There's a whole bunch of people outside the school. This is really exciting.
02:56The school was the busiest it had ever been, with kids beyond excited to get a glimpse of the brand
03:02new classrooms.
03:03I just got out of the car. There's a whole bunch of people over here to welcome me. This is
03:08a little bit crazy.
03:11The headmaster then returned to the new classrooms, where he would officially cut the ribbon and declare the new school
03:17open.
03:31When the environment is beautiful, academics move positively, just the happiness motivates them psychologically to study and study well.
03:41In interacting with these kids over here, I realize that these are children that have a thirst to learn.
03:47And providing them the opportunity to realize that is probably the best legacy that we'll leave behind in this community.
03:53I can't imagine the impact this will have on the lives of children in this school.
04:00Thank you, thank you, and thank you very much indeed.
04:04Before I show you an unexpected surprise the community had for Darren, I want to tell you about the amazing
04:09sponsor of this video.
04:11Electric eBikes. They're back on board and supporting our mission with their affordable, eco-friendly, and fun-to-ride bikes.
04:17Time and time again, they have shown their dedication to a global impact by helping us rebuild an orphanage,
04:22donating thousands of shoes to kids in South Africa, and distributing millions of clothes worldwide.
04:28Additionally, they helped us power an island in Colombia, a children's sanctuary in Zambia,
04:33and give away hundreds of electric bikes all across the globe.
04:36And now, for the eighth time this year, they stepped up and helped us build this school in Cameroon.
04:41So I just want to give a heartfelt thank you to Electric eBikes for their continuous support.
04:44Let's get back to the video.
04:46Now it is time for Darren's surprise.
04:49So the village leaders took him to a ceremonial hut and dressed him up in local attire.
04:55He then took part in a traditional Cameroonian induction as a village elder.
05:16I've just been honored as a chief in the village.
05:19Now that Darren had finally become a chief, it was time to say goodbye to Cameroon and these kids.
05:25We can't wait to come back soon to visit.
05:27By watching this video, you helped us generate some ad revenue so we could continue to do philanthropic projects all
05:32around the world.
05:33And you've told the YouTube algorithm you liked the video, so they'll recommend it to more people.
05:37And for that, we are very grateful.
05:38And if you want to continue to support Francis in the many communities he helps throughout Cameroon,
05:43you can donate directly to his charity using the donate button or the link in the description.
05:46All the proceeds will go to Francis and CDVTA so they can continue to help build a better future for
05:51these children.
05:52Thank you so much for watching.
05:53Subscribe.
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