Corinne's story : building her future thanks to the Nyalla training centre
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A few months ago, two FAAI partnerships officers travelled to Cameroon to visit several centres managed by our local partner, the Chaîne des Foyers Saint-Nicodème, and to get a better overview of the activities carried out within the various projects in Douala. During this mission, they visited the Nyalla training centre, designed to support young girls in vulnerable situations towards socio-professional empowerment, as well as the reception and counselling centres, Nylon and New Bell, which welcome and support children and adolescents in street situations. Finally, they also visited the PK24 agricultural centre, which focuses on hosting, stabilising, and schooling children and adolescents coming from the street or prison to facilitate their family and socio-professional reintegration.
In Nyalla, a district of Douala where the Art and Style Nyalla training centre is located, many young girls from rural and disadvantaged backgrounds, often separated from their families, find an opportunity to rebuild themselves and envision a better future. Thanks to this center, the young girls grow in a structured environment, benefiting from personalised support provided by staff attentive to their needs.
Among them is Corinne, a young girl who has been following the hairdressing and beauty training course for six months. Her journey reflects the story of many young girls like her who, despite life’s challenges, show great determination and ambition to build a better future. Before arriving at the Nyalla center, Corinne experienced a childhood away from her parents, moving from one home to another, living with her aunt and grandmother. She shared with us:
"I never had the affection of my father or my mother. I just grew up like that, sometimes at my aunt’s, sometimes at my grandmother’s, and so on."
It was thanks to her aunt and a cousin, a former student of the center, that Corinne discovered this training program, which has allowed her to make friends, learn practical skills, and prepare for her dream of travelling and opening her own salon.
"In general, it's good to take training. It allows you to learn things you didn’t know before. Like me, for example—when I arrived, I didn’t know how to braid men’s hair. I didn’t know the products used for facial treatments. I couldn’t do certain types of braids, but since I’ve been here, I’ve improved a lot. The training is great. If someone drops out of school or maybe gets pregnant at sixteen… They shouldn’t think it’s over. They can still come to the training centre. It’s true that some centres are expensive, while others are more affordable. Even if someone doesn’t have the means to pay, they can still come here because we do get some support."
Through her testimony, Corinne emphasises the importance of training centres like Nyalla, which provide children from disadvantaged backgrounds with the necessary tools to build a professional future. With words full of hope, she encourages other children in similar situations to never give up:
"All I can say is don’t lose courage, always set goals for yourself."
The mission to Cameroon proved to be a positive and enriching experience on multiple levels. It allowed for direct immersion in the field, and gathering testimonies provided a deeper understanding of the realities faced by the beneficiaries of the projects led by our partners. This experience, both human and professional, underscores the importance of fieldwork in strengthening our actions and commitments.