ETAYA is an NGO (Non-Government Organization) in the Southwest Province of Cameroon, Africa. ETAYA started when Former Peace Corps Education Volunteer Kathleen Madden and her pupil Tanyi Felix Nkongho, who she taught during her 2 years in Cameroon, decided to put their passion for humanity in action. In the Southwest Province nearer the boarder of Nigeria lies the Manyu Division where Madden was based and Nkongho was raised. Within thisdivision there are 200 rural villages, which rarely see or benefit from any local government aid. Seeing the lack of concern the government of Cameroon had for the rural populations, ETAYA was created and hundreds of people began to benefit from their efforts over the past 8 years.
To date over 25 villages have sought and received the help of ETAYA to assist in the development of their small communities. The communities are responsible to present their needs to ETAYA, who then does further assessment and feasibility studies. Once the project is approved by ETAYA the community then has to contribute 25% of the total cost whether it be monetary or material donations to their project. This ensures that the community feels a sense of ownership and will properly maintain and sustain the project so it will continue to benefit future generations.
The other 75% comes from donors who have that same passion for humanity as the creators of ETAYA, even though donors are a world away they are improving the standard of living for hundreds of people in the small developing villages of Cameroon.