In December 1985, during Bernadette Escher’s first trip to Cameroon, Father Emmanuel welcomed her at Yaoundé airport and drove her directly to his native village of Ngodi-Si, located in the middle of the forest in the Nyong-et-Kéllé district. After several hours on bumpy roads and tracks, they were welcomed by the songs and dances of the jubilant population. With much emotion, Father Emmanuel proposed to create a school hut in the village. The inhabitants countered that their priority was to be able to feed their children every day. The only way to improve their living conditions was to open up the village by building bridges over the rivers that isolate it and tracks through the dense forest. So be it! Back in Mulhouse, Bernadette started learning how to build a bridge and so, with the help of Western friends, began the AFRIQUE FUTURE adventure.

As the project progressed, Ngodi-Si became a pioneer village in Cameroon. After the building of bridges and tracks which allowed social and economic exchanges, a hospital, a welcome centre and a kindergarten class were opened in 2001. A primary school was created the following year and a 1^st form in 2003. The first AFRIQUE FUTURE Deo Gratias School expanded and became a school complex which accommodated 230 children from kindergarten to senior high school.

They include 12 classrooms, a computer room, a library, a multi-purpose hall, 8 dwellings for the teachers who live far from the school. 91 pupils registered on the first school day in September 2019; they are taught by 16 teachers and supervised by 3 administrative persons.

Beautifully built next to the school and the welcome centre, the auditorium includes a lecture hall with tiered seating and three smaller multipurpose rooms. It completes the accommodation centre which can now welcome retreat groups, corporate trainers and trainees. The auditorium also hosts various events and school parties.

AFRIQUE FUTURE built 8 dwellings for the teachers and their families who appreciate the quality of their living place just a few steps from the school complex.