GOOD SHEPHERD SUSTAINABLE LEARNING FOUNDATION
Build a School Build a Future
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
In Cameroon, only primary school is compulsory. Although more than 90% of children attend primary school, only 55 % attend secondary/high schools with only 6% graduating. Without additional schooling children are at high risk for repeating the cycles of poverty, becoming prey to human traffickers, experiencing early & unplanned pregnancies, and surviving at a subsistence level. Even those who are able to afford school fees face dismal realities. Their Need… Finding a secondary school to attend Walking up to 10 miles to/from school in rural areas Fearing kidnap or rape along the way* Crowding into a classroom with 100 children Standing all day due to a lack of desks Being hungry because there is no lunch *2.4 million children from Cameroon's ten regions involuntarily work in forced domestic servitude, street vending, & prostitution, or in hazardous settings. An unknown number are trafficking victims. Trafficking is particularly heavy in the NW where our school is located.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Good Shepherd Academy; Bafut, Cameroon
Good Shepherd Academy is a coed residential secondary/high school in Cameroon, West Africa with a focus on academics and economic/environmental sustainability. Enrollment is 51% girls and 49% boys, reflecting the school age population and promoting gender equality. Leadership skills, entrepreneurship, tolerance, and citizenship are taught to all students. Free tuition is provided to orphans and other vulnerable children.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of teachers recruited
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Men and boys, Adolescents
Related Program
Good Shepherd Academy; Bafut, Cameroon
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
7 teachers were hired in Sept 2016. Due to conflict in Anglophone Cameroon, the school was closed Jan 2017. A successful overnight summer camp was held in July 2017. GS Academy is ready to re-open.
Number of children who have the skills necessary to maintain personal health
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Men and boys, Adolescents
Related Program
Good Shepherd Academy; Bafut, Cameroon
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
GS Academy opened in 2016 w 22 students & closed in Jan 2017 due to armed conflict. GSA successfully reopened in Oct 2020 w 20 students. Today there are 41 students in spite of ongoing armed conflict
Number of children able to exercise appropriate control in independent and group activities
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Women and girls, Men and boys
Related Program
Good Shepherd Academy; Bafut, Cameroon
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
GS Academy opened w 22 students in Sept 2016 and was forced to close due to regional violence in Jan 2017. A successful overnight camp was held in July 2017. GSA successfully reopened October 2020.
Number of students who demonstrate writing ability
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Men and boys, Adolescents
Related Program
Good Shepherd Academy; Bafut, Cameroon
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
GS Academy opened w 22 students in Sept 2016 and was forced to close due to regional violence in Jan 2017. A successful overnight camp was held in July 2017. GSA successfully reopened October 2020.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Good Shepherd Academy addresses the specific dreams of many Cameroonian youth...
Living in a residential secondary/high school
Being safe in a secure, instructive, loving environment
Learning traditional academic subjects, as well as sustainable organic agriculture
Feeling full physically and spiritually
Knowing a bright future can be theirs
To accomplish this, Good Shepherd SLF has five primary goals: 1) to educate Cameroonian students for a changing world 2) to build lives of economic and environmental sustainability 3) to break the cycle of poverty by blending educational and food security missions 4) to protect AIDS orphans and all children from exploitation, including human trafficking, and 5) to promote gender equality in education.
In addition, 25% of all Good Shepherd Academy students receive a full scholarship, with orphans of Good Shepherd Home in Bamenda, Cameroon receiving first priority.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
To realize our goals, Good Shepherd SLF is building Good Shepherd Academy, a residential secondary/high school campus for 350 students in Bafut, Cameroon in phases. Several strategies are being undertaken to ensure success. Good Shepherd SLF has: 1) formed and maintained a cross cultural partnership based on mutuality, transformation, and faith with Cameroonian NGO, Good Shepherd Academy Association 2) established a partnership with Rotary International and with a variety of faith communities 3) developed a transformational model for educating students for economic and environmental sustainability, 5) is building the Academy in four phases, with Phase 2 construction completed On Time/On Budget with residential facilities for 88 students.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Board of Directors of Good Shepherd Sustainable Learning Foundation has a proven track record in a variety of fields: Accounting administration, international legal expertise, fundraising on a national level, donor development and non-profit management, ordained and professional leadership/administration. The Good Shepherd SLF Board is composed of women and men who are successful in their professional fields.
The Board hired MSAADA Architects, an international non-profit architectural firm with 35 years experience which has completed over 800 schools, churches, and hospitals in developing nations. Their wealth of experience in design and project management insures the continued success of this project.
Co-Chair of the Board of Directors Dr. Nche Zama, and Board Member Joseph Fonlon, Esq. are members of the Cameroonian Diaspora in the US, providing an invaluable bridge between the US Board and the Board of Governors of Good Shepherd Academy Association in Cameroon.
The GSAA Board of Governors has a proven track record of managing the construction of buildings; establishing organic chicken, fish, vegetable and pig farms; establishing two registered orphanages for AIDS orphans in Cameroon; and exhibiting a can-do spirit of perseverance and hard work. Local Cameroonian construction firm, Sage Construction of Bamenda, Cameroon constructed Phases 1 & 2 of GSA On Time/On Budget and hired approximately 60 local craftsmen.
Good Shepherd SLF has a bookkeeper and website designer, as well as a lawyer, accountant, and other non-profit consultants. There is a network of churches in five states who have been involved with the Good Shepherd Home in Cameroon since 2000. As a result there is a network of people who support projects for the children, of which Good Shepherd Academy is an outgrowth.
Phase 2 was completed in 2018 by Sage Construction of Bamenda, Cameroon.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Good Shepherd SLF has made significant accomplishments in a short period of time with Phase 1 completed On Time/On Budget in August 2016 and Phase 2 completed On Time/On Budget in 2018. Fifteen acres of prime land were purchased. Architectural plans for the Academy compound were completed which include girls and boys dormitories, 3 classroom buildings, library, computer lab, 3 science labs, health center, dining hall/activities center with kitchen, administration building, 3 sustainable farms and a soccer field. Construction, operating, and foundation budgets are completed. This bilingual Academy opened with 2 grades in September 2016.
Having achieved 501(C)(3) status in November 2013 and completed Phase 2 construction in 2018, Good Shepherd SLF is on its third fund raising cycle. Additional funds must be raised to realize the dream of Cameroonian children to live in a residential secondary/high school with a focus on sustainable education in a safe environment. To this end, directors are meeting with a variety of potential donors; sharing information about the benefits of a secondary/high school education in sub-Saharan Africa; maintaining an active presence in social media; hosting fundraisers and informative meetings; sharing a book about the Good Shepherd, Cameroon children by Board Chair, Elizabeth Geitz called I Am That Child; and showing a documentary about Good Shepherd, The Good Mother of Abangoh, at film festivals and other venues.
In-person fundraising was halted during the Covid pandemic, with online fundraising and grant writing successfully continuing.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
GOOD SHEPHERD SUSTAINABLE LEARNING FOUNDATION
Board of directorsas of 05/20/2023
The Rev. Canon Elizabeth Rankin Geitz
Good Shepherd Sustainable Learning Foundation
Term: 2014 - 2023
Dr. Nche Zama
Nche Zama, MD, PhD
Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Molly Flewharty
Good Shepherd Sustainable Learning Foundation
David Farrand
Good Shepherd Sustainable Learning Foundation
Joseph K. B. Fonlon, Esq.
Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company
John Campbell
US Ambassador to Nigeria (ret.)
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/20/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.