Restoring soil and livelihoods in Cameroon through youth-led regenerative farming scholarships
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$2,730
A nine-month pilot project in Ngoumou and Bankomo, Cameroon, supporting marginalised young women to train in regenerative agriculture and business skills.
Through classroom lessons, hands-on farming, mentorship, and startup support, scholars will launch their own agro-enterprises while restoring 10 hectares of degraded land and improving food security for 5,000+ households.
- Region 🇨🇲 Cameroon
- Sector Agriculture
- Stage Pilot
This project is led by Kuta Cornelius, founder of the Wandusoa. For years, Kuta informally trained smallholder farmers and displaced youths in sustainable farming, driven by a simple conviction: healthy soil is the backbone of healthy communities.
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With this project, we are backing Kuta’s leadership, providing scholarships for displaced youth and a model that connects livelihoods with ecological restoration.
Why this matters
Degraded soil is undercutting food security and livelihoods across Cameroon. For displaced and low-income families, the stakes are immediate: unreliable harvests, rising food costs, and few pathways into dignified work. Women often carry the heaviest burden yet have the least access to tools, training, and finance.
What the project will change
For young women, this project will be life-changing. Instead of seeing displacement, poverty, or lack of opportunity as the end of their story, they will gain tools, knowledge, and startup capital to grow something new.
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For the wider community, these young women become multipliers—restoring plots, modelling climate-smart practices, and sharing knowledge with neighbours. As graduates move into the three-month mentorship phase, they’ll develop viable plans to launch enterprises on Wandusoa-linked land, contributing to healthier soils, steadier harvests, and more resilient local food systems. Families will have greater access to affordable, nutritious food. Ten hectares of degraded land will be restored, improving biodiversity and climate resilience.
Over time, these graduates will become local leaders, shifting practices, mindsets, and futures from extractive to regenerative.
Technical stuff
The Details
- Scholarships awarded 5
- Students graduated 0
Updates
From the field
15 displaced girls in Mfou begin regenerative farming training
Posted 17 Nov 2025
Summary
Between 1–14 November, the program welcomed four new internally displaced girls, bringing the total number of scholars to 15. All participants are enrolled at Government High School Mfou. To supplement their studies, they take part in regenerative farming and entrepreneurship training through Wandusoa.
This period also saw the first business brainstorming session through the School Enterprise Challenge, as well as key progress on the design of the Ecological Learning Centre, developed in collaboration with Journeyman International and architect CĂ©dric Delbeke. The team also welcomed advisor Paul Kronenberg (Kanthari) to support eco-friendly construction planning.
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With the enrollment of four additional girls, the program now supports 15 scholars—each gaining access to education, daily meals, and practical livelihood training. Through household-level knowledge sharing, the initiative is indirectly benefiting more than 15 families.
This program is my first chance to learn skills that can help me feed my family.
— New Scholar
Activities
1. Participant enrollment and education integration
Registered four additional internally displaced girls into the program
Formalised a partnership with Government High School Mfou to host all project activities
Enrolled all 15 scholars as full-time students at the school
2. Program kickoff
Held the first classroom assembly to introduce regenerative farming and entrepreneurship goals
Began business idea brainstorming sessions
Integrated the cohort into the School Enterprise Challenge for structured business training
3. Ecological Learning Centre development
Conducted an online design meeting with Journeyman International and architect CĂ©dric Delbeke
Reviewed the first draft of the Wandusoa Ecological Learning Centre design, focusing on eco-friendly materials and community-oriented layouts
Welcomed Paul Kronenberg (Kanthari) into the working group to advise on environmentally responsible, low-impact construction
4. Community and institutional collaboration
Held follow-up meetings with school administrators to align academic and project schedules
Secured classroom space and farm plots for hands-on practical sessions
5. Monitoring and next steps
Documented attendance and early engagement levels of all 15 scholars
Planned field visits to map degraded land for upcoming restoration pilot plots
Challenges
The program faced significant disruptions in the originally planned locations of Bankomo and Ngoumou due to ongoing political instability. Community mobilisation and field activities were affected, prompting a strategic relocation to Mfou to ensure safety and continuity.
The move allowed us to:
Maintain uninterrupted training and operations
Build a reliable partnership with Government High School Mfou
Expand engagement to the Mfou community
Protect scholars from instability-related risks
This adaptive approach has enabled the program to continue delivering its planned outcomes while preserving quality standards. The team will keep monitoring conditions in the initial project areas for future expansion once stability returns.
Finances
No finances were used during this period.
4 more students join the October 2025 cohort in Cameroon
Posted 28 Oct 2025
Over the past two weeks, we’ve made steady progress across key areas of our project, despite disruptions caused by Cameroon’s political climate. We enrolled 4 additional participants, bringing our October 2025 cohort to 11, advanced the pre-design work on the Wandusoa Learning Ecological Centre, and joined the School Enterprise Challenge platform to strengthen our practical business education offerings.
Developments:
We expanded our October 2025 cohort to 11 participants and continued outreach to fill the remaining spots. This growth keeps us on track to welcome a full group of learners.
Activities:
The pre-design phase of the Wandusoa Learning Ecological Centre has progressed well. We’ve worked with Journeyman International and architect Cédric Delbeke to develop an eco-friendly, community-centred design. Informal discussions with local residents have provided useful input to guide the process.
We also successfully registered on the School Enterprise Challenge platform. This milestone connects our team with global resources, mentors, and fellow educators, helping us deliver hands-on entrepreneurship education.
Challenges:
The Cameroon Presidential Elections on October 12th and the delayed results created nationwide political tension. It became unsafe to gather participants or hold community meetings, so we had to pause operations. We adapted by postponing activities and shifting to one-on-one engagements where possible. Now that conditions have stabilised, we’re cautiously resuming.
Finances:
No finances were spent during this period.
7 youth enrolled and tools secured for the farming program in Mbankomo
Posted 16 Oct 2025
The Restoring Soil and Livelihoods project has made strong progress over the past two weeks, despite heavy rains that slowed transportation and site access. Our team successfully completed critical pre-design assessments at the Mbankomo Permanent Site, ensuring the Wandusoa Learning Ecological Centre will reflect the local context and support regenerative farming. These steps are vital in creating a space where marginalised youth, especially internally displaced girls, can grow as regenerative farmers and entrepreneurs.
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We’ve enrolled 7 participants for the October 2025 cohort so far, including 5 scholarship recipients supported by Kwanda, from internally displaced backgrounds. With a maximum of 20 participants, we’re actively working to fill the remaining spots by the end of the month. Notably, this cohort includes the first participants from the Ngoumou and Mbankomo communities, marking a key moment in deepening local engagement.
Our collaboration with Journeyman International and architect Cédric Delbeke remains strong, with a shared commitment to designing a culturally resonant and eco-friendly learning centre. This partnership is key to ensuring the project’s long-term sustainability and community ownership.
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Heavy rainfall delayed transport and limited site access, but we adjusted work schedules to stay on track. Tool procurement also faced delays, which we addressed by sourcing locally and planning for future supply needs.
Next Steps:
Finalise the Pre-Design Questionnaire
Complete participant enrollment
Prepare orientation materials for the October cohort
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Item | Quantity | Unit Price (XAF) | Total (XAF) | Total (ÂŁ) |
Machetes | 4 | 5,500 | 22,000 | ÂŁ28.85 |
Large hoes | 2 | 4,500 | 9,000 | ÂŁ11.80 |
Small hoes | 2 | 3,500 | 7,000 | ÂŁ9.17 |
Transportation | - | - | 10,000 | ÂŁ13.12 |
Total | 48,000 | ÂŁ62.94 |
Pilot kicks off as funds are successfully received
Posted 6 Oct 2025
I’m writing to confirm that the funds (1,557,182 XAF) have been successfully received, as per the attached receipt (MTCN: 2547542014).
The process was smooth, and I’m grateful for your swift support in making this happen.
With the funds now secured, the first phase of the project officially kicks off today.
The receipt is attached for your records. Please let me know if you need any additional documentation or further details.
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