Cameroon: A Commitment To Sustainable Development For The Friendship Circle- Njukang Asong

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

In a nation where healthcare challenges are significant and resources often scarce, a beacon of hope has emerged, promising to transform the landscape of medical care. The Friendship Circle, TFC, a non-profit organization that has a vision to uplift healthcare systems, is making significant strides in Cameroon.

Founded in 2015 by twenty-five young men, TFC is quickly garnering a reputation for its comprehensive approach in not just tackling the gaps in the health sector in Cameroon, but in the entrepreneurial, and charity sectors in the U.S. as well.

“Our objective is to try to elevate the healthcare system in Cameroon in our little way. Personal responsibility of what we should do as individuals, as young people in this country, and not depend on government all the time,” Njukang Asong, President of the Friendship Circle told Pan African Visions after carrying out a medical supply donation to hospitals in Cameroon on July 25 in Buea.

“Just an idea to be able to share the little that we have. It is something that we thought was very important. And that was just in January. Fast forward seven months later, we are here today, to supply medical supplies to 30 hospitals.

In an interview with Pan African Visions, the TFC president unveiled what necessitated such a donation and the prospect of TFC elevating the healthcare system across the country.

Could you start by presenting to us what the Friendship Circle is all about and how did it come into existence?

Njukang Asong: The Friendship Circle is a not-for-profit organization made up of 25 guys all based in the U.S. even though we alter between the U.S. and Cameroon for a large part. It started in 2015 and the idea in 2015 was just to come together as brothers in America who had travelled, struggling to make it, really had nothing but our dream, just our belief that we could survive.

And as things began to happen, even when things were not good, we just kept supporting each other. It was more of a social group. We're there for football games. So that is what we did right up to like 2018. When one of our members (Charles Bissong) passed away, succumbing to pancreatic cancer, which is something that can happen to any of us, it kind of hit us hard. It struck the core of our organization and let us take stock of everything.

We decided to take a different turn, which is to be more meaningful and more intentional in the things we do. We registered our organization, became a registered not-for-profit organization, and we decided to focus on healthcare and entrepreneurship. One of our second events actually was an entrepreneurship fair at Mountain Hotel, which brought together about 300 plus students from the University of Buea, the Catholic University, entrepreneurs, startups, and just people who wanted to learn,

We had a very rich panel of business people, folks in the technology world, journalists, and diplomats, just a well-rounded team. And, we had a good conversation, gave out some awards, gave out some donations to startup companies, and just kind of encouraged them. That was one side of what we did.

The other thing is just charity work that we focused on. We went to an orphanage in Tiko, fed almost 100 plus people, and gave them rice and beans, just the necessities. And then even back in the U.S., we did a food drive where we fed and provided meals and breakfast for about 150 plus homeless people.

We engaged in healthcare activities too, running, and doing some exercise, just to make sure that, as they say, health is wealth. No matter what you have, if you're not healthy, it means nothing. So, we encourage that as well. And that all led us to this moment today, to be able to use the activities that we did, raise some money from our community and decide to do something even bolder.

We started with hospital beds. We brought about 50 hospital beds and supplied them to hospitals. These were state-of-the-art hospital beds, very advanced in terms of how it was built. There were hospitals with empty wards. Patients were sleeping on floors. Pregnant women did not have a place to sleep. But we did that and that went a long way. Just the happiness on their faces, the feedback that we had, you just cannot put money on that.

But then again, it fell into our objective of trying to elevate the healthcare system in Cameroon in our little way. A personal responsibility of what we should do as individuals, as young people in this country, and not depend on government all the time. Just an idea to be able to share the little that we have. It is something that we thought was very important. And that was just in January. Fast forward seven months later, we are here today, to supply medical supplies to 30 hospitals.

Can you tell us more about the types of medical equipment donated by TFC and its partners?

Njukang Asong: The medical supplies cost approximately $650,000, which is about 350 to 400 million francs. It involves lenses, male-female unisex, protective gowns during surgery for doctors and nurses, protective gear for their faces during surgery, medications like Denavir that are used for sores and blisters, vitamins for women for pregnancy and lactation to kids. So that was very important for us. And just different kinds of medications in there, just to improve the healthcare system in Cameroon, make sure patients have better care. That was very important for us. And one thing that we insisted on is that these things are for free.

It's for patients. It's supposed to be used for the purpose intended. We gave it to hospitals in the North West, in the South West, in Littoral and the Far North. It's just the beginning, resources are limited. If we had our way, we'd give it to all 10. But that's our goal. And we're sure that the God that gave us the strength is going to continue to empower us again.

What motivated TFC Community and Colors of Roses Foundation to make this donation?

Njukang Asong: The drive is a personal responsibility. It's an idea that, like I said, the government is responsible for taking care of us and advancing us, to provide schools and provide a public system that is helpful to us to provide, make sure that we can get out of poverty, have jobs and opportunities to advance our selves.

If you travel across the country, there's something called volunteer work. It's a huge part of any advanced country. The truth is that no country is built on government only. You build on individual contributions and contributions from small and medium-sized companies. In these regards, it is that kind of a mindset to say, you know what? We've been blessed in a little way. One person cannot do it. Ten people cannot. But 25 can make a difference.

And then we put resources together. We find partners. One of our partners, the Color of Roses, is led by Dr. Sylvia Dasi. The organization helped us to find partners in New York and New Jersey to be able to, acquire the supplies. So, the drive has always been a need to come back home and elevate our healthcare system. A need that we are responsible for our future in Cameroon. Nobody's going to do it for us. And the idea that the government can only do so much.

We should hold them accountable to do as much as we can. But what are you doing? What are you doing to the little kid in your neighbourhood that has no slippers? You want to tell me you don't have 300 francs or 500 francs to buy slippers for that little kid? What are you doing for the orphan that cannot go to school? You want to tell me you don't have 15,000 francs in a year to make them go to school and study and get out of poverty? Or the lady that goes to the farm that needs a home, needs a cutlass or needs products to spray the grass. Do you think you cannot provide 10,000, 15,000, or even 20,000 to that lady?

That's something that some people spend on drinks. So, it's that kind of collective responsibility that drives us. And this is just the beginning. We told the various hospitals that it's a partnership we're striking. A partnership means we're going to keep working together as much as we can. It's just that drive to make sure that we have a responsibility as Cameroonians, as individuals to build this nation.

You talked about certain equipment that have been given, gowns, lenses and others. Is there any reason for selecting that particular equipment?

Njukang Asong: First of all, it is because those were the ones, we could get access to. But also, that it is needed. What we brought were first-grade lenses for males, and females, unisex lenses, beautiful looking lenses, with different ranges of power. And people need that stuff. Talk about vitamins for pregnant women. Even in developed countries, they need vitamins.

It's just something where you have to nourish the body as it carries a different human being in it. Everybody needs vitamins, no matter how healthy you are. So, these are just things that cut across our healthcare system. If we had our way to buy an ambulance, we will. If we had our way to buy a dialysis machine, we should be able to do that. If we had our way to buy surgical machines to perform surgery here and elevate the health care system of our people, we would. What we have shown is that our hearts are in the right place. We are responsible enough to do these things with our resources.

We hope that we can partner even with the government. We can partner with different organizations and regional, state, and even local governments to say let's work with this organization. Let's see. You guys have the passion, you have the mobilization and the contacts. Working with the government to secure even more specific resources for it is something that we welcome. But at the end of the day, we're going to keep doing needs assessment to see what the people need more. And we're going to be able to purchase them within our resources.

Let's talk about partnership. As you talked about, this donation is done in collaboration with the Colors of Roses Foundation. But there are a lot of people backstage who don't see the faces. How important is this partnership?

Njukang Asong: The partnership in itself, number one is TFC. These are 25 guys and we are partners in this. You just cannot beat that. And I look at what we're able to build as an organization and I'm just incredibly grateful. TFC is something else. But again, the effort in terms of what we're able to accomplish today, there are so many things across the way.

It started with a partner, Colors of Roses Foundation, which became like a sister organization. Through their help, we're able to have approval from our New York partners to be able to secure these products. They are our supply partners. And that's just wonderful. It's a gigantic organization. And we are grateful to be part of them. And I think, I don't know which other organization is a partner to them from Cameroon, but I know TFC is one.

But again, once you secure those things, to be able to transport a container here clearly is an enormous cost. We had to go to our local government here, the state, and tell the state that we are a registered organization and we need your help. It started with our in-country liaison, which is the Honorable Prudencia from Momo. She's been instrumental in assisting us. Whatever document we needed, whatever signatures we needed, she's just been instrumental. And that is crucial for us, to have someone who is that reliable, whose heart is in the right place, to make sure that we can deliver these products.

The Ministry of Public Health was just exemplary. They were fast. They treated our files with dignity swiftness and respect. So, the Ministry of Public Health, I appreciate you guys and I'm so grateful. And then we have the Ministry of Finance as well. The Ministry of Finance was extremely helpful in making sure that our container could be cleared in record time, in collaboration with the Director General of Customs. So, this is, I've never seen the government collaborate this much. I think, as a country, I'm so proud to be a Cameroonian and see what is happening now and see cross-collaboration within our government institutions.

I think that's the way government should work. Having somebody like Honorable Prudencia with such a big heart to actually work for the people and elevate the people and find partnerships all across, is just wonderful, and I appreciate it.

And also, we have our partners at the hospitals here too. The various hospitals and DMOs that came here ready to attend this event, brought their transportation ready to carry them. That is something which is, we're internally grateful for it. So, it is a partnership across the board. We have demonstrated the ability to be able to collaborate, with honesty, with integrity, and to make sure that we can deliver for the people.

How does this donation align with the broader goals and missions of The Friendship Circle?

Njukang Asong: The mission of TFC is to elevate our healthcare system in Cameroon, to fight against poverty, but also to assist in entrepreneurship and skills development right here. This fits right into it, is what we are put together to do, which is again to provide resources within our limits to be able to elevate the healthcare system. So, I think in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, I think we're on the right footing.

With supplying our hospital with beds that we did five months ago; I think we have found our niche. We have found a space where we are comfortable with. We are building partnerships and resources to be able to foster that mission, and I think we're going to continue doing it.

What role do you see public-private partnerships playing in improving healthcare infrastructure in Cameroon?

Njukang Asong: It is important because we just cannot work without it. I mean, how else are we supposed to clear that container from the airport? It would have been too expensive without the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Public Health intervening and the Director of Customs saying, you know what, you guys are bringing these products for us, let's give you guys a little help on this.

Our message to different organizations is that the government is here to work with you. Forget about the stereotypes you heard about the government. There are people in power now that are doing a great job. If you have a good purpose, you put your resources together, and of course, you're organized and you're clear on your mission, they're going to help you. This is the government of Cameroon helping TFC twice in less than six months apart.

They have promised us that no matter what we want to do, in as much as it aligns with the Ministry of Public Health's mission overall to deliver a healthcare system in Cameroon they are going to support us. Every other not-for-profit organization should take that, and if they don't have one, they should get in on it, because every community needs a TFC.

While donating this equipment, you were smiling, especially in respect to Alou, Lebialem Subdivision, where you are from. We know the trouble that the region has been going through. How vital is such equipment to the community?

Njukang Asong: I'm a son of many regions. I was born in Nkwen, and I grew up in Bamenda, and Mbengwi as well. So, it's Momo Division and Nkwen, that is in my childhood. At the age of 10, I came to the South West region of Buea, and I schooled in St. Joseph's College, Sase. I'm still a child of Buea as well. I lived in Mile 16, my family house in Mile 16, but I'm also a Bangwa man from Lebialem.

That is my tribal region. But then again, to me, it's just Cameroon and there's a lot of pain out there. There's a lot of lack of resources out there. Every region must have a TFC that can elevate their region because we need it. The government cannot do all. The government cannot get into the hinterlands and rural areas.

We have to do it ourselves and do it till the Lord takes us away from it. So, for me to be able to see the joy from people from my region, Alou, it meant everything to me. For me to see the people in my area, Mile 16, that came here to take it, that means everything to me. For me to see the people in Nkwen, in the PMI Nkwen hospital where I was born, meant everything to me.

How did they know a child, you know, 38 years ago would support them today? And even Momo Division, where I grew up You cannot beat that. That meant a lot to me as well. So again, it is something which I think every Cameroonian should be able to tell that story. And all of us should join to elevate health care.

Are there plans for future donations or continued support to hospitals across the country?

Njukang Asong: We are going to do a needs assessment with hospitals across the board. And with that needs assessment, we are going to make an informed decision. Again, the project is a function of resources. We may need all the good things here, but if we don't have the money to do it, we'll not be able to do it.

But that shouldn't stop any person from doing it. You should do what you can, where you can. And hopefully, through the work that you do, you're able to raise the money to do the things that you want to do.

So, are we going to have future projects? Absolutely, yes. Do I know what it's going to be? No. Do I know it's going to be in health care? Absolutely. Do I think it's going to be in entrepreneurship to elevate and teach kids how to grow and become business owners? Absolutely. But until then, we're hoping for the best.