Babete (Cameroon) [November 2024]

Project 3607 - Monastery of Babete (Cameroon)

Installation of solar panels

The monastery was founded in Otélé in 1961 by nuns from the Abbey of Sarnen (Switzerland), two of whom were Cameroonian. It was transferred to Babete in 1967. The community now has around fifteen Cameroonian nuns. The nuns produce essential oils, soaps and dried fruit, and run a guest house and dispensary.

As a result of the armed conflict that has been raging for several years between separatists demanding independence from North-West and South-West Cameroon - the country's two English-speaking regions - and Cameroon's defence and security forces, 530,000 people have taken refuge in the surrounding forests and in French-speaking regions, according to the UN. Kidnapping has become a booming business as the region's economy collapses.

The Babete monastery is located more than 150 km from the conflict zone. It is here that many Cameroonian families find shelter. The Benedictine community has opened its doors wide to refugees. For some, the monastery proved to be no more than a stopover. After regaining their strength, they left for other towns and villages in the French-speaking part of Cameroon to join a relative. More than a hundred families have already stayed with the sisters.

They provide accommodation, food, healthcare and French lessons. This means that donations have to be found to fund all the assistance.

Today, around thirty families still live at Babete, with nowhere else to go. In 2020, the sisters built a new building to house these refugees.

Project

The electricity service on the national grid: long, regular power cuts, sometimes lasting several days, and voltage peaks that fry appliances. The maintenance of installations and equipment is a major economic problem. The community has generators to protect the electrical installation, but they are expensive to run and maintain. The sisters want to make the transition to solar energy in order to reduce their dependence on conventional energy sources and help protect the environment.

The aim is therefore to equip the monastery and its ancillary structures (new reception centre, orphanage) with a solar energy system.

Requested amount: 27,931 euros.