Why CNEDA Was Created

The Cho Ngafor Empowerment and Development Association (CNEDA) was founded to honor the legacy of my late father, Mr. Martin Cho Ngafor, a devoted educator who believed that every child, regardless of financial background, deserved an education. When families in our community struggled with school fees, he transformed our Dining room into a classroom, ensuring that no child was left behind.
During a visit to Cameroon, I met former students of my father who were still unable to access and obtain the basis of formal education due to financial constraints. This inspired us to partner with local schools, providing partial scholarships and essential support. While organising our annual activities together with the school activities, we uncovered a deeper issue—many girls were missing school due to a lack of menstrual hygiene products and education. Two girls, unable to participate in an event, waited for everyone to leave before quietly exiting through a window because they were ,menstruating in class. due to shame and lack of adequate material the were forced to sit in class on thesame bench. . Their struggle highlighted the urgent need for menstrual health support.
In response, we began distributing disposable sanitary pads, collected form Köniz and with the support of the –spitex Koniz, but demand quickly outgrew supply with us reach 233 girls monthly for 9 months with single used pads. Recognizing the need for a sustainable solution, due to heavy cost and affordability to meed up the monthly supply of donations in cameroon we launched the Dorena Washable Pads Initiative, providing an eco-friendly alternative to support menstrual health and keep girls in school.