U.S. Ambassador Chairs English Access Graduation Ceremony

On June 26, 2013, the first-ever Cameroonian graduates from the English Access Microscholarship Program will receive certificates of achievement during a ceremony chaired by Ambassador Robert P. Jackson at the Cameroon Chamber of Agriculture in Yaounde from 14:00 to 16:00.

In 2011, the U.S. Embassy awarded $50,000 (FCFA 25 million) to the American Language Center in Yaounde in 2011 to provide two years of English courses to thirty economically disadvantaged youths between the ages of 14-18. Out of the thirty who started the course on August 19, 2011, twenty-seven have fulfilled the requirements to receive their certificate of achievement. Since the commencement of the first English Access Microscholarship Program in Cameroon, three additional programs have been launched. Today, 132 youths in Yaounde and Garoua are benefiting from the program. This represents a total contribution of $200,000 (FCFA 100 million) by the U.S. Government to support English language education in Cameroon.

Sponsored by the U.S. government, the English Access Microscholarship Program provides a foundation of English language skills to talented youth from economically disadvantaged families through after school classes, intensive sessions, and cultural enrichment activities. The program gives participants English skills that may lead to better jobs and educational opportunities. Since its inception in 2004, over 95,000 students in more than 85 countries have participated in the Access Program.