Alice Zogo came to Europe from Cameroon when she was 11 years old. Coming from a country without winter, her debut in Europe in the middle of December was difficult. Her mother greeted her at the airport with a huge winter coat. Alice felt like a Michelin man. Her grandmother was always by her side. And so was the school, which had a familiar, if different, feel to Africa.
Even today, school is an important subject for Alice. Not only because she works there, but also because she is the Enovos ambassador for a school electrification project in Senegal.
School is more than just lessons
“I feel happy,” says Alice, and not only because she had the opportunity to go to school in Cameroon. She is also grateful to be able to live in Luxembourg. Of course, there are times when she misses her old home. Even today, she still feels very connected to her home country and she doesn’t want to forget it.
“My memories are beautiful and full of life. When Alice talks about her childhood, it is like discovering a book: you are immersed in it and you feel as if you are living it all with her. Everything was different from here. The school too. The blackboards were different, only a few teachers and even fewer pupils had books and the school bell was a real cast iron bell. There was no electricity and therefore no bell.
Life was not easy. “But I had never been anywhere else, so I didn’t know what it was like elsewhere.
Electricity, more than just light
Living frequently without electricity was normal. Alice and her family had electricity at home, but at school there was none, and the recurrent blackouts could last up to two weeks. Sometimes the electricity would come on for an hour and then stop working again. This is still the case today.
“Electricity is as important as school. The world opens up through electricity and it is a real chance for children to go to school. Here, being able to live in good conditions influences many things. You gain in quality of life and security.
Electricity for 60 schools in Senegal
“What matters most to me is that the children have the chance to succeed in life. For Alice, the ECLAT project of the NGO PADEM means a lot. “It opens up real opportunities for the children and they no longer live in a bubble without learning from the outside world. It is therefore with great pleasure that she became the Enovos ambassador for this project.
Enovos supports the NGO PADEM in the implementation of the project. In addition to Enovos’ support, employee donations have already reached €4000 – a big THANK YOU! The implementation of the project will start in January 2020 and will last 4 years. So there is still enough time to collect many more donations.
You too can make a donation to the NGO PADEM. Whether you want to help out, as a Christmas present or to make a big impact with a small amount. Don’t forget to mention the keyword Alice Zogo with your donation. For more information: padem.org
