Staff &
trainees outside the Rehabilitation Centre
First Biofarm
Graduates
Welcome to the SHUMAS website: We are an African NGO based in Bamenda, North West Province of Cameroon
SHUMAS promotes integrated sustainable rural development and our aim is to improve the overall living standards of poor disadvantaged people, in particular women and children. Currently we work mainly in the North West, Far North and littoral Regions though eventually, we hope to be able to operate throughout the country.
We are active in primary schooling, social welfare, agriculture, health care, women's issues, forestry and organic farming, adult literacy and many other areas.........
We work to reduce poverty and empower vulnerable groups irrespective of gender, status or tribe. We want to achieve these goals without exerting stress on the environment.
Additionally, we value support
from over 50 volunteers, both in Cameroon and abroad who give
services and technical expertise free of charge, We also work with
partner NGOs and the Cameroon Government.
One of our earliest and most important projects was the improvement
of rural school buildings many of which were in an appalling state of
repair.
In 2009 alone, over 3000 pupils in 12 schools benefitted from 66
classrooms, 10 toilet blocks, 250 school benches, regular drinking
water and various educational materials both for students and
teachers.
We value the help and
support we get from overseas charities like the UK's Building Schools
for Africa and Aidcamps International. Over many years now they give
support and organise volunteer workcamps working with and alongside
local people on our building projects.
Our Social Welfare programmes cover projects with physically and
mentally disabled people and leprosy victims who are often shunned by
society, 
and are left fending for themselves with
little or no support from the wider community.
SHUMAS aims to give physical and educational help (training on
self-reliance activities) as well as to work to change attitudes in
society.
During 2009 we relocated our Headquarters to a new building which,
most importantly, also houses our Rehabilitation Centre offering
training in life skills and income sources for people with special
needs.
Poor rural health is a serious issue in Cameroon - many areas rarely see doctors and there is a shortage of trained nursing staff. In collaboration with UK charity Spreading Health, SHUMAS is training medical staff committed to returning to work in their local areas. Ten students are currently in training and will provide much needed health improvement for poor rural communities.
Subsistence farmers are mainly women in our poor rural communities.
SHUMAS has many projects to empower women, helping them with literacy
and improving their farming and marketing methods. 27 Women's
Cooperatives are now engaged in income generating activities with our
Micro Credit schemes.
Last year we opened our Integrated Organic Farming Demonstration
Centre. This exciting project offers long and short courses on all
aspects of farming using sustainable environmentally friendly
methodology. 
The first batch or 31 trainee organic farmers
graduated from their 10 month course and returned to their
communities.
Eucalyptus planting by early missionaries was a disaster, a pilot
replacement phase began in 2000 with major replacements in 2006. The
project felled over 800000 trees and completed in 2009. 
Clearance helps to free land for cultivation,
regenerates soil and increases portable water supply to poor rural
communities.
At the same time we work with schools and local communities creating
tree nurseries to bring on appropriate replanting of indigenous
species.
Please now go to our Project pages to learn more about our work.
