Bui-born businessman, philanthropist and humanitarian Leh Fedrick has provided school materials to 2,000 less privileged and internally displaced children from Bui Division living in Bamenda, ahead of the 2026/2027 academic year.
The exercise, which took place on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at the GS Military Field in Upstation Bamenda, marked the 12th edition of his annual back-to-school support programme.
Organised through the Mother of All Nations Foundation, the initiative was held under the patronage of Minister Vivian Asheri Kilo, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Basic Education and a Bui elite.
The support is intended to ease the burden on families as they prepare their children for the new school year. The beneficiaries received school bags, exercise books, pencils, pens, rulers and erasers, while scholarships were also awarded to deserving pupils for the 2026/2027 academic year.
Speaking at the event, Leh Fedrick said his motivation comes from the desire to put smiles on the faces of others, especially children whose circumstances could otherwise affect their education.
“I only smile when I put smiles on the faces of others,” he said, while urging Bui elites and other well-wishers to continue investing in the education of children.
Leh noted that the programme has grown over the years, encouraged by the academic performance and progress of many of the children who have benefited from the initiative. He stressed that his humanitarian interventions have not been limited to education.
Over the past 12 years, his foundation has also carried out activities in youth empowerment, agriculture and healthcare, including support to health facilities, the distribution of fertilisers to farmers and food assistance during difficult farming periods.
The event brought together several personalities from Bui Division, including former Governor Fai Yengo Francis, who praised the initiative as an important investment in the future of the division.
He called on parents, teachers and community leaders to reject anything that keeps children away from school, stressing that education must remain a priority despite the difficulties faced by communities in the North-West Region.
Vivian Asheri Kilo, who has taken part in the programme for the second consecutive year, described the initiative as a practical demonstration that no child should be left behind.
She called for schools across the region to reopen fully for the September 2026 academic year and appealed for children to be kept away from political and security disputes.
For many parents, the assistance came as a major relief at a time when the cost of preparing children for school continues to rise.
Michael Fonyuy, a parent from Mbam-Nkum in Bui Division, said the donation would help many families meet some of the financial demands of the new school year. He also noted that participation in the programme had increased compared with previous editions.
Leh Fedrick urged the children not to allow poverty, displacement or difficult circumstances to determine their future. He encouraged them to remain in school, work hard and stay focused on their ambitions.
Bui Division has been the epicenter of the Anglophone crisis marked by a massive displacement of learners and teachers from a place which was hitherto known as the centre of Education in the North West.
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