Education In The Crossfire: How A Heifer Gift Continues To Offer Hope Amidst War

December 29, 2025, Bainjong, Cameroon: In the rugged highlands of Cameroon’s North West Region, the morning mist used to lift to the rhythmic tinkling of cowbells, the sound of the Mbororo people moving with their herds. For generations, this was the only rhythm of life the community knew - a nomadic existence dictated by the needs of their livestock and the whims of the weather. 
But in the village of Bainjong, Fundong, a different sound began to echo through the valleys and hillsides two decades ago. It was the rustle of paper, the scratching of pencils, and the chatter of children in classrooms. This was not a natural evolution; it was a revolution, seeded by the arrival of Heifer International - years before.

Since Shutting Down
It is already 10 years since Heifer International Cameroon packed its bags, closing a 41-year chapter in the Central African nation on December 31, 2015. The physical footprint of the charity has faded, the official projects shuttered, and the staff have since moved on with their lives. Yet, in the space between a quiet village now ravaged by region-wide armed conflict and a bustling university in the capital city, Yaounde, the true harvest of that work is finally being reaped.

Not Only About Cattle, Crops 
The legacy of Heifer is no longer measured just in the weight of cattle or the yield of crops, but in the dreams of a young woman named Hure Hamidou Abdu. She is the granddaughter of one of the herders, the late Ardo Buba. Hure is today a third-year Journalism student walking the halls of the Advanced School of Mass Communication, ASMAC of the University of Yaounde II in the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde. She represents the alchemy of aid: how the gift of a cow can, over time, transmute into the gift of a voice.
This is the story of how a single organization turned a page on centuries of tradition, and how that page refuses to be turned back, even when the lights go out and the armed conflict in English-speaking Cameroon rages on. Since 2016.

Heifer’s Sensitization  
Hure’s father, Amidu Abdu, a 55-year-old cattle farmer, remembers the days when Heifer International Cameroon was a palpable force in his community. "Heifer trained me in pasture improvement," he recalls, "while our late father, Ardo Buba, received Boran beef cows from Heifer."
For Amidu and his family, the intervention was transformative. But the most profound gift was not the livestock itself; it was the enlightenment regarding the value of education. Heifer’s field staff, including the Dr. Mopoi Nuwanyakpa (the then Country Representative); his successor, Prof. Njwe Reuben, Dr. Akob Jane, the local Heifer Project Coordinator… did more than teach agriculture. They sensitized the Mbororo community - a traditionally nomadic people - on the importance of sending their children to school. "Thanks to Heifer, we Fulani people have come to understand the importance of education," Amidu says.

The Conflict Interrupts 
The transition from a nomadic life to a settled, sedentary lifestyle was encouraged by Heifer, and for a time, it flourished. The State even established two secondary schools in Bainjong - one grammar and one technical.
However, progress has been violently curtailed by the armed conflict that has rocked the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon since 2016. Amidu explains that the turmoil has decimated their livestock holdings. "Unfortunately, because of the armed conflict... we no longer have purebred Borans. Only the crossbreeds are left."
More tragically, the violence forced a mass exodus from the villages. "Our children have had to flee the village to town to be able to continue with their education," Amidu laments. "We have suffered so much."

A Female Journalist Is Born!
Despite the displacement and the financial strain of renting lodging and feeding children in the city, Amidu remains steadfast in his commitment to education, a resolve he credits directly to Heifer’s sensitization.
That resolve has borne fruit. Amidu is the proud father of 22 children from four wives. One of them, Hure Hamidou Abdu - the daughter of his fourth wife - is now a third-year Journalism student in the Advanced School of Mass Communication, ASMAC of the University of Yaounde II. Six of her younger sisters are also in high school in Yaounde.
"Hure is a source of pride to the Mbororo community," Amidu says. "These days, no Mbororo parent keeps their child at home."
Reflecting on his own life, Amidu acknowledges the shift in mindset. "I was a little stubborn earlier in life, marrying four wives with 22 children! This, I attribute to lack of education. Were it not for Heifer’s sensitization, I will be in a worse situation today."

The Teacher And Student 
The ripple effects of Heifer International Cameroon’s work often circle back in unexpected ways. Kimeng Hilton Ndukong, who served as the pioneer Project Assistant for Public Relations and Publicity at Heifer Cameroon from 2000 to 2004, is a testament to the organization’s training methods.
Kimeng recalls a specific "Training Of Trainers" workshop organized in July or August 2000, facilitated by a trainer from Heifer&rsq...