About CYSD

A youth-led organization building self-sustaining futures.

The Centre for Youth and Sustainable Development (CYSD) is a registered Cameroonian nonprofit founded in 2019, working at the intersection of education, digital opportunity, and community resilience.

Buea, Cameroon

Who we are

From one classroom to a movement.

The Centre for Youth and Sustainable Development (CYSD) is a registered Cameroonian nonprofit organization founded in 2019. Our mission is to advance equitable access to education, digital opportunity, sustainable livelihoods, and community well-being for vulnerable populations, particularly youth, women, and children in underserved and crisis-affected communities.

Registered under Reg. No. 654/G37/C80/VOL.I/SASC, CYSD was established in response to growing socio-economic inequalities affecting marginalized communities in Cameroon, including barriers to quality education, youth unemployment, digital exclusion, energy poverty, and limited livelihood opportunities.

Since its founding, CYSD has evolved into a youth-led social innovation organization delivering practical, community-centered interventions that equip beneficiaries with the tools, skills, and support systems needed to build resilient, self-sustaining futures.

2019 Founded, registered under Cameroonian law 654/G37/C80/VOL.I/SASC

3,270+ Beneficiaries reached directly since founding

3 Strategic program pillars guiding our work today

6 Partner organizations supporting our programs

Our vision

Communities where opportunity reaches everyone.

To build communities where literacy, well-being, and economic independence are accessible to all, especially the most vulnerable.

Our mission

Equipping people with what they need to thrive.

To drive lasting change by equipping communities, especially youth, women, and children, with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need for improved literacy, personal well-being, and economic self-sufficiency.

Governance & safeguards

Our Policies.

PSEA Policy

Our commitment to preventing sexual exploitation and abuse across all programs, partnerships, and staff conduct.

Safeguarding & AAP Policy

Protecting children and vulnerable beneficiaries, and ensuring accountability to the communities we serve.

Anti-Corruption Policy

Our standards for financial integrity, transparency, and zero tolerance for bribery or misuse of resources.

Whistleblowing Policy

A safe, confidential channel for staff, partners, and community members to report concerns without fear of reprisal.

What guides us

Our core values.

Inclusion

We prioritize reaching underserved, crisis-affected, and hard-to-reach populations.

Transparency

We maintain openness and honesty in all partnerships, finances, and reporting.

Accountability

We remain answerable to beneficiaries, partners, and donors for measurable impact.

Sustainability

We design interventions that create long-term resilience beyond one-time assistance.

Why CYSD exists

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Across many underserved communities in Cameroon, children remain out of school, young people face chronic unemployment, women and girls struggle with limited access to dignity resources, and entire communities are excluded from the digital and economic opportunities shaping the modern world.

Rural isolation, conflict-related displacement, poor infrastructure, and limited household income continue to widen the gap between vulnerable populations and essential opportunities for growth.

CYSD exists to close these gaps through practical, scalable, innovation-driven solutions that empower communities not merely to survive, but to thrive.

Leadership

Founder & Executive Director.

Oforka Anslem

Founder / Executive Director

Oforka Anslem is a Cloud Network Engineer, educator, and social development leader with an interdisciplinary background spanning technology, management science, teaching, and grassroots community development.

After early vocational training in computer maintenance and networking, financial hardship temporarily interrupted his direct path into computer engineering. He went on to earn both a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Management Science, while continuing to build his technical skills through independent study, paid courses, and online learning. He has also served as a university and secondary school instructor in management and marketing.

The creation of CYSD was inspired by the prolonged Anglophone crisis in Cameroon, which pushed thousands of children in rural and conflict-affected communities out of formal education. Having personally experienced the life-changing value of education after years of hardship, Oforka was compelled to establish temporary learning spaces for children with no access to school. He later expanded CYSD into a broader platform bridging education access, digital inclusion, and livelihood readiness.

Governance

Board of Directors.

Dr. Mbinkar Benard

President

Dr. Neba Buwah

Vice President

Barr. Cynthia Akueya N.

Board Chair

Laye Mbunkur

Secretary General

Evelyne Fonkeng

Treasurer

Our partners

Collaborators who help us go further.

Benevity

GlobalGiving

Rotary E-Club of Raleigh

SolarBuddy

Movendi International

Informatik für Afrika

Where we work

Rooted in Cameroon's hardest-to-reach communities.

CYSD works primarily in underserved, hard-to-reach, and crisis-affected communities across Cameroon, with particular emphasis on rural and education-deprived populations.

Head office

Wona Mavio, Mile 18
Buea, Cameroon