The University of Yaoundé 1 delivers its first cohort of "Sentinels of Change"

A strategic partnership between the Academy and Humanitarian Action

The event, which took place in Lecture Theatre 300, marks the success of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between UNICEF and the University of Yaoundé 1. This partnership has already led to significant progress, notably the establishment of a Centre for Children’s Rights.

Today, this collaboration is taking a new step forward by providing the country with specialists capable of combining scientific rigour with practical experience on the ground.

Understanding human nature to safeguard children’s rights

Present to hand over the certificates alongside the Secretary-General of the University of Yaoundé 1, Ms Nadine Perrault, UNICEF Representative in Cameroon, emphasised that development challenges are not merely logistical or financial; they are profoundly human.

“These professionals will really help to ensure that children’s rights are fully realised. Because they will help us understand the behaviours that either support or may have a negative impact on the realisation of children’s rights. “Whether it’s education, health or protection, there are always behaviours behind every challenge,” she said. “Take the example of mistrust towards vaccination: beyond economic barriers, these experts will enable us to analyse socio-cultural obstacles and find solutions so that every child, without exception, is protected.”

Two centres of excellence offering cutting-edge expertise

The certification highlighted two cornerstones of modern social work:

• Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation: To ensure the effectiveness of interventions through data.
• Applied Behavioural Sciences: To understand the decision-making processes within communities.

Professor Armand Leka Essomba, Head of the Department of Sociology, noted the exceptional enthusiasm generated by this course. In response to growing demand, the university is already considering a transition to a professional Master’s degree, making Yaoundé a regional centre of excellence in SBC.

The new paradigm: The era of ‘making do’

The ceremony was marked by a call for a more horizontal approach to development aid. Dr Sonia Natacha Avoulou, a social psychologist and graduate, summed up this shift in philosophy:

“It is no longer a question of imposing our own ideas on people. It is about working with them, involving them directly in the public policies that affect them.”

This vision is championed by the graduates themselves. For one of the cohort’s representatives, the time for improvisation is over:

“Change does not depend on good intentions, but on decisions informed by data.”

Ambassadors for equality on the ground

Among the new graduates, Aladin Tiamgne perfectly embodies this drive to take action. Specialising in gender equality issues, he aims to use his new skills to transform social relations:

“I want to give people the tools to understand that they are all equal and that everyone must play their part in the profound transformation of our country.”

“As doctors, our vocation is to save lives, and in our context, we still have many of our fellow citizens dying from preventable diseases. “This training will enable me to adopt the best approaches to help people adopt behaviours that are beneficial to their health,” said Dr Christelle Mpoulet, a doctor and one of the first cohort of graduates.

Professor Emile Kenmogne, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, issued a solemn challenge to this first cohort: to become role models.

“You are the ambassadors of change. I hope that this change will be immediately evident on campus, within your families and on the streets of our country.”

As the 50 graduates prepare to return to their respective communities, they take with them far more than just a certificate: they are now the bearers of a peaceful yet formidable weapon for Cameroon’s development: behavioural intelligence.