Dr. Emmanuel Tetka Tetka: “Giving Hope To Street Children”

Societé
Brenda YUFEH NCHEWNANG-NGASSA | 16-02-2017 16:42

Medical Practitioner, Yaounde.

What motivated you to create the group or foundation called “Family Street”?

In a world dominated by violence and war, our country Cameroon, against all odds, succeeds in the tremendous achievement of living in peace and stability. Youth in general and those in the streets in particular, are mostly exposed to multiple problems. It is within this backdrop that I and some friends found it judicious in 2015 to create the group baptised “Family Street” with main objective to give the possibility to all young Cameroonian, orphans who are oppressed or ill-treated to benefit from a family environment while guaranteeing them a framework for better health, education and socio-cultural empowerment, knowing that the future of the country is in the hands of young people. We want to give hope particularly to street children. Family Street does not have the support of any governmental or non-governmental organization. Our actions are based on the voluntary commitment of all its members.  

What are your principal activities and where do you carry them out?

Our main activity is to create a platform of exchange between young people through sports events, public debates on different awareness topics, health conference on the dangers of drugs and alcohol consumption. We support all foundations or groups with whom we share same ideologies. We also donate gifts to orphanages. Our foundation also accompanies young orphans and other homeless children through well-developed programmes that guarantee their good health and proper education.  We also promote values like that of living together. United within our foundation, we carry out activities geared towards the peaceful development of our beautiful country Cameroon. Our activities have so far been carried out in Yaounde but we hope to expand to all the nooks and crannies of Cameroon.

How does your profession as a medical doctor help you in executing the goals of Family Street?

I graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the Université des Montagnes in Banganté, West Region in 2013 and had the privilege to work for more than 18 months with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the East Region. I worked with the urgency of assisting Central African refugees and I was able to improve my skills in human resources management and community health. It is not very easy to remain a clinician at all times, but I do believe that in a country where 80 per cent of the population is poor, it is more judicious for me to direct my strength towards a preventive than a curative medicine knowing that the preventive medicine remains a better means of sensitization against several diseases in the country.  With our 2017 plan of action, I think I can live up to this initiative without leaving the clinical side of my profession.