About Us
Centre for Research on Child and Family Development and Education(CRCFDE)
The centre is a research and service facility providing usable materials, guidance, and research on child and adolescent development and education. Our work is founded on the principle that understanding human development requires examining it within the context of a person’s immediate environment, as we believe the context is as important as the individual.
We’ve identified a significant lack of research into the development and education of children across the diverse multicultural and ethnic groups in Cameroon. While these communities have distinct child-rearing practices based on their unique customs and beliefs, they also share profound commonalities. For instance, across Africa, children are widely regarded as priceless gifts and a vital link to the future.
A society’s cultural values and its vision for adulthood fundamentally shape how its children are raised. These indigenous perspectives have been largely neglected in research concerning Africa and other developing nations. Our centre is dedicated to studying these crucial influences to create a more authentic and relevant understanding of human development.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to understand child and family development within its unique cultural context and use this knowledge to create responsible pathways for sustainable education. We provide vital data and guidance to help vulnerable young people connect with their community’s values, empowering them with the skills to not only thrive but also to become active participants in building their own communities. We champion an approach to care and education that is deeply rooted in the way of life of the people we serve.
Vision Statement
We envision a future where all children, youth, and families are empowered through culturally-grounded education and psychosocial support, ensuring their sustainable well-being.
Our Core Programmes and Services
Our work is organized across nine interconnected domains, each addressing a critical aspect of development and well-being through research, training, and community outreach.
Childhood Development and Education (CDE)
This is our baseline service, designed to explore indigenous and local knowledge on development and education issues. We aim to highlight a third-world orientation to understanding child development, focusing on cognitive development and pedagogy within the multicultural contexts of Cameroon and Africa. This programme showcases the values and beliefs that guide child-rearing and also focuses on the cultural transition from childhood to adolescence.
Adolescent Development and Education (ADE)
Our goal here is to help resolve the enormous crises adolescents face through targeted research, education, and training. We focus on facilitating the transition to adulthood, especially marriage and parenthood, which are primary marks of responsibility in African communities. This involves providing crucial data on local knowledge, values, beliefs, and traditions to prepare youth for their future responsibilities.
Health and Family Wellbeing (HFW)
We work to ensure a healthy environment for learning and development by addressing the devastating impacts of violence, poverty, hunger, and disease on Africa’s youth. Our research seeks to find culturally and contextually-bound preventive measures for diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria. This service includes training caregivers and health personnel, as well as building capacity for adolescents to understand sexuality, relationships, marriage, and parenthood.
Special Needs and Inclusion (SNI)
This programme focuses on the wide diversity of children and adolescents with exceptional needs in Cameroon and Africa, including those with disabilities and the gifted. Recognizing that concrete action is needed, we focus on research, training, and capacity building to improve support for these individuals, their parents, and their teachers. This service also includes support for other disadvantaged groups like orphans, street children, and women.
Family Education and Training (FET)
This service is concerned with research and training to guide adolescents through the transition to adulthood, using ideal examples from the cultural environment. The aim is to maintain African family culture and its prized moral values. We provide data and capacity building for decision-making on careers, life partners, and family life, and offer diverse skills in parenting and child-rearing from a cultural-historical perspective.
Cognitive Development and Pedagogy (CDP)
This is a research-focused service aimed at highlighting cultural orientations and teaching methods (pedagogy) that enhance the cognitive development of children and adolescents in traditional African societies. We focus on the development of “theory of mind” and how it improves through adolescence, with an orientation towards building relationships and planning for the future.
Child Protection and Advocacy (CPA)
Through this service, we are committed to research, training, and outreach on critical issues like child sexual abuse, torture, trafficking, and labour. We are also dedicated to understanding the needs of and sourcing rehabilitation for street children, orphans, and other vulnerable young people.
Education in Emergencies and Crises (EEC)
We are committed to working with people affected by crises and emergencies, such as armed conflicts and health hazards. Providing education and psychosocial support for children and youths in these situations is of capital importance. This service includes conducting needs assessments and building the capacity of parents and teachers to provide that support to learners.
Gender Equity and Equality (GEE)
This service presents research that compares traditional and modern views of women’s and men’s gender roles, encouraging a thoughtful dialogue on how these perceptions have evolved. We explore the benefits of adapting gender roles for the sake of psycho-cultural sustainability, emphasising the importance of building on traditional strengths while adapting to contemporary needs.
Worldwide Research
Our work is organised across nine interconnected domains, each addressing a critical aspect of development and well-being. We conduct research, build capacity, and run community outreach to make a tangible impact.
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