Honouring 45-Year Legacy: CBC President Mandates Local Action On Disability Inclusion

In an appeal letter of July 14, 2026 addressed to all congregations, the Executive President of the Cameroon Baptist Convention, CBC, Rev. Dr. Teke John Ekema, called for an immediate, grassroots implementation of the recent Baptist World Alliance, BWA resolutions. On empowering people with disabilities and protecting vulnerable children in general.

BWA Resolution

The directive follows the BWA Global Council meeting held in Toronto, Canada, on July 8, 2026. Where global Baptist leaders adopted sweeping resolutions aimed at removing barriers and fostering inclusion for marginalized groups.

Dwindling Foreign Funding

Faced with a shrinking global funding landscape, Dr. Ekema challenged local churches to look inward rather than relying on foreign assistance. He emphasized that the ministry of Jesus Christ depends on the compassion and existing resources of local believers. Stating, "No church is too poor to listen, visit, welcome, pray, protect, advocate, and love."

For the CBC, this call to action is not a new theological direction, but the continuation of a historic legacy. The CBC has long been a pioneer of disability inclusion in Central Africa. In 1980, the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services, CBCHS officially launched its dedicated services for persons with disabilities. Over the decades, through landmarks like the Socioeconomic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, SEEPD programme. And enduring partnerships with global bodies like the Christian Blind Mission, CBM since 1981, the CBC has worked to transform how society views specialized care.

Not Charity, Isolation Model

Historically, many communities in the region operated under a "charity or isolation model." Whereby children with disabilities were hidden out of social stigma or entirely dependent on external missionary centers. The CBC was instrumental in shifting this narrative toward Community-Based Rehabilitation, CBR. By advocating that individuals with disabilities are equal, capable citizens who belong in mainstream classrooms, workplaces, and church leadership roles. Now, in 2026, as international donor landscapes tighten, the CBC is calling on its local congregations to sustain the very legacy that it spent nearly half a century building.

Rather than centralizing funds at the CBC headquarters in Bamenda, the executive mandate directs individual congregations to mobilize their own offerings to address immediate community needs. Dr. Ekema outlined a specific six-point action plan: Identify and train committed church members at the Rehabilitation Training Centre of Excellence, Ombe- Mutengene in the South West Region

Recruit specialized social workers trained in Community-Based Rehabi...