Beyond Disability: CJARC Beneficiaries Master Tech, Agriculture, Entrepreneurship

The Club des Jeunes Aveugles Réhabilités du Cameroun, CJARC, officially marked its 38th anniversary on Tuesday, August 4, 2026 in its headquarters in Ekie, Yaounde. The milestone event brought together institutional leadership, foreign dignitaries, board members, staff, partners, and visually impaired beneficiaries. To reflect on nearly four decades of grassroots advocacy, social inclusion, and vocational training.

Resilience, Inclusion, Autonomy

Celebrated on the themes of standing firm, resilience, inclusion, autonomy, and perseverance, the event served as both a retrospective of the institution’s history. And a springboard toward its upcoming 40th anniversary in 2028.

Addressing the gathering, Coco Bertin, Founder and Director General of CJARC, outlined the organization’s humble beginnings and significant expansion. What started in a modest 40-square-meter bedroom in his parents' house in Mkar - and later moved to a small space in Essos, Yaounde - has expanded into a four-building complex in Yaounde.

"When we launched the construction work, the premier building covered 200 square meters on the ground," Coco Bertin recalled. "People asked what we would do with so much space, but today we have four buildings on-site and we are forced to face the fact that there is no more space. The projects are numerous, and we no longer know where to house them."

And Hardship

Coco Bertin recounted pivotal trials faced by the organization over the decades. Including financial distress, lack of payroll funds for CJARC’s nearly 90 staff members, and personal dangers. Such as an armed bank robbery in 1992 involving himself and co-founder Martin Luther.

Despite these challenges, he emphasized that moments of joy, such as visits from high-ranking government officials and First Lady Chantal Biya. Along with the inauguration of new facilities, have far outweighed the difficulties.

A core highlight of the 38th anniversary event was the recognition of visually impaired individuals who recently completed specialized computer literacy training organized by CJARC. Dinley Gérard, a 54-year-old training recipient, described the certificate as a major turning point toward personal independence.

"Through this training, which has allowed us to try our hand at IT tools, it is a real leap toward the future," Gérard stated. "We are truly emerging from illiteracy, because illiteracy in the 21st Century applies to all those who do not use IT tools. It is a high level of autonomy that we have just acquired." He urged individuals with visual or auditory impairments who are unaware of CJARC's services to join the institution to achieve self-reliance.

Speaking on behalf of the organization's leadership, Jean Libom Li Likeng, Board Chair of CJARC, and other key representatives, emphasized that CJARC has established an inclusive platform. That restores human dignity through academic, vocational, and agricultural education.

In addition to classroom instruction and IT literacy, CJARC runs specialized agricultural and livestock projects managed by visually impaired individuals.

"These people you see without sight run poultry farms and count eggs without breaking them; they cultivate pineapples, pl...