The path to a truly inclusive society is rarely accidental — it is built, step by deliberate step, by those unwilling to wait for change to arrive on its own. This past month, the Inclusive Development Network (INDEV) demonstrated exactly that kind of resolve, spearheading a landmark Neurodivergent Awareness Campaign under the theme: “From Awareness to Action: Making Organisational Change Happen.”
What unfolded across two weeks was more than a series of events. It was a public statement — one that challenges Cameroon to move beyond conversation and toward the systemic transformation that neurodivergent individuals and their families have long deserved.
A Walk That Spoke Louder Than Words
The campaign launched on March 28th with an Awareness Walk that drew supporters, advocates, and community members into the streets at dawn. Beginning at Bongo Square and stretching to Checkpoint, participants carried with them something more powerful than placards: visibility.
In a society where neurodivergent children are too often kept in the margins — unseen, underserved, misunderstood — a crowd walking publicly in their honor sends an unmistakable message. Every child, regardless of neurological profile, belongs in this community. The walk made that statement impossible to ignore.
The Conference: Centering Humanity at the Heart of Advocacy
On April 2nd, the campaign’s momentum carried into an intellectually rigorous and emotionally resonant conference, held beside the SYNOD Office in Buea Town. Titled “Autism and Humanity: Every Life Has Value,” the event brought together an extraordinary gathering of expertise spanning four continents — with facilitators and panelists joining from Cameroon, Sweden, Italy, and the United States.
The presence of the Representative of the Governor for the South West Region elevated the occasion significantly. Government representation at this level is not symbolic — it signals institutional recognition that neurodiversity is a regional priority, and that the rights and dignity of neurodivergent citizens are now firmly on the policy agenda.
The Panel: A Community of Champions
The conference featured a distinguished panel of practitioners, advocates, and leaders whose combined experience bridged clinical expertise, grassroots advocacy, and international development:
- Babilama Lin Serge — Clinical Psychologist and Director, EDUC-REHAB
- Georgia Fru Mbah-Mbole — CEO and Founder, Gleiche Foundation (Sweden)
- Biligha Paul — Executive Director, Jeanne D’Arc Foundation (Italy)
- Lois Achu — Licensed Master Social Worker, USA
- Bella Ayuk & Marilyne-B Eta Ayuketa — Protection Specialists and Disability Rights Advocates
Together, they brought depth, nuance, and global perspective to conversations that are often left too local — or left unspoken entirely.
The Leadership Behind the Movement: Fonyuy Betty Nancy
No account of this campaign is complete without acknowledging its architect. Fonyuy Betty Nancy, Founder and Director of INDEV Network, is a Special Educator, Speech Therapist, and Behavioral Therapist whose work has long exceeded the boundaries of a classroom.
What Betty has built with INDEV is not simply a school. It is a growing hub for systemic change — a place where the narrative around neurodivergence is being deliberately rewritten, from one of pity to one of potential. By mobilizing international facilitators, engaging local governance, and centering the voices of families, she is ensuring that schools, workplaces, and public institutions are not only aware of neurodivergent citizens — but actively equipped to include them.
Her vision is clear: awareness without action is insufficient. What INDEV is building is the infrastructure for something lasting.
A Word to Parents
To the parents who carry these stories quietly — because the world has not always made space for them — this campaign was built with you in mind.
Special needs parents often navigate their realities in isolation, not by choice, but because understanding is rare and community is hard to find. INDEV’s work is, at its core, an act of community-building. The silence is being replaced, deliberately, with connection, support, and shared purpose.
You are no longer navigating this alone.
What Comes Next
The work continues. INDEV invites the broader community to join the Inclusive Football Tournament, taking place at Buea Field Stadium on April 30th and May 2nd — a celebration of ability, belonging, and joyful participation.
Because inclusion should not only be discussed in conference halls. It should be lived, played, and felt.
For more information, contact INDEV Network at +237 657 09 1146 or visit the office beside the SYNOD Office in Buea Town.
Together, we are making organizational change happen — because every life has value.
