A 20-YEAR PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE AIR FRANCE FOUNDATION AND THE HENRI DUMONT SCHOOL COMPLEX

On 15 February, the Air France Foundation, together with the local Air France establishment, celebrated their 20-year partnership with the Henri Dumont School Complex in Douala, in Cameroon.

The main ambition of this partnership initiated in 2000 is to enable children enrolled through to the end of their primary education at Henri Dumont school to pursue their studies up to their final year. Another objective is to turn this school into a major reference centre for schooling and education.

Over 20 years, the Air France Foundation's participation in the development projects undertaken by the school, located in a disadvantaged area, has amounted to over 272,000 euros.

This funding has been used to purchase land, the construction and finishing work on two buildings as well as the furnishing and layout of classrooms. The school has also been able to purchase a minibus to transport the children to activities and cultural and sports events.

Thanks to the Foundation's support over the years, Henri Dumont school, which initially had 68 pupils enrolled, currently has the means to educate more than 2,000 students, and turn it into a recognized centre of knowledge, with sustainable infrastructure.

THE AIR FRANCE CORPORATE FOUNDATION – A FOUNDATION COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING CHILDREN

The Air France Foundation was set up in 1992 by Air France. A pioneer in the field of corporate foundations, it chose to support children in need, a cause close to the heart of company staff. For more than 27 years, it has examined, selected and financed projects helping children and young people who are sick, disabled or in great difficulty, in countries where Air France operates. Since 1992, the Air France Foundation has financed 1,477 projects that can be consulted on the fondation.airfrance.com website.

THE HENRI DUMONT SCHOOL COMPLEX

The Henri Dumont school complex is located in an impoverished neighbourhood in the suburbs of Douala. It aims to provide schooling and an education to young people from disadvantaged areas. In 2000, the school's 68 students were only enrolled through to the end of primary school, but today, it is a genuine school complex catering to over 2,000 students from primary school up to baccaulauréat level, with an outstanding exam success rate! In 2011, the school proudly saw off its first students of school-leaving age. In Douala, very few students are lucky enough to be enrolled in full-time education. The Henri Dumont school complex offers a quiet learning environment, in adapted facilities with playground areas. The project supported this year involves converting and fully equipping the school's chemistry-biology, physics and maths labs and IT and multimedia classrooms.