In September 2025, during the last weekend of the term, Togeva and the BNM Foundation hosted the Back to School and Orientation Program in Bamenda — Togeva Orientation Season 2. Students arrived for school supplies and left with something just as valuable: a clearer picture of where their studies could take them.
This is our report on what we did, who we reached, how the program was funded, and what we learned.
Purpose of the program
The Back-to-School and Career Orientation Program was designed to support students in underserved communities by providing essential school supplies and offering career guidance to help them navigate their academic and professional journeys. In collaboration with the BNM Foundation, the program set out to equip students with tools for both academic success and career development.
Three ideas guided the day: every child deserves the chance to be guided, orientation should be driven by data, and digital tools can make guidance reach further.
Our vision for back-to-school programs
At Togeva, our vision goes beyond providing school supplies. We see these programs as a gateway to opportunity, inspiration, and empowerment. We envision a future where:
- Every child starts the year prepared with the materials needed to succeed.
- Students receive early career guidance that connects what they learn to future opportunities.
- Mentorship is accessible, inspiring, and guiding young learners.
- Young people are inspired to give back, building a culture of service and leadership.
— Yunwen Eric, CEO, Togeva
Who we served and the challenges they face
The program primarily targeted secondary school students from Form 1 through Upper Sixth, from communities that face challenges in accessing educational resources and career guidance. It also engaged parents, educators, and young professionals looking for mentorship and career advice.
We set out to address three challenges:
- Limited resources: many students in conflict-affected regions lack basic school supplies.
- Lack of career guidance: students often have little direction in choosing a career path.
- Absence of mentorship: students have few role models or mentors to guide them.
Our partners
Togeva helps young people find purpose, discover themselves, and build meaningful careers while giving back to their communities, through collaborative and innovative solutions. Togeva led the orientation sessions and the AI-assisted career recommendations.
The BNM Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on empowering youth through education, career development, and mentorship. Sharing our mission of fostering educational and professional success, the Foundation played a key role in the program by contributing expertise and resources.
Form 1 to Form 5 orientation
For these levels, orientation focused on general career recommendations. Our belief is simple: by the time students reach Form 5, they should have a clear vision of how to pursue their chosen career.
36+ students took part: 8 in Form 1, 5 in Form 2, 3 in Form 3, 12 in Form 4 and 8 in Form 5.
Lower and Upper Sixth orientation
Lower Sixth students received guidance on choosing a suitable series based on their Form Five performance and their survey responses, with Arts students directed towards A series and Science students towards S series. Upper Sixth students learned about academic pathways in Cameroon and abroad, to encourage greater effort going into the new academic year.
26+ students took part across Lower and Upper Sixth, with Upper Sixth making up the majority.
Personalised career recommendations
Each student received a tailored career recommendation generated by Togeva Orientation AI from their academic results and their answers to our orientation survey. A typical recommendation includes observations on the student’s academic strengths and personal interests, followed by career paths that match them.
For example, one student with strong results in Computer Science, Commerce, Literature and History, and a passion for building apps, solving puzzles and protecting the environment, was pointed towards software development and computer engineering, product and UX design, environmental and green engineering, and health informatics.
Funding and expenditure
The program was funded from three sources, for a total of 146,500 XAF:
- Togeva: 80,000 XAF
- BNM Foundation: 40,000 XAF
- Crowdfunding: 26,500 XAF
Most of the funds went into school supplies distributed to students (amounts in XAF):
- 200-leaf ledgers: 35,009
- 80-leaf exercise books: 27,009
- 300-leaf ledgers: 17,501
- Rulers: 9,616
- Sharpeners: 7,505
- Bic pens: 7,002
- Bic ABC pens: 5,209
- Erasers: 5,005
- Pencils (green): 4,002
- Ream of paper: 3,001
- Pencils (yellow): 2,509
Challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations
- Financial challenges: our goal was to fully equip every student, but limited resources meant we could only provide the basics.
- Primary school data gap: a few primary school pupils took part, but generating their recommendations was difficult because our AI model was not trained for that level. This is something we plan to address.
- Stakeholder engagement: we expected a representative from the Regional Delegation for Secondary Education, but they were unable to attend. We aim to strengthen collaboration with such stakeholders in future editions.
Conclusion
The Back-to-School and Orientation Program was a meaningful step towards making sure students are not only prepared with supplies, but also guided towards informed career paths. Despite financial limits and a few logistical challenges, the event equipped learners, inspired them through mentorship, and fostered a spirit of community responsibility.
We are deeply grateful to our partner, the BNM Foundation, whose collaboration made this initiative possible. Special thanks also go to our volunteers, mentors, parents and community members whose dedication brought the program to life.
This is only the beginning. Together, we can keep expanding opportunities, building stronger partnerships, and empowering young learners to pursue their dreams with confidence.
See more photos from the day in our gallery .