Why I chose to build a nonprofit school...

I come from many generations of women who’ve experienced great challenges yet despite these barriers, they've risen to become leaders of change, using their power for social good to improve lives and inspire many, especially girls & women. Their restlessness in the face of human suffering, injustice, and poverty, have led them to keep finding new pathways to remove barriers that stand in the way of people realizing their best potential.This family backdrop and influences, inspired me to have the courage to explore unconventional paths to make a difference in this world. Some examples include: sponsoring children to get an education, providing some basic necessities to families in need, inspiring others as a Girls School President, serving communities as a Deacon at Church, leading as a ruling Elder at Church, making an impact as a Co-Chair for a large Women Network association of over 9,500 members, cooking for the homeless, launching a campaign for Earth Day to help improve sanitation in a highly littered neighborhood, holding a managerial leadership role in engineering to help enable lives through technology.

So, back to my solo trip in 2019... I had just been nominated co-chair for the largest women network Association at work and I was  reflecting on issues affecting girls and women to identify where I could make an impact. On a personal level, I was also searching for answers to the question —  "what is the essence of my existence?" During this period of discernment, I read the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals report. I was shocked to learn that globally, 750 million adults – two thirds of them women – can’t read and half of the world’s illiterate population lives in South Asia, and a quarter in sub-Saharan Africa. These gaps inspired me to focus on bringing about a small, concrete change in the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal #4: Quality Education, which has the potential to immediately transform existing communities. This strategy inspired my bold, audacious dream to build a self-sustaining nonprofit school to improve access to quality education, leading to the birth of Nina Angels Academy.

 Nina Angels Academy (NAA) is a self-sustaining nonprofit co-educational secondary and high school established to increase access to quality education for children in underserved communities, while fostering academic excellence and promoting strong moral values. To achieve this vision, creating a safe and healthy learning environment—which is fundamental to its success—is a core priority.

Nina Angels Academy is located on a hill in the city of Yaoundé, Cameroon. As Desmond Tutu once said, 'Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.'

The name Nina was inspired by the meaning of my name Nina, an African traditional name that means "mother". Nina also has the following meaning in different languages: Swahili: ”mother”; Spanish: “little girl/woman”; Arabic: ”friend”; Hebrew: "God has shown favor”. Angels was sparked by the concept of a fairy godmother found in fairy tales which is what the academy hopes to achieve - inspire others to do good in the world. Academy was to reflect that the facility is an academic environment.

The Nina Angels Academy nonprofit "giving back" project was designed architecturally according to my specifications and is being built under the supervision of the Cameroon-based consulting firm New Pace Engineering (NPE). NPE specializes in construction materials quality for commercial buildings and roadworks. The project kicked off in January 2020, creating local job opportunities, and I am deeply grateful to all the engineers, architects, project managers, and construction teams working tirelessly to bring this vision to life.

What are some of the barriers to children's education ?

• Access and high costs.
• Underpaid teachers & staff.
• Lack of supplies and proper learning materials.
• Inadequate facilities.
• Limited technology infrastructure.
• Safety concerns. 

Using LOVE as a force for good, we can help break these barriers to make a positive difference in the world because like Maya Angelou once said, "Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls, to arrive at its destination of hope". This also ring true in a Bible passage that states: "LOVE bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. LOVE never fails." – 1st Corinthians 13:7.

A WORD OF GRATITUDE – I want to extend my deepest appreciation and gratitude to all those who’ve stood by me along this incredible journey. My son, Babila Lima, a light in my world and an amazing young man who constantly inspires me to keep marching forward in the direction of my dreams. My incredible mother, Ms. Ama Agnes, a philanthropist who donated a lot of resources to support my vision. My dad, Dr. Ekay, who was awarded the highest Civil Engineering honors in the country and donated his engineering expertise and time to oversee the construction of the school. I also want to thank the amazing construction team, my family, my friends, and members of my church community who have stood by me throughout this journey, providing tremendous support and encouraging feedback.Thank You.