Love first for Cameroonian charity founder
On a trip to South Africa a few years ago, Jesse Carlton Ndongo, 21-year-old student from Cameroon, was touched by the large number of children he met who’d been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. He saw first-hand the pain and anguish they face, but also noticed that they seem to be neglected by the rest of society. He felt that he had to do something about it. So three years ago, he founded the Carlton Smile Charity on Easter Sunday.
The charity is already active in five African countries – Cameroon, Nigeria, Gabon, South Africa and Zimbabwe – and has plans to expand even further. Carlton tries to stand out from other organizations in that he doesn’t focus first on giving the kids material goods. Instead, his first priority is to show them love.
Listen to the report by Ngala Killian Chimtom in Yaoundé, Cameroon:
Carlton says the kids he meets in orphanages are often closer to the things in life that really matter (Photo: N. Chimtom)
Carlton has a team of volunteers who work in orphanages across five countries (Photo: N. Chimtom)
