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What we do · Twelve living programs

Programs we run & support.

From a scholarship that has put Nkwen children through school every year for two decades, to a Silver Jubilee convention this July — here is the working life of NCDA-USA, in the diaspora and at home.

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12

Active programs

100+

Pupils funded / yr

6

U.S. chapters

25

Years of service

Four pillars

Everything we do sits on four foundations.

Education, culture, community, and development — the four words our founders wrote into the charter in 2001, and the four we still measure every program against.

Education

Scholarships, tutoring, and college guidance from kindergarten in Nkwen to graduate school in America.

Culture

Language, regalia, dance, and the wisdom of the Fondom — preserved in living practice, not just in archives.

Community

Births, weddings, illnesses, farewells — we show up for one another and for new arrivals from home.

Development

Water, health, and infrastructure projects channelled directly to the village of Nkwen, Bamenda III.

Flagship programs

The three commitments at our core.

If NCDA-USA only ever did three things, these would be them — and we have done them for twenty-five years.

Flagship

NCDA GCE Scholarship Board

Putting Nkwen children through school — every year, without fail.

Our oldest and most sacred commitment. Each year the Scholarship Board awards full and partial scholarships to Nkwen primary, secondary, and GCE-qualifying students — funded by member dues, the annual gala, and dedicated donors. No deserving child is turned away for lack of fees.

  • 100+ Nkwen pupils supported every academic year
  • Funded by member contributions and gala proceeds
  • Awards announced at the Annual National Convention
  • Priority for orphans, vulnerable youth, and top GCE candidates
100+ youth / yearDonate to scholarships
Flagship

Annual National Convention

Five days every July when the diaspora becomes a village again.

Our flagship four-to-five day homecoming, hosted by a different chapter each year. General Assembly, royal addresses, scholarship awards, sports tournaments, the cultural jamboree, achu and yellow soup, leadership elections, and the worship service that closes us out. It is where Nkwen-in-America renews its promises to Nkwen-at-home.

  • Michigan 2025 · DMV 2026 (Silver Jubilee) · rotating host
  • General Assembly + leadership elections
  • Royal address from the Paramount Fon or his envoy
  • Sports, cultural night, gala, and Sunday worship
500+ attendeesConvention 2026

The full programme

Nine more ways we show up — for Nkwen, every week of the year.

Beyond the flagship three, NCDA-USA runs or actively supports nine additional programs across our four pillars. Some are decades old; some are growing right now and could use your hand.

Seasonal · 2026

Silver Jubilee 25th Anniversary

Marking twenty-five years of NCDA-USA — 2001 to 2026.

A year-long celebration of a quarter century of diaspora service: the DMV-hosted convention (July 16–19), the Anniversary Gala in Los Angeles (August 1) honoring Dr. Mal Fobi, Dr. Tony Ndifor, and Mr. Martin Asang as True Heroes of Nkwen, and a coordinated giving campaign to fund the next twenty-five years.

  • •DMV Convention · July 16–19, 2026
  • •Anniversary Gala · Los Angeles · August 1, 2026
  • •Honoring three True Heroes of Nkwen
See anniversary events Pillar · Community
Active

Cultural Jamboree

Drums, regalia, Mbaghalum — Nkwen in full bloom.

The high point of convention week. Each chapter brings its dancers, drummers, and regalia. Elders take the high table, the talking drum speaks, and children born thousands of miles from the palace see — sometimes for the first time — exactly what it means to be Nkwen.

  • •Chapter-by-chapter cultural performances
  • •Traditional regalia, masquerades, and dance
  • •Public showcase open to friends and in-laws
Pillar · Culture
Active

Mehnkwen Language Classes

Keeping our mother tongue alive — over Zoom, across time zones.

Free virtual Nkwen-language classes, originally launched during COVID-19 by Mrs. Theresa Taminang and now part of our ongoing cultural programming. Open to members and their children. Paired with our on-site Learn Nkwen archive so families can study between sessions.

  • •Free, virtual, beginner-friendly
  • •Children + adult tracks
  • •Vocabulary, greetings, proverbs, and pronunciation
Start learning Nkwen Pillar · Culture
Active

Youth Tutoring & College Prep

SAT, ACT, FAFSA, essays — and the village in your corner.

Chapter-led tutoring circles in math, science, and writing — plus SAT/ACT prep and college admissions guidance for member youth. Mentors are drawn from our own ranks: Nkwen professionals, professors, and graduate students who once sat where these kids sit now.

  • •Peer-and-mentor model — Nkwen tutoring Nkwen
  • •SAT/ACT prep cycles
  • •College list, essay, and FAFSA support
Pillar · Education
Active

Village Development Partnership

Water, clinics, and infrastructure — built with the village, not for it.

We work hand-in-hand with the Nkwen Development Committee and the Paramount Fondom on prioritized village projects: the ongoing Nkwen Water Project, support for community schools and health posts, and rapid relief during crisis. Funds are channelled transparently and reported back to the General Assembly.

  • •Ongoing support for the Nkwen Water Project
  • •Donations to village schools and health posts
  • •Coordinated with the Nkwen Development Committee
Fund a project Pillar · Development
Active

Group Health & Wellness Briefings

Insurance, mental health, and chronic-care literacy for our families.

Periodic Zoom briefings led by Nkwen physicians, nurses, and insurance professionals. We cover group-rate insurance options for members and small-business owners, women's health, mental health and caregiver support, and the chronic conditions that hit our community hardest.

  • •Quarterly virtual briefings
  • •Group-rate insurance navigation
  • •Mental health and caregiver support
Pillar · Community
Active

Bereavement & Mutual Aid

When the worst happens, no Nkwen family stands alone.

A diaspora-wide mutual-aid response when a member loses a loved one: coordinated cash contributions, logistical help, traditional rites support, and presence at services. Chapters activate first; the national office coordinates across state lines and to the village when a body is returned home.

  • •Chapter-led emergency contributions
  • •Cross-state coordination for funerals
  • •Support for repatriation of remains
Pillar · Community
Growing

Mbiya Mengwi · Women's Circle

The mothers, sisters, and daughters who hold the village up.

An emerging national network of Nkwen women across chapters — focused on entrepreneurship, maternal health, mentorship for our girls, and cultural transmission in the home. Meets virtually between conventions and convenes in person each July.

  • •Mentorship for young Nkwen women
  • •Maternal and women's-health programming
  • •Small-business and entrepreneurship circles
Pillar · Community
Growing

Nkwen Youth Leadership

The next generation, learning to lead in two worlds at once.

A pipeline for diaspora-born youth into NCDA-USA service: cultural orientation, public-speaking workshops, leadership shadowing at convention, and a clear path to chapter and national roles. Because Nkwen will outlive every one of us only if our children claim it as their own.

  • •Youth track at every annual convention
  • •Mentorship by sitting and past officers
  • •Public-speaking and event-planning labs
Pillar · Education
Active

Newcomer Welcome

Just arrived in America? You already have family here.

Every Nkwen son or daughter who lands in the United States — student, worker, or family — is met by their nearest chapter. Practical onboarding (housing leads, school enrollment, transportation, immigration referrals) and an immediate seat at the next gathering.

  • •Personal contact through your nearest chapter
  • •Practical onboarding in the first weeks
  • •Immediate invitation to chapter gatherings
Find your branch Pillar · Community
Members of NCDA-USA gathered at a chapter event

How the work gets funded

Member dues. Annual gala. You.

Every program above is funded by three things in this order: annual member dues across our six chapters, gala and convention proceeds, and direct gifts from friends of Nkwen — at home and abroad. We publish program updates at the General Assembly and report use of funds back to the membership each year.

  • Member dues fund the floor — scholarships, mutual aid, classes.
  • Gala + convention proceeds fund the visible work — events, jamboree, awards.
  • Direct gifts fund the leap — water projects, capital needs, emergencies.
Make a donationPay your duesBecome a member →

A working language · Mehnkwen

Programs in our own tongue

From the schoolyard in Nkwen to the Zoom room in Maryland — these are words we use when the programs above come to life.

  • Everyday

    Á pé

    Tap to translate →

    Everyday

    Thank you

    Say it: ah PAY

    Used freely — to a host, an elder, a stranger.

    ↺ Tap again to flip back

  • Blessing

    Nyàmbè á bɔ̀ŋ wèʼ

    Tap to translate →

    Blessing

    May God bless you

    Say it: NYAHM-bay ah BAWNG weh

    A parting blessing for travelers and the sick.

    ↺ Tap again to flip back

  • Culture

    Ǹdâ-bə̀ŋə̀

    Tap to translate →

    Culture

    House of the people

    Say it: en-DAH BUH-nguh

    A meeting house — the spirit behind every NCDA-USA chapter.

    ↺ Tap again to flip back

  • Blessing

    Nyàmbè

    Tap to translate →

    Blessing

    God / The Creator

    Say it: NYAHM-bay

    Named in prayer at gatherings and conventions.

    ↺ Tap again to flip back

  • Greeting

    Mbɔ́ŋò

    Tap to translate →

    Greeting

    Hello / Greetings

    Say it: em-BONG-oh

    The common greeting used when meeting another Nkwen person.

    ↺ Tap again to flip back

  • Proverb

    Mbə̀ŋə̀ wù mə̀, mbə̀ŋə̀ wù bə̀ŋə̀

    Tap to translate →

    Proverb

    My child is the village's child

    Say it: em-BUH-nguh woo muh, em-BUH-nguh woo BUH-nguh

    Proverb on collective responsibility for the next generation.

    ↺ Tap again to flip back

Help us keep the promises

Twelve programs. One village. Your name on the next one.

Whether you give an hour a month or underwrite a scholarship for the year, the work of NCDA-USA only continues because Nkwen sons and daughters in America decide, every year, that it must.

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