Yollande Azambou

Growing up as one of five sisters, I always felt a quiet sense of difference — a pull toward something I couldn't yet name. When I moved to Yaoundé, my goal was simple: focus, study hard, and build a future through academic excellence.

 

Then life interrupted my plans. Two years after my move, I lost my father. It was the kind of loss that doesn't just break your heart — it dismantles everything you thought was certain. I had my GCE, but no guidance, no clear path forward, and a grief I had to carry largely alone.

 

Out of that uncertainty, I found purpose. I began teaching, and it was there, standing in front of classrooms full of bright, eager young people, that I saw my own story reflected back at me — in students who had the potential but lacked the direction, the resources, and the support to move forward. I realized that my experience was not unique. Thousands of young Cameroonians face the same crossroads.

 

That realization changed everything. Through my connection with students and my encounter with Mr. Bill and the TIC Foundation's mission, I found a community that shared my conviction: that every young person deserves a chance to discover their potential. I began my journey with the TIC Foundation working on the TIC Summit — an experience that lit something in me I hadn't expected. Over the years, that spark grew into a calling. I gradually took on greater responsibility, eventually becoming National Coordinator for the TIC Summit, empowering students and teams across multiple regions of Cameroon. Watching young people step onto a stage, find their voice, and dare to dream bigger than their circumstances — that never gets old.

 

I joined the broader Open Dreams community, which expanded my vision even further and showed me just how many ways there are to serve, to uplift, and to invest in the future of Cameroon's youth.

 

The road is not always easy. But I carry my father's memory with me in everything I do. His absence taught me that life is fragile and time is precious — and that the greatest thing I can offer the next generation is what I once needed most: someone in their corner.