Books and reference material
Building a professional library where almost no accessible specialist collection exists.
Three ways to help
What we actually need
Money is not always what we lack most. A gerontology textbook, a second-hand hospital bed, or three weeks of placement offered to a student: those contributions change the quality of our training immediately.
Teaching and care equipment
Letting students rehearse the movements before performing them on a real person. It does not have to be new.
Hosting students on placement
The most valuable and least costly contribution: opening your organisation or your home to a supervised placement.
In-kind contributions
A precise list, not a vague appeal
We would rather say exactly what is missing than ask in general terms. Second-hand equipment in working order is welcome — it is often the most effective contribution of all.
Priority 1
Books and reference material
- Gerontology and geriatrics — training manuals, handbooks of care for older people, texts on geriatric syndromes.
- Paediatric care and child development — infant care manuals, guides to stimulation and child nutrition.
- Basic nursing care — hygiene, infection prevention, moving and handling, wounds and pressure sores, clinical nutrition.
- Care and end of life — the palliative approach, communication with the person and the family, ethics of care.
- Anatomy and physiology — atlases and illustrated texts, particularly useful in initial training.
- Professional documentation — journal subscriptions, occupational standards, best-practice guidance.
Recent editions are preferable for care protocols, but a twenty-year-old anatomy text remains perfectly useful. If in doubt, simply send us the list of titles.
Priority 2
Teaching and care equipment
- Demonstration manikins — adult and infant, for washing, transfers and emergency procedures.
- Transfer aids — handling belts, transfer boards, slide sheets, walking frames, wheelchairs.
- Measurement equipment — blood pressure monitors, thermometers, pulse oximeters, scales, tape measures.
- Hospital bed and pressure-relieving mattress — second-hand is fine, for the handling workshop.
- Hygiene consumables — gloves, hand sanitiser, incontinence pads, bed protectors.
- IT equipment — laptops, tablets, a projector, for the digital learning platform.
- Power and connectivity — uninterruptible power supplies, solar panels, data plans: outages regularly interrupt teaching.
For any bulky equipment, write to us before shipping: we will check together that it is logistically feasible and in the expected working order.
Priority 3
Hosting a student on placement
Our programme includes two months of supervised placement. Without host organisations, training stays theoretical — and that is exactly what we refuse. Opening your organisation for a few weeks costs little and is worth a great deal.
Who can host
- Health facilities — geriatric wards, clinics, health centres, maternity units.
- Residential and social settings — care homes, hostels, social centres, support associations.
- Nurseries and maternal and child health centres — for the paediatric care pathway.
- Families supporting an older relative — a placement at home, under supervision, with the explicit consent of the person supported.
What the association provides
- A written placement agreement setting out duration, objectives and each party’s responsibilities
- A teaching contact reachable throughout the period
- A student already trained in basic skills and professional confidentiality
- A simple assessment form the mentor can complete in about twenty minutes
- An end-of-placement review shared with the host organisation
What a placement changes
A student who has used a patient hoist, assisted with a real wash and supported a family over three weeks is no longer the same professional. That is where theory becomes an occupation.
For the host organisation, it is also a chance to identify a future recruit already familiar with your practice — and to take a direct part in professionalising a sector you depend on.
Protecting the people supported. Any placement in an older person’s home requires their written, informed consent, in accordance with our respectful care charter and Law no. 2024/017 on personal data.
Unrestricted giving
Give whatever amount you choose
No minimum, no commitment to a period. What we owe you in return is a precise account of what your gift pays for.
FCFA
one month of home support for a family in the subsidised segment
FCFA
one month’s floor pay for a newly placed care worker
FCFA
the annual Sara Murielle excellence award, presented on 1 October
FCFA
a full year of tuition for one social care worker student
Orders of magnitude drawn from the 2026–2031 strategic modernisation plan (pay scale § 5.3, rates § 5.4, tuition § 5.2) and from the founder’s remembrance framework. They describe real costs, not tax receipts.
How to give
- From Cameroon
- Mobile payment — Orange Money, MTN MoMo — or Express Union, the methods already provided for in the association’s internal rules.
- From abroad
- Bank transfer or international remittance. The diaspora advisory council supports donors based in France, Canada and the United States.
- Regular giving
- A monthly mobile money debit, of whatever amount you choose, stoppable at any time on request.
- Corporate giving
- Sponsoring a cohort, funding a training module, donating equipment. An agreement is drawn up case by case, and the receipt supports the deduction provided for by article 7 A 5 of the General Tax Code.
- Your receipt
- Issued automatically when the gift is recorded, numbered, with a verification code. Sent by email, or handed over at the office.
Payment details are not published on this site. They are sent to you by the office once you have been in touch. This is deliberate: it protects us, and you, from the impersonation that is common around appeals for donations.
Where the money goes
Gifts primarily feed the cross-subsidy mechanism described in our economic model: they pay for the support of families who cannot pay for it themselves.
| Allocation | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Solidarity care | Home services at no cost to people without resources — 30 % of targeted beneficiaries. |
| Training bursaries | Partial or full cover of tuition for students otherwise excluded by cost. |
| Equipping the centre | Teaching equipment, the library, IT and power supply. |
| Remembrance fund | The Sara Murielle excellence award and digitisation of the association’s archives. |
Allocation in line with the 2026–2031 strategic plan. The accounts are examined by two statutory auditors elected by the general assembly, under article 13 of the constitution.
Other ways to commit
Giving time or expertise
Teach a module
Doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, dietitians, lawyers, psychologists: a few hours of teaching a year considerably enriches the programme.
Join an advisory body
The scientific and educational committee, the service users and carers committee and the diaspora advisory council welcome new members.
Translate and document
Translating materials, writing practical guides, digitising the founder’s archives: valuable work that can be done remotely.
Open a network
An introduction to a funder, a foundation, a partner school or a potential employer is often worth more than a cheque.
Become a member
The revised constitution provides for institutional and honorary members alongside founding and benefactor members.
Volunteer alongside us
Companionship visits, reading, help with paperwork for the people we support: volunteering framed by our respectful care standards.
Frequently asked
Before you commit
A numbered receipt is issued automatically as soon as the gift is recorded. It names the recipient and the donor, gives the date, the amount in figures and in words, the allocation, and carries a verification code. Anyone can confirm a receipt at association-3a.org/en/verify.
The tax treatment depends on who you are:
- A company established in Cameroon. Article 7 A 5 of the Cameroonian General Tax Code allows deduction of payments to bodies of general interest of a philanthropic, educational, social and family character located in Cameroon, provided they are supported by evidence and within 0.5 % of your turnover for the financial year. Our receipt is that evidence; observing the ceiling is a matter for you.
- An individual resident in Cameroon. We would rather be plain about it: the General Tax Code provides no income tax deduction or relief for donations to associations. The receipt evidences your gift; it gives you no tax advantage.
- Resident outside Cameroon. The association holds no approval from any foreign tax authority. Treatment of the gift is governed by the law of your country of residence and should be checked with your own tax administration.
Reference: Cameroonian General Tax Code, 2024 edition, article 7 A 5. Given for information; it is not tax advice.
Yes. You can direct your gift to a training bursary, to equipping the centre, or to solidarity care. Just say so when you get in touch: the allocation then appears on the receipt and in the accounting record.
Yes, on two conditions: that it is in working order and that it remains safe for teaching use. We do decline medical devices that are broken or past their expiry date, which would cost more to dispose of than they are worth. If in doubt, send us a photograph.
Donors and partners receive the annual activity report presented to the general assembly, together with an update on the use of earmarked contributions. The accounts are examined by two statutory auditors elected by the general assembly.
Yes. A family supporting an older relative can host a student on placement, under the association’s supervision and with the written consent of the person supported. It is in fact a particularly formative setting, because it matches the job exactly as it is practised.
Tell us what you can offer
A box of books, a blood pressure monitor, three weeks of placement or a transfer: write to us in one sentence and we will reply within 72 working hours with what happens next.
- No minimum amount, no commitment to a period
- Second-hand equipment in working order accepted
- A named donation receipt every time
- Gifts can be earmarked for a specific purpose