A Brief History of the School

Founding

Rain Forest International School was founded in 1991 seeking to provide a solid foundation for students.

Partnerships

Multiple organizations came together to develop and fund the school.

Land Purchased

2004 saw the purchase of land on the outskirts of Yaoundé for the construction of a campus.

Early Construction

The campus was built over the course of 6 years, seeing the construction of many crucial buildings.

The Modern Campus

The campus today provides students with a host of opportunities to develop their skills and experiences academically, socially, and athletically.

Founding

Planning for the school began at the 1987 Conference of the members of SIL in Yaoundé, Cameroon.  The mission of SIL in Cameroon requires a long-term commitment, which often keeps expatriate families overseas for many years.  SIL members determined to establish an international secondary school by September 1991, to help them balance their God-given responsibilities to their children and to their linguistic and Bible translation ministry in Cameroon. The school initially used some of the buildings at SIL’s facility near Carrefour Tropicana called CTC (Cameroon Training Center).

Partnerships

Other organizations saw the need for the school and noticed ways in which they could assist. In August 2001, the Evangelical Covenant and the Evangelical Free Church of Missions, under the name Evangelical Covenant International Partners (ECIP), joined with SIL as a partner in governing and developing the school. This partnership enabled the school to grow and include grades seven and eight. In January 2005, Cameroon Missionary Fellowship (CMF), consisting of World Team, North American Baptist and Baptist General Conference, became a third partner with SIL and ECIP.

Land Purchased

In 2004, a 6.5 hectare piece of land (16 acres) was purchased on the outskirts of Yaoundé on which to build a new campus with larger, purpose-built classrooms. This was a major step forward in the development of a robust teaching environment. The land provided ample room for the construction of administrative buildings, classrooms, labs, and sports fields, while also preserving some of the rainforest.

Early Construction

Construction lasted a couple years from 2008 to 2010. Several parts of the campus had to be developed before it could be used. This included groundwork since the terrain was partially forested, uneven in places, and lacked grass in significant parts of the campus. A wall was built around the property to mark its border as well as protect the people and items within. An administrative building was constructed for the teachers, helping them plan lessons and manage the non-academic aspects of a functioning school. Several science labs, including storage facilities for the equipment, were established to provide kids with hands on experience. A library was constructed with the vision of giving the school community access to a plethora of books from an array of topics.

The Modern Campus

Construction reached the required level of completion in 2010, culminating in the school moving to the new campus in June of that year. The property continues to develop as we strive for better learning environments.  Currently a covered athletic space has been added to allow court-based athletic activities to continue regardless of weather.

The school has continued to play a vital role in the missionary work throughout Central Africa, making it possible for missionaries to commit themselves to long-term projects, confident that their children’s secondary educational needs can be met.  Since 1991, Rain Forest International School has grown from less than 20 to over 100 students (some years) in grades seven through twelve (ages 12-18).  It has served individuals from 20+ mission agencies and numerous passport countries.

Photo Gallery

Here are a few photos from the development of RFIS