Our Story

Troves Orphans Academy was one of my most cherished dreams. On August 17, 2001, my mother, my two underage brothers and I arrived in the United States in pursuit of a better life. Our father had already passed away in 1997 while we were still in Cameroon. In 2002, eleven months after immigrating to the United States, our mother succumbed to a malignant brain tumor during our adjustment of status immigration process. Becoming an orphan and suddenly becoming an undocumented immigrant in the greatest country in the world was an immense challenge and a great source of shame for me. During my journey from childhood to adulthood, my three greatest sources of hope were Jesus, education, and my dreams. As a coping mechanism to deal with my trauma, I typically spent hours fantasizing about being successful and helping orphans like me because I had received assistance from many people. In fact, I promised myself that I would make this dream a reality. In 2022, I realized that it was time for me to fulfill my promise and Troves Orphans Academy awarded its first scholarship. Due to the negative connotation of lack often associated with being an orphan, the word “Troves” was placed at the front of the academy’s name so that orphans would remember that they are a treasure. According to Oxford’s dictionary, a trove is “a store of valuable or delightful things [treasure].” I hope every orphan will know that God loves them, has placed treasures within them, and has reserved external treasures for them too. I hope people will continue to help orphans through innovative and strategic partnerships so that together we can positively transform multiple lives.

- Flavia Etoundi