Cameroon Community Development Centre CIC

24/06/2026

https://buff.ly/4o4hTD7

Cameroonians in Derby marked World Refugee Day for the first time through CCDC CIC, celebrating culture, courage, resilience and community belonging.

24/06/2026

Yes CCDC CIC!!!

For the first time, Cameroonians in Derby joined World Refugee Day celebrations through the Cameroon Community Development Centre CIC, a young community organisation founded by Ella Benyela.

With traditional clothing, music, food, cultural displays and a “Discover Cameroon” banner, the community proudly showcased Cameroon’s rich identity as “Africa in Miniature” while also raising awareness about the crisis that has forced many families to seek safety and rebuild their lives abroad.

Their message was simple but powerful: refugees and migrants are more than their struggles. They carry culture, resilience, talent, courage and a deep desire to contribute positively to the communities they now call home.

Read more: https://buff.ly/4o4hTD7

22/06/2026

Amazing!!!

21/06/2026

❤️🇨🇲 Celebrating Refugee Week: Our Culture, Our Community, Our Strength 🇬🇧❤️

Yesterday, at the World Refugee Day celebration in Derby, Cameroon Community Development Centre (CCDC) CIC was honoured to be one of the community groups selected as part of the entertainment programme, proudly representing Cameroon among the many countries and organisations that came together to celebrate this special occasion.

Through our traditional songs, cultural music, and vibrant dances, we brought the spirit of Cameroon to the event. It was a joyful moment seeing the wider Derby community celebrating with us, dancing with us, and appreciating the beauty of our rich cultural heritage.

We also shared a taste of Cameroon through our traditional pastries, including our delicious Cameroon meat pies and buns, which we proudly offered to members of the Derby community and everyone who attended the celebration. Through food, we shared not just our flavours but our story, hospitality, and culture.

Cameroonians in Derby are a warm, welcoming, charitable, and loving community. We are proud to share our culture, our stories, and our values with everyone around us.

CCDC CIC is not only for Cameroonians; we are open to the whole Derby community. Derby has given many of us sanctuary, hope, and a place to call home, and we remain committed to giving back through service, collaboration, and community engagement.

We are especially grateful to Community Action Derby for their continued support and guidance in empowering grassroots organisations like ours. We also appreciate Derby City of Sanctuary, Derby City Council, all organisers, volunteers, and community members who made this beautiful celebration possible.

Yesterday was not only a celebration of sanctuary; it was a celebration of diversity, integration, culture, and the power of communities coming together as one.

Until everyone is safe, no one is safe. Together we are stronger. Our diversity is our superpower. ❤️

🇨🇲❤️🇬🇧

20/06/2026

✨ A Heartfelt Thank You To Hello Derby Refugee Day ✨

What an incredible Refugee Day celebration! We are deeply grateful to everyone who visited our Cameroon stall, took photos with us, and showed so much love and appreciation for our beautiful traditional attire and our CCDC CIC initiative.

We were proud to represent Cameroon at the Refugee Day Event, share our culture, and showcase the richness, diversity, and unity of the Cameroonian community in Derby. It was truly heartwarming to see so many people, including community leaders, the MP for Derby County, and guests, celebrate with us and appreciate our presence.

A special thank you to Derby City of Sanctuary for creating a welcoming space where communities can come together, share their stories, celebrate their cultures, and promote unity and belonging.

Thank you to all our trustees, members, volunteers, supporters, and everyone who made this day a huge success. The joy, connections, and recognition we received will remain a beautiful memory.

🇨🇲 Cameroon was seen, celebrated, and proudly represented! 🇨🇲

With gratitude,
Ella Benyela
Founder
Cameroon Community Development Centre (CCDC) CIC

19/06/2026

As the Cameroon Community Development Centre (CCDC) CIC, we are proud to take part in Refugee Week and use this opportunity to celebrate our identity, share our stories, and introduce the beautiful nation of Cameroon to the wider Derby community.

Through our cultural display, traditional clothing, music, food, and our “Discover Cameroon” banner, we invite everyone to learn about our country often known as “Africa in Miniature” because of its rich diversity, ten regions, and vibrant cultures.

We will also be sharing a second banner that raises awareness of the ongoing crisis that has affected many Cameroonian families, leading some to seek safety and rebuild their lives in countries such as the United Kingdom.

This year’s Refugee Week theme is Courage. Today, we recognise that courage is not always loud. Sometimes courage is the decision to continue, to adapt, and to find strength even when the future is uncertain. This reflects the journey of many refugees and people seeking sanctuary who have shown incredible resilience in rebuilding their lives while carrying their culture, hopes, and dreams with them.

We are grateful that Derby has become a place of welcome, hope, and belonging. We sincerely thank City of Sanctuary and City Council for creating a community where refugees and people seeking sanctuary can feel valued, supported, and included.

Our message is simple:
We are more than our struggles. We carry our culture, our resilience, our talents, and our desire to contribute positively to the communities we now call home.

Until all are safe, no one is safe.

Together, through courage, compassion, and unity, we build stronger communities.

🇨🇲 Cameroon Community Development Centre (CCDC) CIC
🌍 Sharing our culture. Telling our stories. Building community.

16/06/2026

With Refugee Week – I just made it onto their weekly engagement list by being one of their top engagers! 🎉

15/06/2026

📢 REFUGEE WEEK 2026 | DERBY

This year marks a very special milestone: it is the FIRST time the Cameroonian community in Derby will be officially represented in the Refugee Week celebrations! 🎉

We want to say a huge thank you to our CEO of the Cameroon Community Development Centre CIC, who has worked tirelessly to make this happen — her dedication has brought us to this wonderful moment.

We are deeply grateful to the city of Derby for welcoming us and for declaring itself a City of Sanctuary, providing us with a safe home and a place to belong. Now, we are proud not only to appreciate what Derby has done for us, but also to take part in this great celebration actively.

Come join and find us at Hello Derby: A Festival of Welcome 📍 Derby Market Hall & Osnabruck Square
🗓️ Saturday 20 June 2026
⏰ 11:00am – 3:00pm

We will be sharing our culture through:
✅ Traditional pastries & food
✅ Music, dance & performances
✅ Cultural displays & storytelling

We feel truly privileged and honoured to be part of this day, to share our heritage, and to stand together in unity. Thank you, Derby, for giving us a home and a voice!

💛❤️💚 Everyone is welcome!

15/06/2026

Refugee Week starts today!🥳

is all about connecting with those in your community, listening to new stories and celebrating the shared humanity that brings us all together. Whether this be through art, music, food, or conversation - it is all important.

This year, we are focusing on a truly powerful theme: Courage.

We see courage everyday in our community. The incredible resilience of individuals who have journeyed to find safety, and in the determination it takes to rebuild a life in a new place.

This week is also an invitation to come together to build a community that is truly welcoming and everyone is given the chance to belong. Join with us to celebrate this week.

You can find all of the activities happening in Derby on our website: derby.cityofsanctuary.org/

15/06/2026

Refugee Week starts today ☀

For 28 years, Refugee Week has brought people together through art, culture, food, film, music, sport and conversation. It creates space to meet neighbours, hear new stories, experience different cultures, and recognise what connects us all.

This year’s theme, Courage, feels especially resonant. Courage in the journeys people have taken to find safety. Courage in rebuilding lives in new places. And courage in communities that choose welcome, solidarity, and understanding.

Refugee Week invites us not only to celebrate, but to reflect on the kind of society we want to be: one where everyone has the chance to belong.

Tag us in your posts so we can see how you're celebrating this week!