Philanthropic Work

Jane and Steve have volunteered their time and money on numerous non-profit boards over the years in Wisconsin and in other states. They also have long-term philanthropic involvement in the Central African nation of Cameroon where they have been engaged in education, sustainable development and clean water efforts for over 20 years.

Cameroon is a nation of just over 20 million people half of whom are traditional subsistence farm families who live without electricity or running water.  These materially poor rural people live in and adjacent to some of the world’s most ecologically valuable tropical rainforests and montane forests.  Helping these people improve their heath and livelihoods while conserving critical habitats requires creating thinking and collaboration from locals and the larger human community.

	Jane presenting a computer to a school in Konye, Cameroon from the sister school in DeForest. Connecting individuals and communities near and far is part of Jane's life work.
	Jane and Steve with the founder of the Onjolika Legacy School, Jessi Motuba, Chief Mediko and other dignitaries in Konye, Cameroon.
	On the lower right of the photo you will see two water faucets running water into plastic containers. In Cameroon, children are responsible to haul water every day for the family for cooking and cleaning. These children can now bring clean water from a 'tap' close to their homes rather than walk a long distance down to the river to bring home buckets of silty, unpotable water. Local citizens contributed the labor for the project; Steve, Jane and others including US AID provided the financial support for the project.
	Residents at the Village Hall in Kupe Village, Cameroon. As part of his doctoral research on sustainable development in rural Cameroon, Steve and his graduate assistants traveled to over 20 remote villages to meet with individuals and with groups of residents including those pictured. Steve is in the back row on the right, and Jane is in the front right with children.
	Steve with Chief Angwafo of Mankon, Parliamentarian Sona Elonge and others looking at the Chief's grasslands conservation efforts in the Bamenda Highlands area of Cameroon. The Chief has been a leader in conservation efforts in the Northwest Province for over 50 years.