Calvin is a stationary engineer with the Alameda County Medical Center, a church elder and a community leader. He believes that we must strive to build a thriving community in the USA to be able to serve in an effective and sustainable way our communities in Cameroon.
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Calvin Nguille, I was born in Cameroon. I am a proud son of the Omeng village near Ndom in the Sanaga-Maritime Division.
I moved to USA in the San Francisco Bay area more than 15 years ago. I currently live in the city of Pittsburg with my wife Madeleine and our four children.
I currently work as a stationary engineer with the Alameda County medical center. I am a graduate of the Alameda College in heavy-duty mechanic and from Laney college as HVAC technician and hold several certifications including with the Mainstream Engineering Corporation, the State Fire Marshal and the ASSE Medical Gas Technician.
I’m an elder and member of the board of directors at The New Covenant French – African Church in Berkeley California. Secretary and member of the board of directors of Mbai Bassa community and The Njoh Suzanne Foundation.
Why did you join Mbai Bassa Community?
As a front-line worker, church elder and board member of several nonprofit organizations, it was natural for me to bring my community work experience to Mbai Bassa Community, which was created as an important vehicle for Mbai Bassa California members to give back to our communities here and in Cameroon.
I currently serve as Secretary and a member of its board of directors. I am also a proud member of its Kine Bisai club. My role as secretary consists of preparing reports after meetings and certifying our governance documents. As a board member, I contribute to the development of our organization’s goals and vision, participate to the implementation of our community projects, help to raise funds and to build a strong community in support of our missions.
What are you passionate about outside work and Mbai Bassa Community?
I am a church elder, serve in the leadership of other nonprofit organizations and volunteer with many others. Some of the important work that we do through our congregation includes educating and helping immigrants integrate in the USA. I also serve as a liaison between Mbai Bassa Community, The New Covenant French – African Church in Berkeley California and African Advocacy in San Francisco in their partnership for the organization of the annual immigration forum. One of the missions of Mbai Bassa Community is to facilitate the integration of Bassa Bati Mpoo in the USA. This partnership provides us a key tool in fulfilling this mission.
Besides serving my different communities, I love walking, playing family games and running when I have a chance.
Any final thought?
Mbai Bassa Community has had a remarkable start with a real social impact in the field in its two years of existence. This has been possible thanks to the tremendous support of our community in the Bay Area and the USA in general, our willingness to work with other organizations and the passion of our leadership team.
There are still a lot of good work to do and we continue to offer many opportunities to make a meaningful difference especially through our Bisai clubs and our ambassador programs. That is why I encourage all to join us in this remarkable journey and to continue to work together to build a thriving community here in the USA, to be able to serve our communities in Cameroon in an effective and sustainable way.
