Helen Ebangha Tambenkongho

Ma Helen Tambenkongho was born on November 5, 1950 in Besongabang village, Manyu Division. She was the daughter of late pa Eyong Obi and late mami Tabenyang Lucy Enowkpa. She grew up in the village until the age of 8 when she was moved to Nkuti village to live with her aunt, late ma Helen Tambe. They relocated to Victoria (Limbe) when Pa Tambe secured a job in Taxation Limbe. There, she attended primary school and had her standard 2 certificate equivalent to first school leaving certificate.

She got married to late Mr. Tambenkongho Besem Adolphus in 1967 and moved to street 4 Great Soppo Buea where they rented an apartment precisely at late Pa Tambe's compound. She delivered 6 children there (4 females and 2 males). Unfortunately,  she lost her first child, a son at the age of 12. She will later give birth to her 7th child in Nkambe, Donga-Mantung Division.

Her husband was admitted into ENAM/EMIA Yaounde in 1979 and as a result, the entire family had to relocate to Yaoundé. They will later move to Nkongsamba in 1981, Binju Nkambe (Donga-Mantung Division) in 1983, Buea in 1985, Up Station Bamenda in 1987, Bokwango Buea in 1989, Bafang (Haute-Nkam Division) in 1991 and finally back to Molyko, Buea in 1993.
Subsequently, from 1991 to 1993, she attended CDST Guider and obtained a Diploma in Community Development.

Due to unforseen circumstances, she had to raise her children single-handedly. She became a widow on April 25 1999. Thanks to her skillful nature, Mama embarked on several small businesses to care for her children and pay their school fees. She got into farming, selling puffpuff, breadmaking, baking cakes, sewing, garment dyeing, just to name a few.

Ma Helen was not only mother, housewife and business woman. She was a devout Christian. She gave her life to Jesus Christ in 1998 and was a mother to many in the Apostolic Church.
In 2007 she left Cameroon for the United States of America to take care of her grand children. Mama passed away in Maryland, USA on October 6, 2023 after a protracted illness.

She leaves behind 6 children (5 daughters and a son); 15 grand children and 1 great-grand child.