Biography of Esther Acho Gana nee Nyambod (Edited version by Joyce Ache Gana)
Mama Esther Acho Gana nee Nyambod was born in 1940 to Papa Thomas Tebid popularly known as “Small” and Mama Sophie Iti (also known as Ibodam) in Tad quarter, Batibo, Cameroon. She lived with her parents in Techan old compound and as time passed they moved to Wumubit up compound.
As a young girl, Mama Esther Acho assisted her mother in farming to sustain their livelihood as her father was crippled. In 1950 Mama Esther Acho began attending Basel Mission School in Guka initiated by her late uncle, Marcus Taye Tebo who encouraged her grandfather to send her to school. Mama Esther Acho completed both class one and two in one year. She enjoyed hearing about God from the Teachers Training College of Batibo studentevangelizers who influenced her to trek long distance to attend the Basel Mission church in Batibo Town during holidays. Mama Esther Acho loved to sing. In her spare time as a youth, Mama Esther Acho and her cousins enjoyed riding their grandfather’s horses.
In 1954 Mama Esther Acho went to Basel Mission Girls’ School Bafut in Standard Five and Six. She studied home economics. This was a pivotal moment in her life as her lifelong friendships (to: Mama Helen Atuh Wami (Ndi) and late Pauline Iti Mba (Tebo)) blossomed from shared experiences of boarding school live far from home. Mama Esther Acho and friends trekked from Bafut to Batibo on long holidays, often, they engaged in small mischiefs on Bali peoples’ farms along the way home. To the surprise of her teachers, Mama Esther Acho failed her first school leaving examination in 1956, but repeated and passed in 1957.
Mama Esther Acho was baptized at Basel Mission Girls’ School in Bafut. Her late Uncle M. T. Tebo, attended the great festivity.
In 1958, after finishing from Bafut Basel Mission Girls School, Mama Esther Acho moved to Kumba town in the South West region to pursue the Teachers Grade III training course at St Francis Teachers’ College. She was fortunate to attend with her good friend Pauline Iti Mbah (Tebo). Life was unbearable in this hot climate compared to her home village, so much so that Mama Esther threatened to quit school and return home, but her good friend (late Mama Pauline who later married mama Esther Acho’s uncle Pa Tebo) convinced her to persevere and stay. She did and in 1959 completed her course and was posted to teach at Basal Mission School in Mbengwi on 1st January 1960. She taught in this school for two years from 1960-1961.
While in Mbengwi Mama Esther Acho occasionally rode her bicycle to visit with friends teaching in Bafut Bassel Mission School, and in one such trip while crossing a bridge, she was grip with fear of falling into the river, which she said had a dangerous waterfall. Somehow, God suspended her as she was falling off the bridge that faithful day and saved her life. Mama Esther has recounted this story numerous times throughout her life, which added to her deepened faith in God.
In 1961, Mama Esther Acho moved to Buea to pursue the Teachers Grade II training course.
After she completed this course in 1962, Mama Esther Acho was posted to teach in Mbonge Basel Mission School because there was no Basel Mission School in Lobe Estate. At this time she was engaged to Late Pa Abraham Njong Gana who was working in Pamol, Lobe Estate.
They wed at Batibo Presbyterian church in 1963. After marriage, Mama Esther continued to live and teach in Mbonge and while visiting her husband in Lobe Estate during weekends. At Bonge, she joined the Christian Women Fellowship (C. W.F) group and quickly became an active member. She lived in Mbonge from 1964 to 1966, she then transferred to Bongongo Junior Presbyterian School near Lobe Estate to head the school.
Mama Esther was a pillar in the Presbyterian Church. Together with her husband, they initiated and actively raised funds to build church buildings in many communities they lived that had no church building. They did this by convening meetings at their home with few dignitaries to plan.
Lobe Estate Presbyterian Church building was the first they actively raised funds for and over the years more church buildings were erected at different places they lived.
Mama Esther Acho grew in leadership and served on numerous roles in the church. She initiated the C. W. F movement wherever they had none. The C.W.F group she initiated in Lobe Estate went on for two years before being dedicated with pioneer members on November 10th, 1965 in the Ekondo Titi Parish. During the dedication members who could not read or write were able to recite memory verses or spoke chorus in good English. This was a proud moment for Mama Esther Acho. Later, many CWF groups began at Ekondo Titi, Bekora, and Bongongo. MamaEsther attended CWF rallies and leadership courses and at times was the only one who represented the Parish at rallies.
In 1968, Mama Esther Acho’s husband was transferred to Ndian, which at the time had no Presbyterian school in Ndian or Mundemba. The S.D.O who was a steadfast Presbyterian influenced her transfer to the Ndian Council School. Mama Esther at this time had three children. She rode her bicycle some five kilometers away to teach. Because of the nature of her husband’s job, Mama Esther and family were constantly relocating from one camp to another. In each camp they lived, Mama Esther Acho initiated a CWF group; some took root while others did not.
Mama Esther Acho was elected the zonal president of the CWF Mundemba zone, and in 1981
Ndian C.W.F was granted autonomy status and she was elected the pioneer C. W. F. president. In this role, she led waterside and upland groups. Zonal rallies were held in three zones including Ekondo Titi, Bamuso, and Ndian. Presbytery rally alternated between Mundemba and Ekondo Titi. During her tenure as president, she saw that it was unjust for the waterside groups to always attend rallies at Lobe or Mundemba. She convinced the upland groups to attend rally at the waterside. It was not easy to convince husbands to allow their wives to attend the waterside rally, but God made this happen and the rally was a success. This was yet another proud moment of Mama Esther Acho.
Mama Esther was elected elder in Lobe congregation. This role allowed her to preach and lead the women on different occasions.
In 1989, the family moved to Kwojuh, Batibo, North West from Lobe in the Southwest. Mama Esther was elected CWF president of the Central Zone of Batibo Presbytery in absentia. She accepted this leadership role and served for two years.
Afterwards she served one term as the CWF presbytery president for four years and later served one term as Presbytery treasurer. Mama Esther leadership role in the church gave her the opportunity to know many villages in Moghamo and Widikum sub Division including Bifang, Ngaku, Ngwejim, Krukuu and so on. She overcame many challenges when serving as CWF leader in the Presbytery as many groups were in rural areas permitting her to trek to see them. However, God gave her the strength to do her best and to hand off the baton when her term was over.
Mama Esther Acho had a long career as a teacher. She taught for about 35 years at both primary and secondary schools at different schools in the South West and North West regions. Her last teaching appointments were at Government High School Batibo and Government Primary
School Wumukan as home economics teacher. Mama Esther Acho retired in 1995 after an illustrious career.
Besides her teaching career, mama Esther Acho pursued other ventures to supplement job income. Early on in life, she baked bread, fried puffpuff and gateau and sold in the local community. Throughout she engaged in farming for local crops such as cocoyams, plantains, yams, plus various leafy vegetables. In fact, farming was one of her passions. She started a restaurant and day care. They ran the Lipenja 49 red palm oil farm, which became the main source of income for the family. Some ventures were successful, whereas others she learned lessons and moved on.
Mama Esther Acho also participated in Batibo Language Committee with goals to write the Moghamo language.
Ma Esther Acho began visiting her children in United States in 2002. In 2010, she was granted resident status of the United States of American. From 2010 until her death, she travelled back and forth to the US every year.
Mama Esther Acho overcame many health challenges throughout her life. She took medication for decades to manage high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. She recovered from a partial stroke in 2008 and regained full function. She underwent three major surgeries. In spite of all the health challenges, Mama Esther performed all her duties impeccably. 2020 was one of her best years in staying healthy. Just before Christmas in 2020 she suffered Urinary Track Infection.
There after things took a dark turn. She was taken to the Hospital emergency on New Years’ Eve, and treated for ultra low platelet level. She was temporary diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia awaiting confirmation by the bone marrow biopsy method. Mama Esther Acho refused to take this bone marrow test even after many family members convinced her of the benefits of knowing the actual diagnoses. One week later mama Esther Acho began having high fevers and was rushed to Urgent care. She was diagnosed with pneumonia and was prescribed yet another type of antibiotics. Her condition worsen.
She moaned of intense headaches besides constant high fever. She was taking to the South Suburban hospital emergency department on the evening of the 12th of January being carried out of the house due to weakness. In the early morning of the 13th of January she was airlifted to Advocate Christ Hospital in Oaklawn (A Chicagoland Suburbs) and stayed in ICU for two days and later transferred to the regular Oncology ward. In this hospital, they performed the bone marrow biopsy, and monitored her blood components twice a day. She received transfusions almost daily to raise her platelet counts, which decline quickly after every transfusions. For nearly two weeks in the hospital, mama Esther Acho was bedridden with her eyes mostly shot and she responds when spoken too which declined each day she stayed in the hospital. On January 25th in the afternoon she made her transition a five minutes before her two daughters arrived at her bedside .
