UM LAUREEN FELICIA is a young Cameroonian born on April 17, 2002 in Mbalmayo. Very early, Felicia had to face very difficult circumstances in life. At only 18 months, she accidentally ingested caustic acid which burned her stomach, depriving her of any ability to eat normally. At 2 years old, Felicia went through several surgeries and a medical evacuation. At the age of 6, she finally returns to a normal life and her entrepreneurial spirit sets her apart. She then decides to occupy her holidays selling homemade drinks, her dad was totally against the idea at the beginning saying she is too young, but Felicia does not give up and proves to her parents that she can do it. She did it quite well and her dad ended up being one of her best clients. At the age of 8, she joined the scout movement and at 10, she obtained her Elementary school diploma and joined high school. At 12, Félicia obtained the badge of courage and the best patrol leader by carrying out a distance of 80km of walking initially reserved for scouts aged 16 and over. This proof of courage allows her to be a triple gold medalist in rhythmic gymnastics with three apparatus (balloon, hoop, ribbon).
At 14, the bird has her wings cut off. The brave and courageous Félicia is again the victim of an accident, this time, a serious traffic accident which deprived her of a leg. It’s a nightmare, the young girl goes through a big depression but her courageous spirit takes over and she refuses to let herself sink. That same year, she obtained her 9th grade degree and was a gold medalist at the Fenassco national games in artistic gymnastics and two years later, Félicia was crowned best young national judge at the Fenassco games in N'Gaoundéré in the far north of Cameroon. That year, she created with her sister, ARCHIM (Les alchimistes de Mbalmayo), a company manufacturing and marketing chemical products for household use. Her passion for sport continues and at the age of 19, Félicia joined the national disabled athletics team. In 2020, her high school diploma in hand, dreams in her eyes, wishes in her heart, she begins her university student life at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Accounting and Finance where she manages to combine studies, entrepreneurship and social life. In May 2022, Felicia is selected as first goddaughter of Project 40.