Engaging with the community for women empowerment

Contributing to community development is a passion that I have nurtured for years through volunteerism. Also, having a masters in Gender Studies and seeing the problems faced by women in my community gives me a burning desire to make a contribution. The best platform through which I could apply myself to the course was through my association, Cameroon’s Association for Social and Economic Empowerment of Women (CAMASEEW) which I co-founded. Yet, to ensure the success of this endeavor, it was paramount to create partnerships and work with similar organizations. In this light, I visited and worked with some associations around the country. One of such trips was taken to Oku village in the North West Region of Cameroon for a week’s working partnership with Cameroon Gender and Environmental Watch (CAMGEW).

This work visit was an eye opener as it made me to see the condition of people in the rural areas (which is more deplorable than that of those in urban areas) and the role of civil society organizations in the alleviation of poverty and the transformation of lives of disenfranchised people. During the week, I was privileged to work with the president of CAMGEW Mr. Wirsiy Emmanuel, who explained the daily running of the organization and the different mediums through which the different projects are funded. After two days of office work, it was time to work and interact with the people who are really benefiting from the CAMGEW projects. These projects include; tailoring, hairdressing and shoe making. Over ninety percent of the personnel were young women who were learning a trade in order to improve on their lives. During my discussions with these young women, they told me about their personal experiences which mostly included teenage pregnancy and dropping out of school and sometimes being kicked out by the family and that CAMGEW was a god given opportunity for them at a second chance at life. The association also had a small nursery for the kids which enabled the mothers to bring their children to work. Most of them were also looking forward to their end of course graduation when CAMGEW will open a trade for them depending on their skills.

Another facet of CAMGEW’s project is the preservation of the forest breeds activities like bee farming that is a source of income to the locals. There was thus, an excursion into the forest to check out the NGO’s forest restoration project which included tree planting (forestation) and bee keeping for pollination. While in the forest, I had the opportunity to talk with some of the bee farmers who were grateful for the activity (bee farming and honey production) that helped in the sustenance of their families. The working/learning session was successful because I came back with a strong grasp of the workings of NGOs and the impact such associations have in the empowerment of women in rural areas.

These testimonies were very touching and I came to understand how bleak life could have been for the over twenty-two young women that were currently benefiting from the association, if this initiative was not in place. It was clear to me that my input is important to the growth of my community through my own empowerment projects. No initiative is too small as long as it touches the lives of people in a positive way. I believe like President Barrack Obama that we are agents of change and that if we want change we must work to affect it. My passion for a better world and the determination to work for it is all I need to make a difference.