Cameroon
Acceptance of women’s program by the beneficiaries
About the Implementing organization
Name: GeoAid International Cameroon
Country: Cameroon
Year of establishment: 2006
Type of organization: Legally recognized non-profit status
Description
Women participation has been encouraged as per local context, situation and conditions; ii) Experienced women staff have been taken on board to interact with women community members; iii) Concentrated efforts has been made at sensitizing men and women communities on their rights; iv) The existing social capital and activists (developed by LSP Phase 1)has been actively engaged to ensure women participation. This innovation is different from the business as usual in that, Women of these communities were first viewed as housewives and faced;
-Social Inequality; Around 58 per cent of carers are female according to the Office for National Statistics, with women in full-time work still more likely to be carers than men in full-time work. In Cameroon and Lomie, Messok and Ngoyla in Particular, 80 percent of women are bread winners in most homes and their men spend time drinking alcohol. This rather depressing state of affairs shows that issues often combine to create a reality of extreme disadvantage for certain groups. Most of the time, these groups are female.
-Division of Domestic Labour; In Cameroon at large and Lomie, Messok and Ngoyla in particular women do more than 80 percent of house chores. Most Cameroonian cultures limit women to the kitchen, also known as "the final feminist frontier", we actually see it more as the first, because without this one down, gender equality is pretty much a no-go.
Nature Element
Forests / Grasslands
Type of Action
Sustainable use / Access and benefit sharing / Awareness and education
Sustainable Development Element
Jobs and livelihoods / Food security / Health
Related Sustainable Development Goal(s)
Environmental Impacts
-Conservation; The people of the communities of Lomie, Messok and Ngoyla prior to this project practised the slash and burn type of agriculture. But ever since the project introduced access to the market, they engaged in modern methods of farming to improve output for sales which has therefore eliminated the traditional methods thus conserving their natural environment.
-Wildlife protection; this project has given them alternative sources protein like raising of broiler chicken for consumption and sale and has eliminated their heavy dependence on poaching for cash. It has greatly reduced the high risk of extinction of some animal species which were previously hunted for consumption or sale.
- Sustainable natural resource management; The many training sessions, as well as sensitization programs, has greatly educated the populations of these communities on the importance of managing their natural resources well to ensure sustainability for the future generations and avoiding extinction.
Sustainable Development Impacts
Financial Sustainability: The poor and particularly women lacked access to training and financial resources to effectively engage in economic activities. The creation of women-managed business centres around the community organisation process has provided sustainable mechanisms for sustaining continued support to women in rural areas. The project has facilitated effective linkage development for the centres and women banks with government and non-government organisations.
Sustainability of Value Chains: The mapping of selected value chains has recommended measures for the sustainability of the benefits of the intervention. While this varies from one sub-sector to the other, the project has generally focused on capacity building initiatives for all village actors and developing horizontal and vertical linkages among the actors has ensured sustainability of value chains.
Scalability
In conceptualising GeoAid reviewed government reform agenda to ensure the design is in conformity with government’s development priorities for Lomie, Messok and Ngoyla With citizens re-engagement at the crux of its development model, the government offers a wide range of social and economic reforms for rebuilding these communities.
With regional stability, improved governance, and sustainable economic growth as the objectives for the region, the Government of Cameroon has framed different policies and initiatives that redefine its commitment and identify priority areas for development of the region. In order to address the multidimensional issues, the government policies present comprehensive roadmaps to adopt fundamental political and economic reforms that advance participatory, sustainable and accountable development as key to better service delivery, enhanced economic development and improved State-Citizen engagement.
Replicability
Firstly, in conceptualising GeoAid reviewed government reform agenda to ensure the design is in conformity with self-government development priorities for Lomie, Messok and Ngoyla With citizens re-engagement at the creation of its development model, the government offers a wide range of social and economic reforms for rebuilding these communities. This project can be replicated in other parts of the country because most of the problems face by the communities of Lomie, Messok and Ngoyla are very similar according to the National Assessment report. secondly, GeoAid is working in line with Universal Development Goals and Cameroon Government Development policies.
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