Some 25 internally displaced persons in Bamenda I, II and III community have been empowered by the Organization for Women’s Empowerment and Development OWED to ensure sustainability and development.
As a results of the ongoing armed conflict in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon, there has been an influx of persons moving from unsecured to secured areas. Centre towns in these regions and capitals of some divisions have become very populated with hundreds of persons who have moved from interior villages, seeking refuge.
While in these strange towns couple with the population, job opportunities have become limited thus increasing unemployment.
With sponsorship from All Nations Church Ottawa Canada, OWED from FEBRUARY 8 – 19TH 2022, stepped in, identified and empowered some displaced persons. Out of 257 IDPs shortlisted, 25 most vulnerable were selected to benefit from the Economic Empowerment program following a vulnerability criteria. Such vulnerability criteria include: Marital status, Disability, Number of persons in the house, Living conditions, and financial status. Those empowered were IDPs who where willing to do business with money provided.
The money donated to these already trained beneficiaries depended on the type of business to be executed, ranging between 40,000frs to 80,000 frs and the sum total of 1,520,000FRS was distributed which they have already started.
Difficulties Encountered
Those dealing with provision had a challenge of the increase in prices like prices of flour, groundnut oil, even groundnut, and rice.
Some others had a challenge of competition. Most competitors around their location seeing them with a sudden grand capital considered them a real challenge and started raising some complaints about authorization from local councils to do business in the area.
Some others changed their initial line of business like from food stuff to selling of illicit petrol and as a consequence she faces a lot of harassment from the police and forces of law and order as they pass by everyday to collecting money.
Generally, insecurity posed by the presence of the military and the separatists in some areas is equally a big challenge. This is because there are always serial attacks in areas where the military or the separatist always station.
Summarily, 22 out of 25 beneficiaries have setup their businesses and they are doing well. All of them have attested that the profits help them to take care of their families and are grateful to the donors.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Provision of continuous supervision, technical and moral assistance to the beneficiaries.
We highly recommend that if there is a means, this laudable project should be replicated so that many other vulnerable IDP’s who did not benefit from this first phase can also benefit.
As the crisis persists, more persons are being displaced and need help. Therefore OWED which is a nongovernmental organization is calling on freewill persons and humanitarians to come to the aid of these persons and give them livelihood.
