North West : Vulnerable Women Trained to Confront Covid-19

Some internally displaced young women and teenage mothers in the North West, West, South West, Littoral and Centre regions are counting the blessings of workshops that help matters in efforts to enhance livelihood, give them opportunities in income generation and above all; help them feature prominently in the war against the killer coronavirus pandemic. To thank for the initiative which also strengthens action against gender-based violence, (GBV), the localization of peace and the implementation of the U.N Security Council Resolution 1325, are the Hope for the Needy Association (HOFNA), and the German Mission in Cameroon which bankrolled the cost of the trainings in Nkambe, Bafoussam, Buea, Mbombo and Makenene from May 25 to June 20, 2020.

Beneficiary IDP women and girls retired from the training workshops; with lessons and skills to produce reusable sanitary pads, beaded sandals and slippers, and soap to feature them in the chain of fighters against the spread of the killer covid-19 pandemic. It is all about opportunities to increase incomes and enhance the livelihood of the disadvantaged IDP women and girls. It emerged from the Executive Director of HOFNA, Christelle Bay Nfor and Programs Manager; Florence Munteh that the workshops were also conceived and organized to engage communities to respond to and prevention of gender-based violence through a « know yours rights campaign with active community leaders ». 

It is against this backdrop that the trainings set the pace for HOFNA to engage grassroots communities to develop a local approach to implement the U.N Resolution 1325 in Cameroon. The Resolution stresses and encourages peace building and prioritising the concerns of grassroots communities and representing them at local action plans to speed up the implementation of the resolution. 

Curtains dropped from the trainings with the IDP women and girls also taking home basic start up materials while some 400 community leaders were equally trained on human rights, GBV and UNSCR 1325. It was equally a rare opportunity for HOFNA to establish a Gender violence Survivors Support Network to facilitate reporting and follow up of cases of gender-based violence. HOFNA; has since inception, taken credit for creative ways to respond to the prevention of GBV, addressing other structural inequalities that hinder women from effectively participating in peace building. They have been strengthening the leadership, power and voices of women and girls.