Free Christina, Victim of Domestic Violence

As you know from this project’s description, the Progressive Friends are a group of young women victims of different degrees of Gender Based Violence living in the highly unequal community of Mudeka, where women are systemically abused due to lack of negotiation power.

Thanks to your care and consideration 315$ were raised to provide assistance to the group and although that was not our  target, a small sized intervention was designed. After meetings in the community and informing the necessary stakeholders, two trainings were conducted. Business management/bookkeeping and Group Dynamics. They wanted to become more independent from men in the household, and to have better opportunities for them and their children in the future, but also to make the group stronger an efficient safe space for progressing, socializing and defending their rights. At the end of the training they also received a group grant to develop an internal loan scheme, they splited  the amount and borrowed it to a few of the members who will pay back with an interest to make the capital grow and gradually reach every member. This tackles both issues: helps them economically and forces them to coordinate the group effectively.

Early this week we went to follow-up on the state of the group and members. There we got to know better amazing women like Immaculate, who has tried 3 different businesses in less than one month after the training, besides her stable Gateau (local pastry) business and taking care of her husband’s store. Not only she has been experimenting to lift herself and her family, she was also excellent at record keeping and could know how well exactly each of these different businesses did. She highlights the importance of the training on Group Dynamics ““Now we come on time, respect each other and we understand each other better.” This was also the testimony of the Group President, Clarisse, “Sometimes you need somebody from outside to help you see the importance of basic things, we are now being more responsible with the group, and encouraging everybody to do the bookkeeping”.

We also paid a visit to Angeline and Malys, a tailor and a hairdresser who took the loan first, Angelina has an amazing store and manages also a piggery by herself and Malys runs a hairdressing saloon. The loan allowed them to make bigger purchases (62,5% of Malys’ capital came from the loan) something very important in the hard-to-reach community of Mudeka, where transport to the main commercial markets is an expensive fixed cost. They will pay back next month and another girl will benefit.

When it comes to Gender Based Violence we can say the Progressive Friends are doing a great job, as compared to other girls of the community members are better protected and know how to better deal with tense situations, since the start of the group there’s been no physical abuse, and some of them are showing better relationships with their husbands, they participate in their collective savings and support them in their businesses. During our intervention we have informed them of their rights and encouraged them to communicate with us regarding any problem or abuse, we also encouraged those in stable relationships to legally marry (and use the opportunities of cheap mass marriages government conducts) to prevent abuses, as in Cameroon expropiation of property is common upon divorce and widowhood if the union was never legalized.

We want to thank you for the opportunity you have provided them, they are making the first steps towards something that could change the destiny of women in their community and you are helping us reach more and more different communities (Another group in Mudeka already contacted us, as well as the sub-delegation of the Ministry of Women empowerment in Tiko, who wants us to amplify our impact to more women groups in the sub-division!)

If you are interested on getting to know more about the project you supported, we developed a series of facebook posts about the training, and we just uploaded the story of Immaculate. These are the links:

https://www.facebook.com/reachoutcameroon/posts/1221190737921422 (1/3)

https://www.facebook.com/reachoutcameroon/posts/1221201254587037 (2/3)

https://www.facebook.com/reachoutcameroon/posts/1236259123081250 (3/3)

https://www.facebook.com/reachoutcameroon/posts/1236259123081250 Story of Immaculate

Also, if you liked the way we work and the people we support, you can continue in touch with our main project https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/make-an-impact-girls-education-cameroon/ (Go right down and click subscribe)

Thank You!