Pig Rearing Project for Widows in Cameroon

The start of Cameroon’s dry season has brought sustainability to several widows in need of assistance. Many beneficiaries of the Cameroon Widows Pig Project are still keeping pigs today. Two and a half years after our organizational support to them has ended, their alternative source of income is flourishing. Despite the heartbreaking incident when the first group of beneficiaries in Ikata, Cameroon lost all their pigs; the project is really a great success. The earlier setback required us to restock participants’ farms during the project’s initiation. Nonetheless, such great losses were not noticed in Owe, Cameroon, another project location, where the last stocking was completed.

The restocking event was received with open arms and happy hearts. Many widows are maintaining their clientele and selling for record high prices. Several of the widows are thriving, with the exception of two widows during the recent holidays. Mrs. Angeh and Mrs. Bih, whom reside in Tole, reported the theft of four piglets two days following Christmas. These thefts came as a major surprise and a setback to our restocking efforts.

Though there are constant threats of theft in all our project sites; we delighted to report only two stolen pigs last December. Given the incident of the theft, the widows’ pen are not remaining empty due to their usage of the replacement stock. Unfortunately, we regret the lost of their parent stock.

This project is really a great success, which results in continued appeals for the extensions of the project into other areas.  Regrettably, our resources are insufficient at this time. Since last September, additional women have not benefitted. With the hope of future donations, we have short listed other widows in need. Currently, we appeal for your future generous donations. These will enable us to empower and finance future widows.