Hope for the Needy Association HOFNA CAMEROON has in five regions of the country successful organized trainings and workshops to accomplish part of their National Initiative to End Violence Against Women and Girls (NITE-VAWG).
The training which lasted from May 25 to June 20 is being sponsored by the German Mission to Cameroon. It was organized in Nkambe (North West region), Bafoussam (in the West Region), Buea in the South West, Mbombo in the Littoral, and Makenene in the center.
HOFNA CAMEROON’s trainings and workshop focused on “building income generating skills on disadvantaged internally displaced young women and teenage mothers, engaging communities to respond to and prevention of gender-based violence through. and the most essential being setting the pace to work with grassroots communities to develop a local approach to implementation of #UNSCR1325 in Cameroon which is centered around getting the peacebuilding needs, priorities and concerns of grassroots communities.“
Christelle Bay C, Executive Director of project explained why it is rather timely to carry out this project in this period.
“We had already conceived this project.
COVID-19 only made the program more timely, with increasing acts of gender-based violence we have registered in the communities we serve, ranging from rape, child abuse and domestic violence and other forms of GBV that csme with the measures put in place to stop spread of COVID-19.”
When quizzed on how to solve the problems face by women, girls, and their communities, she says
“Building income generating skills, providing basic startup materials, education women and girls on their rights and using a radio drama series - NECTAR as part of our radio program #Engage, bringing various stakeholders on board to put an end to GBV and engage grassroots women in peacebuilding.”
With regards to her choice of participants especially IDPs she explains that
“We got young women and teenage mothers struggling their way through COVID-19 and the violent Conflict and truly in need of a program like ours to give them a whole new perspective or hope. We did need analysis and identified how our programs would improve on their quality of life.
From the training
100 girls and teenage mothers were trained from these five regions to produce soap for themselves, reusable sanitary, pads beaded sandals and slippers.
400 community leaders from these regions have been trained on Human Rights, GBV and #UNSCR1325.
HOFNA also established Gender Violence Survivors Support Networks in these regions that will continue to work with HOFNA, facilitate reporting and follow up on cases of GBV.
The items produced will serve as source of income and livelihood to the community.
Participants were provided start up materials.
HOFNA CAMEROON, is an organization championing the fight against gender-based violence, the localisation of peace and implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR1325) in Cameroon.
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