HUMANITARIAN: CHARPA Hands Start-up Business MaterialsTo GBV Survivors And IDP's - Thanks To Italian Gov't And UN Women

Martial Gnoukapasi

GBV survivors, IDP's & support package

The center for human rights and peace advocacy (CHRAPA), charged with the implementation of an Italian funded-UN Women project, aimed at improving the livelihood of women and girls affected by the conflict facing the North West and south West regions of Cameroon, has started distributing the materials to the concerned survivors and displaced persons in the NWR.

 Speaking at the symbolic handing over ceremony saturday November 1st 2019, the project coordinator Mr Tata Nelson said the beneficiaries of this phase of the support program are drawn from four divisions which are Momo, Ngoketunjia, Boyo and Mezam.

 He added, the services of 14 paralegals based in the choosen communities were engaged in the selection process, which resulted to the identification of over 500 cases GBV survivors and idps, out of which 150 critical and desperate cases with urgent need for psycho-social and material support were choosen to benefit from the support program.

Project coordinator Tata Nelson

   

 The beneficiaries were grouped and trained for two days on issues relating to gender base violence and simple book keeping, to permit them take stock and better manage the rapid income generation activities the project is assisting them to establish.

Gender specialist and North West resident coordinator of UN Women activities madam Mary Nyuyinui enjoined the women to employ the knowledge gained from the training in managing their businesses successfully so as to be able to assist others in their communities as well.

NW Resident Coordinator UN Women: Mary Nyuyinui

Her words were complimented by that of NW regional delegate for women empowerment and family Wirba Hassan, who challenged the recipients to nurse the mustard seed , provided them by their benefactors. He stressed on the need for them to be exemplary and guarantee sustainability, so as to encourage the donors do more for others.

Wirba Asan- NW del Minproff

          

 On mechanisms put in place to ensure proper follow-up, Mr Tata Nelson had this to say:

" Before today we had worked with the beneficiaries, making them understand the basics of the project. Also the paralegals we used for this project are members of the communities benefiting, who also have as tasks to monitor . We realize that most projects fail because they're imposed on beneficiaries. With this one, the beneficiaries were given the latitude to choose from a variety what they intend to do and some of them choosed what they've been doing for a long time before the crisis robbed them from business. So most are already familiar with what they'll be doing. We equally have technical partners who are on standby to accompany  them in the field they've indicated interest in...."

MNews237 captured the feelings of some of the recipients as you'll find in this report:

Ejang Claris: IDP from mbengwi.

 "Am very very happy. They have supported me with Palm and vegetable oil alongside the other things I asked. And as they've blessed me with  these materials, I hope and pray in succeed in the business so I can help others in Jesus Name"

Mariama: Idp Bawock

"I want to do provision store so as to sell maggi, sugar, oil and others. Am very happy with the UN Women CHRAPA and the other partners that has offered me this gift that will help me help my family"

project coordinator facing the press

"Am Penn Awa, an IDP from pinyin. I've benefited from the UN Women program, packs of Omo, bags of salt, Rice, carton of savon, a bag of flour, packs of maggi and others that will permit me open my provision store. Will do best to manage the business with the training they gave us, so that next year I can be able to help someone else who's suffering. I thank CHRAPA for making this feasible and possible"

Tata Nelson handing material to beneficiary

CHRAPA Board chair Grace Ngwafor handing material

symbolic handing over of material by UN Women representative Mary Nyuyinui

beneficiaries and materials

project coordinator facing the press