Story, Louvier Kindo Tombe
The announcement of the financial package of FCFA 500,000 by Ekane Nkwelle, project manager at Green development advocate was the crux of the one day training workshop on finance management in project development that held in Campo.
“The training was basically about how to draw a business plan that can attract funding,” says Ekane Nkwelle.
“We planned to provide direct funding and thought it wise to trained them on how to manage the money.”
According to Ekane Nkwelle, GDA received support for this activity from Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Programme – GEF SGP.
The women of the Association of Riparian Women, One Heart of Campo (AFRiSC), are hard-working, but their efforts are usually limited due to lack of resources especially finances. That explains the joy they expressed upon receiving the amount of FCFA 500,000 from GDA.
“GDA has raised us from the dust and placed us on the right track,” says Mengue Medjo Marlyse Nadege, president of AFRiSC Campo.
“We can only say thank you to GDA. It’s the first of its kind here in Campo. The women were like lost and abandoned to fend for themselves.”
The seed planted by GDA is expected to grow and serve not only the members of the association but the entire community in one way or the other.
Responding to how they will use the money, the president said “this money will go a long way to take AFRiSC women out of poverty and give them some financial autonomy”.
Riparian women in Cameroon are noted for their task in assisting their husbands provide for the family.
Green Development Advocate has been very instrumental in supporting riparian women in their development strides. The organization has multiplied capacity building workshops and exchange visits for the women to share experiences from their respective localities in order to grow their knowhow.
AFRiSC Campo is waxing strong
Since the creation of the Association of Riparian Women, One Heart of Campo (AFRiSC), their financial situation has been stable thanks to support form GDA. “The financial situation of campo is positive,” says Madam Mengue Medjo Marlyse.
The new executive bureau which took office in March 2024 has worked to set up separate funds for emergency, development, solidarity, and school support fund.
The association can now boast of finances to support its members when need arises but according to the president, members “should be up to date with their transactions within the association”.
The fresh support from GDA will go a long way to take the association to a different level. “We have provided such support to women in other localities and today their stories are not the same for they are equipped with resources to take care of their challenges,” says Ekane Nkwelle.
Both GDA and AFRiSC Campo believe that the future is bright in terms of growth and development.
To make this happen, GDA during the training enjoined the women of AFRiSC Campo to set up guidelines that will facilitate and ease their different transactions and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and quarrels.
Worth noting is the fact that most of the projects to be sponsored by the money received from GDA are agricultural projects, and petit trade. The idea is to boost the production capacities of farmers and traders.
