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Cameroon: Reach Out Reaches Out to Women Groups
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The Post (Buea)
28 April 2008
Posted to the web 28 April 2008
Ernest Sumelong
Buea based NGO, Reach Out (REO), Friday, April 25, trained women groups on how to make various kinds of soap and to tie and dye clothes in order to generate funds for themselves.
In all, representatives of eight community based women groups in Buea - SIHOP, Njonga Sisters, Bassa Women, DORCAS CIG, Mbororo Women, Charity Sisters, Lifita and Soppo Fish Sellers -acquired skills in making laundering, bathing, making medicated and powder soaps, and also to tie and dye clothes. They were also schooled on how to manage their income and personal accounts.
After the take in, the women are expected to share the knowledge to their various groups to better promote their activities and generate income, according to the Southwest Delegate for Women Empowerment and the Family, Dr Margaret Niger Thomas. The training, she believes, is concrete action by the NGO in line with this year's Women's Day theme; Investing in Women and Girls.
The Delegate said HIPC loans are available at Women Empowerment Centres, where those who have been trained could present their projects and benefit from them. Reach Out Coordinator, Esther Omam, said they aim to help women to generate income for their families, groups and communities.
"We want to make the women know that they have potentials, which if well harnessed could make them richer." But, against the argument that few women get involved in politics, Omam said women need, first, economic stamina in order to be able to compete with men in a male dominated society.
Melanie Harbinson, Masters Degree student in Education for Sustainable Development from the University of Wales, Newport, who sponsored the training, revealed that it is a way of appreciating Reach Out for the support it gave to her when she interned there.
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"I am sponsoring this training because Reach Out was very helpful during my month long research in Cameroon. All these women have already talked to me in focus groups and interviews. So, this is my own way of saying thank you for all the information and the knowledge they have given me," she said.
Melanie said she has gathered more funds to enable Reach Out open a computer centre to endow women with computer skills.One of the participants, Clara Mbu, a representative of Dorcas Women Solidarity CIG, told The Post that the training could help them become independent. "We will not always pest our husbands asking for everything; at least we will stand on our feet and take care of ourselves.
We will go back with the knowledge acquired here to better take care of orphans and other vulnerable groups.Reach Out, a women and youth centred organisation, besides the Friday workshop, has also trained women on how to establish projects within their community, behaviour change communication and care for children and orphans.
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