NEWS

MY PROPHETIC ECONOMY OF FRANCESCO ASSISI 2022

MY PROPHETIC ECONOMY OF FRANCESCO ASSISI 2022 From the hilltop of Nkong Fondom in Lebialem South West Region of Cameroon to the hilltop of Basilica di San Francesco Assisi Italy, it was a dream come true for me who at the age of 11 in 1997 was gripped by the spirit of fraternity for the common good in a word of life that read “Man weh he want for be number one, he must put himself for the last place and he must be workman for all”. In other words, if you want to be happy and live in a better world, you must be humble and be at the service of everyone. This has been my driven force for the past 25 years. In May 2019, Pope Francis invited young people around the world for the Global Event Economy of Francesco to take place in March 2020 in the city of Assisi. We all welcomed the news with great anxiety but the global pandemic covid-19 hit the world and change everything and we remained connected through one zoom meeting to another. Two years passed so fast and finally came Economy Francesco Assisi 2022. As a young change maker, founder of ROBOGA Youth Organization and Volunteer at the Economy of Communion International Incubation Network Hub Cameroon EoC IIN Cameroon, together with other young Cameroonians applied two months ahead of time for visas in order to take part in the event. We received visa approval at 3:00pm on the traveling day two hours after we had missed flights paid by the organizers. Thanks to the fruit of communion based on fraternity and equality, the entire world was mobilized in prayer and action to ensure the two of us get a second flight ticket. After tens of whatsapp text, email messages both in English, French, Spanish, Italian languages I couldn’t even read, we finally got a second flight ticket at 5:00pm from the organizers to travel at 11:00pm same day. From the uncertainty of not having a visa to missing our flight, we found ourselves in a Business class flight because it was the only seats left at our departure town Yaounde Cameroon at that time. As read above, my participation at the Economy of Francesco Event Assisi 2022 was destined by God. Indeed it was a prophetic sign that young people got the desire for a better and happier future attentive to the person and environment as mentioned by Pope Francis on 1st May 2019 in his letter inviting the youth to Assisi. Spending three days in Assisi, I listened, shared experiences and networked with hundreds of youths, change makers economists from around the globe and finally listened to the encouraging words of the Pope and watch him sign the “covenant” so that we can promote together in communion for a global change. It was a blessing to see and feel this happen one on one while standing ten meters away from him.This great event was excellently enriching and as take home message, I learned that for long “The only just war is the war we are not fighting” and that it is only when we young people and change makers are protagonist of positive change that the world will experience transformation. A transformation where there will be smiles in agriculture and justice, life and life style, work and care, business and peace and policies for happiness. A transformation where there is no single victim and no one is left behind in the process of poverty eradication while safeguarding our environment.       Nkemcha Matin Tiku (Mc Tiku ROBOGA) Youth Leader and Social Entrepreneur Founder and National Coordinator of ROBOGA Youth Association National President of YALI West Africa Alumni Association Cameroon Participant at Economy of Francisco Assisi 2022 Change Maker in Agriculture and Justice Village BIBLIOGRAPHIE Nkemcha Martin Tiku is a youth leader and social entrepreneur with over ten years in coordinating community development programs particularly voluntary career coaching and socioeconomic empowerment of youth, young girls and women. In 2012, he founded ROBOGA Association for counseling, orientation and mentorship of young people for self employment. His principal role is orientating high school students to get involved in technical vocational education training beside their formal education. Between 2012 – 2016, he reached out to over 100.000 youth before the Anglophone crisis break out in the two English speaking regions of Cameroon stopping all the activities. He relocated to the French speaking region of Cameroon as an internally displaced person. Here, he wanted to do the same thing he was doing with students in his region through schools but it was practically impossible because of other barriers beyond his control. During this period over 1.000.000 natives of the South West and North West regions have ran away from the conflicts and were now living in much safe host community in absolute poverty and misery. On noticing this, he is part of the team who initiated in November 2018 the SMILE AGAIN INITIATIVE for the training of internally displaced women, girls and boys on income generating activities. Together with the team, they mobilized a few resources and began the first training of 50 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the city of Yaounde in January 2019. They trained on different vocational income generating skills and at the end of training offered them some start up materials to start small businesses while they do monitoring and follow up. This initiative attracted so much admiration from some other organizations and collaborators who decided to join him do more of it. Since January 2019, with partners he has trained and empowered 600 internally displaced persons in eight different cities of Cameroon (Yaounde, Dschang, Douala, Bafang, Melone, Limbe, Santchou and Buea). After training and offering them start up kits at the end of every training session we did in every town and doing monitoring and follow up, over 75% of them are doing extremely well and in turn training others. He plans to build a youth empowerment

NEWS

Socio-economic training of IDPs Dschang, November 10, 2022

Socio-economic training of IDPs Dschang, November 10, 2022 Association Action pour l’Economie de Communion en Afrique Centrale (AECAC): second phase of the project for the empowerment and socio-economic integration of IDPs in the Northwest and Southwest. “Count your blessings one by one and you will be surprised at what the Lord has done for you!”With this chorus, 25 young men and women internally displaced people (IDPs) from the crisis in the North West and South West regions living in Dschang and Bafoussam – West of Cameroon – started their training session on November 10, 2022 in Dschang.To improve their situation, this project promoted by the Association Action pour l’Economie de Communion en Afrique Centrale (AECAC) proposes means for their empowerment and socio-economic insertion, so that they can take care of their vital needs. Why financial education and business management?The crisis led many to abandon not only their homes and towns, but also their occupation. And arriving in their welcoming towns, they have to find means to sustain themselves and their families.More specifically, the training focused on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who already have skills in sewing, hairdressing, barbershops, shoe making and others.The session started therefore with story sharing. Many touching stories were recounted on how they make a living.A number of these stories were about keeping small businesses, how they got a capital to start off, and again how are these small businesses managed.Kennedy studied building and construction, it’s not easy to find job on building sites, and he is ready to move to any town in the region where he finds a job. Derrick has a barber shop: “before the crisis I was at university. I had activities that helped me to cope. Before completing my studies the crisis broke out. I borrowed some money to open a barber shop. Now I wish I could have enough income to increase my business…”Nives, a nurse by profession, left her hometown in 2017 to various destinations and now she lives in Dschang with her family. She would love very much to practice as a nurse but she can’t find a job. She does small business, she buys and sells crayfish.Before the crisis Zefa was doing farming in his village, he was keeping pigs, now he sells fire wood in spite his health conditions and he is the caretakers of his family, he has 3 children.Nicodemus is a carpenter: “before the crisis I was a student in Fontem, I had gone there to learn the work. When the crisis broke out, I came to Dschang and now I’m working in a carpentry shop of someone”. He also shared that since he does not get paid regularly, he would like to have a capital to start doing small works “to own a place of mine”.Sylviane was doing farming she now lives in Bafoussam with her family and she started selling some food provisions in her neighborhood. “Today I can keep 3000/4000 per day. I would like to enlarge my business”. Through their moving and challenging stories the training took shape. The conversations – through questions and answers – gently and skillfully evolved into “training classes”. It is only then that the facilitators: Steve Azeumo, and Tiku Martin introduced the beneficiaries of this project, into the management of small businesses, financially accompanying them in their activities, on technical and psycho-social levels. Success storiesThe session ended with success stories of some beneficiaries of the first phase of the project.Cyril lives in Yaoundé, during the first phase of the project he learned shoe-making. He now has a shop and he has a large customer community through social media. His mother too shared her moving story of how this job up to now, helps cater for the needs of the family.Mary, a teacher by profession, lives in Dschang with her family. During the first phase of the project she learned a few skills: making soap and crocheting. To date, her market has expanded beyond Cameroon.The session concluded successfully, with facilitators of the project gradually reaching the goal of the project to help the IDPs restored and regain their human dignity in their new environment.Launching the beneficiaries into the deep and core foundation of the projects: communion! They were encouraged “to embark on the path of sharing not forgetting that God is our invisible partner, who calls each one of to build bonds of fraternity where ever we are, even as we struggle to make a living through small businesses”.

NEWS

Training of IDPs in Yaoundé

Socio-economic training of IDPs Yaoundé, November 14, 2022   Association Action pour l’Economie de Communion en Afrique Centrale (AECAC): second phase of the project for the empowerment and socio-economic integration of IDPs in the Northwest and Southwest.On Monday 14, 2022 the AECAC office hosted a training for 15 internally displaced of Yaoundé who qualified for this phase 2 training session. Yaoundé the Capital City of Cameroon, is an excellent place to experience the social transformation happening in the Country, with its many faces and complexities, it is home to hundred thousands of Internally Displaced Persons since the so called Anglophone crisis in Northwest and Southwest regions.Just like all other cities of the Country, Yaoundé too is adapting to the addition of hundreds of the displaced seeking safety.In this City people have the possibility to “rebuild” their lives, to regroup, build new identities and why not forge socio-political awareness that aim to bring peace back to places they had to abandon because of conflict.It is in this context that the Association Action pour l’Economie de Communion en Afrique Centrale (AECAC) promoted a project that proposes means for the empowerment and socio-economic insertion of Internally Displaced Persons, so that they can take care of their vital needs in this big City with its characteristics. Sustainability – the cost of living that might be higher than other towns, lodging with house-rent might as well present different challenges than other places. Schooling for children and youth is another reality. To cope with such issues and others, beneficiaries of the project run different small business for their income generating activities.During the training session each beneficiary was given time necessary to share his/her personal story with each other and with the two facilitators of the programme Steve Azeumo, and Tiku Martin. These touching stories of resilience, courage and determination provided the basis for the training.I lively dialogue between the trainees and the facilitators made its way into a real formation and skills learing.Quinta is a nutritionist, mother of 2 children, she and her children are having it rough in this big City where she has no house, and she works during the day and at night she sleeps at her friends’ places and at times at well-wishers’ places, for she cannot yet afford house rent, no stable job after having fled and left everything she had behind, in search of safety. Two months ago she managed to gather some money and started to sell cooked food. She is determined to find a place of her own very soon, reason why she need support to carry on her activity.Elisabeth does markings on traditional attires, together with her two younger sisters. She has worked tersely for about 2 years. She would like to have a sewing machine so as to grow her business.Catherine sells groundnuts. Even if the market is slaw, she would like to continue her business if she get capital.Geraldine makes pastries, after an accident she had to spend good part of her humble savings for her medical bills but she is not relenting. For now she does her baking with a capital of 5 kg of wheat-flor Roland is 24 year old, when the crisis broke he was still in high school. He had to relocate to Kribi and then to Yaoundé in hope of finding a job. He is now learning to work in a barber-shop. He said he needs support to work as a barber.Though sincere and open dialogue with facilitators, training sessions resulted into listening intensely to the really needs, desires and aspirations of beneficiaries.Sonita is 18 old, she arrived in Yaoundé 2 years ago. She hasn’t been in school for the last 2 years. She does marking on traditional attires with her sister for her upkeep, but her strong desire is to go back to school. So, her request to the project is a support to go back school in the afternoon so that in the morning she can work for her upkeep.In other cases, the dialogue opened up to the need of advocacy, this was for instance the case of Bertila a Nurse student, mother of 3 young children. For a living, and to afford her children’s school fees, she does beadwork; that is used to create accessories like necklaces, bracelets, pendants, anklets, belts as well as home décor and a number of household.In order to complete her Nursing course, she needs to do internship but she cannot afford to pay the fee.Others pressing issues underlined were: discipline, savings microcredits finance and bank accounts. Assunta has a small a shop. The facilitation brought forth the importance of business license to be in order with the laws and regulations of the City Council. She concluded: “I need technical support”.The training ended successfully, each beneficiary was encouraged to make his/her business plan, a skill that was appreciated, to focus and be results orientated.As Bertila put it: “this training session was about business and financial education but it was also an emotional support session”, they left with the desire to continue networking.

Project

Training of IDPs on Income generating activities

The project training of IDPs on Income generating activities was launched as a result of the social unrests plaguing the English speaking regions of our country. Four million people are said to have been affected by the crisis according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Cameroon, report of the 18th of January 2019, amongst which are 437.500 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). These persons living in other towns within the Anglophone zone as well as towns such as Douala, Yaounde, Bafoussam, Dschang etc. These IDPs go through many challenges out of home such as insufficient money to buy food, pay bills (house rents, light bills etc), pay school fees for children and much more. It is also very common to find families which had 5 persons, with 10 to 15 persons now some times in very few bedrooms. There is every need to assist these IDPs by empowering them to stand on their own. The project training of IDPs on Income generating Activities aims at empowering these IDPs especially the vulnerable ones so that they can take care of themselves and provide for their needs. It is also in the spirit that offering these IDPs food will not last but teaching them how to provide food for themselves is a lasting solution. In addition, the project is open to IDPs from both Anglophone regions (even French speaking individuals in view of the fact that they were living in the zones now infested by war). The activities carried out include beading of stencils for the fabrication of slippers and sandals, crocheting of ponchos, mufflers and caps and fabrication of medicinal soap, spaghetti, mayonnaise and bergeur. Moreover, there is follow up after training to ensure that the IDPs continue to produce and sell, where necessary assist them with the needed help and the push to continue practicing their new trade so that they can make money for themselves. As of end 2020, we have trained 500 people in fours regions of the country (Dschang, Bafoussam, Limbe, Yaounde)

Project

Mbangowah Elvis, founder of Stars From Scars Africa

The EoC-IIN Hub Cameroon, as an incubator of values, welcome a social entrepreneur, Mbangowah Elvis, founder of Stars From Scars Africa Starting the incubation process! He Shared with us the vision behind this great project. STARS FROM SCARS AFRICA was born as a non-profit organization whose mission is to add value to the lives of street children and other vulnerable children through rehabilitation, education and/or vocational training and reintegration into society

Project

« LA MAISON DE L’ESPOIR »

In order to offer young people the opportunity to overcome the wounds of the past and rebuild their lives, an association called “LA MAISON DE L’ESPOIR” has been set up; “LA MAISON DE L’ESPOIR” is a youth association; its head office is in Yaoundé; its motto is “An ear to listen, a heart to love, an outstretched hand to help”; “LA MAISON DE L’ESPOIR” aims to contribute to the emotional, psycho-affective and spiritual development of young people. By Ebanda Marcel Ange