Coming back to Douala on the night of 15^th of August strangely felt like coming home: the familiarity of the streets leading up to the Procure des Missions, the taxi drivers speaking to us in French, the sight of the street children gathering in front of the fancy “glacier moderne” and the welcoming smiles of our colleagues and friends from the AMA women project contributed to a personal feeling of bliss and reassurance. While I knew that my sojourn in Cameroon was coming to an end, much remained to be done in our last few days in buzzing Douala.

Effectively, Helah and I were scheduled to give two trainings to the Sandaga women market traders: the first training focusing on how to use and update UCOMAS’ google site to ensure sustainibility once we leave the country; the second training consisting of familiarizing the women traders with key English vocabulary required to communicate with potential international funders and other international partners. During the first training, I had the pleasure to work with Anne and Janet who were both very eager to become more familiar with computers and the google site application. Janet, in particular, had very little experience with computers prior to this training; nonetheless, she demonstrated sheer commitment to the learning process ranging from the basic use of the mouse to inserting a web slide show on the UCOMAS google site.

The day of our departure, Mama Benedicta, accompanied by Adelaide Foute and Lydie Nwegah offered to give us a ride to Douala International airport; it is with a “pincement au coeur” (pinch in my heart) that I said good-bye to the other Sandaga women traders, to our friends at Strategies who have welcomed and trusted us since our arrival, to busy and many a times frightening Douala –which I have come to love as a city– and to the luxuriant country of Cameroon which has an enormous potential to get out of poverty if and only if civil society is given a voice and the leverage necessary to influence local politics, if the Cameroonian government undergo drastic changes to stop corruption and clientelism and invest in its people, if industrialized power like France implement pro-poor and pro-democratic polices in order to contribute to the economic development of its African partner.

This is certainly not the end but the beginning of a strong relationship that transcends geographical boundaries, cultural differences, historical heritage, and the current undemocratic policies implemented by my country,  France, towards Cameroon… a transnational connection eventually contributing to the transnational women’s rights movement. The women and men I have met throughout my stay in Cameroon are extraordinary human beings committed to the betterment of the lives of marginalized populations. They are my role models and thanks to them my field experience this summer is nothing less than the conformation of a calling.

assemblee-generale-06-16-2009-119

“Off all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”

- Martin Luther King Jr.

For the past two weeks, I have been researching and writing on global public health to complete my part of the background guide for the 2010 National Model United Nations. Throughout all the various reports that I have read the same themes come up over and over again: ‘the economic crisis has the potential to become a health crisis;’ ‘marginalized populations have very limited access to good quality health care;’ ‘maternal and newborn mortality is extremely high in Sub-Saharan Africa,’ ‘non-communicable diseases are the new silent killer’… Being in Cameroon, while writing this report, is truly an opportunity to observe and understand some of the gaps in the health care systems in a developing country.

During our field visit to Njinikom, a member of the local women’s group raised some important questions: Why is access to antiretroviral drugs so difficult in developing countries? She explained that she could see from the international media that People Living With Aids (PLWA) in developed countries seem to lead normal lives; for PLWA in Cameroon, being infected by HIV/AIDS is a death sentence. To continue, another Njinikom woman asked us why a vaccine against Malaria has not yet been developed. There are various preventive drugs that can be administered; however, those drugs are extremely expensive and out of the reach of most people in developing countries. Furthermore, not enough resources have been allocated to Research and Development (R&D) by pharmaceutical companies to elaborate a cheaper prophylaxis for malaria. While there are millions of people infected by malaria each year, pharmaceutical companies have no economic incentives to carry out research to curtail the occurrence of malaria; it is a poor people’s disease.

Throughout our stay in Cameroon, I have observed many children suffering from polio; I have heard the guttural cough of men and women suffering from tuberculosis; and I have shaken the hand of a rural woman with a protruding tumor on her throat. The health gap is so incredibly real and the North-South imbalances, in all aspect of development, so extremely unjust. It is my hope that despite the financial downturn, caused in great part by the mismanagement and careless of leaders in the developed world, the funding commitments to meet the health Millennium Development Goals will be met.

Our last rural visit took us to Njinikom, a small rural village perched on a lush green hill, one hour north of Bamenda. As we had done for our previous rural visits, Emmanuel, Helah and I boarded a two-door vehicle –called ‘motto’ by Cameroonians– and started our day-trip in the early morning. However, that day was scheduled to be clean-up and manual work day in Bamenda meaning that taxis could only start loading their passengers after 11am.We and the 5 other people jam-packed inside the taxi took a back road to avoid being controlled by the local police. Throughout our stay in Bamenda, I have noted that most Cameroonian police and army officers are francophone. From my personal observation, the francophone Cameroonians maintain a dominant relationship towards the anglophone Cameroonians. The Cameroonian government is undoubtedly taking some preventive measures in order to curtail any type of dissent from the anglophone opposition by ensuring that the Northwest Province is under tight control. Not before long, we were stopped by one of those ‘routiers’ who gave our taxi driver a difficult time. But this was quickly resolved by a bribe disbursed to this enforcement officer.

Njinikom Landscape

Njinikom Landscape

In Njinikom, we were kindly welcomed by a couple of women who participated in the HIV/AIDS training and soon after proceeded with a focus group session including women’s group representatives, ‘second-class’ local chiefs and teachers. To meet one of our deliverables for Nkumu Fed Fed –which consist of carrying out a participatory evaluation of the HIV/AIDS campaign– we are conducting focus groups and one-to-one interviews with key stakeholders who are asked to share their experiences and potential recommendations to improve future interventions. The participants expressed their concern about some of the hardest cultural practices to change: they identified widow inheritance practices as the most difficult cultural practice to modify; most participants raised some concerns about the treatment of People Living With Aids (PLWA) who are still heavily stigmatized by their community; additionally, children whose parents have died of AIDS are often marginalized within their communities.

'Second-class' traditional chief

'Second-class' traditional chief

Various key recommendations emanated from our discussions. First, a key target group seems to have been missed by the HIV/AIDS initiative: the youth. One of the teachers explained that discussing safe sex practices constitute a great challenge for parents and youths alike. Sex talk is still very taboo in rural communities. As such, developing strategies to encourage the youth to participate in the HIV/AIDS campaign and provide trainings to parents so that they can engage with their children about safe sexual practices are key initiatives for the continuation of this project. Second, various participants expressed the need for a better follow-up both in terms of providing trainers with outreach materials and conducting additional trainings to consolidate trainers’ knowledge. Finally a feedback loop should be put in place to ensure that trainers and community members have the opportunity to ask questions to Nkumu Fed Fed lead-trainers.

Njinikom Women's Group

Njinikom Women's Group

Throughout our discussion about HIV/AIDS prevention, various participants seemed uneasy about “preaching” the usage of condoms. One woman explained that abstinence is the best prevention measures against the spread of HIV/AIDS. Probably seeing the surprised look on my face, Emmanuel whispered in my ear that the inhabitants of Njinikom are dedicated Christians; as such, condom usage is only acceptable as a last resort. The tensions between religion and the HIV/AIDS campaign highlighted the complexity of it all. The people we met in Njinikom have an incredible leverage and can really influence their community’s actions and worldviews. Nonetheless, they are appropriating the HIV/AIDS campaign and making it fit their religious values. So how do you carry out an effective HIV/AIDS campaign while sustaining alliances with key community members whose worldviews are rooted in certain religious beliefs? Like anything in the development world, this too will take incremental changes.

Leaving Njinikom

Leaving Njinikom

Du Togo à l’Afrique du Sud, du Marcoc à la Tanzanie, aujourd’hui, le 31 juillet nous célèbrons la femme Africaine!

Traditional Music and Dancing on African Women's Day

July 31^st was Pan African Women’s Day Celebration and it was quite a feast in Bali- Nyonga. What an incredible experience to witness all those women arriving from all corners of the Northwest region and uniting against the exploitation of women and the girl child.

In the following video, you will find some excepts of traditional dances and educational sketches performed by community members to bring awareness about harmful cultural practices such as forced marriage.

Prior to departing for our first visit to a rural community, Emmanuel Ngang –our colleague from Nkumu Fed Fed– organized a meeting with the communication officer from the Baptist center located in Bamenda, Emmanuel Bah Tokoh. Mr. Tokoh participated in Nkumu Fed Fed training addressing the intersection of HIV/AIDS and harmful cultural practices and has been spreading his knowledge ever since. He welcomed us in his small office adorned by a poster of the Lions taped on the back wall and a significant pile of folders resting on top of his desk. “HIV/AIDS is a real pandemic in the Northwest region; we have the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS in all of Cameroon.” explained Mr. Tokoh. To address the pervasiveness of AIDS in the region, the Baptist church started sensitizing the surrounding communities –though in an informal manner– prior to Nkumu Fed Fed training but as Mr. Tokoh explains they lacked the knowledge and the tool to make a significant and long-lasting impact. In fact, the training enabled the participants to be more articulate and specific when outreaching to the local communities. Additionally, the Baptist church preliminary approach was confrontational, especially towards the local chiefs; however, Mr. Tokoh knew that they had to change their approach and create alliances with local chiefs instead.

While harmful cultural practices have reduced, entrenched pockets of resistance within the rural areas persist. Moreover, one of the Baptist church’s key tool to disseminate the information is the radio; however, its radio programming does not cover a large enough area to reach the remote communities within the region. To enhance the impact of the HIV/AIDS campaign, Mr. Tokoh recommended the implementation of public outreach program/sensitization activities inclusive of all community members. Increasing men’s buy-in process is vital. Finally, local trainers’ knowledge must be reinforced through additional seminars to enable the development of indigenous initiative to curve the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Media Outreach: NFF Advocacy

Around 3pm, Helah, Emmanuel Ngang and myself boarded a two-door vehicle to reach Kumbo, a small town located east of Bamenda where we would spend the night before meeting a group of women in Tatum, a small rural village in the Nkum regional division. The road we embarked on, called the Ring Road, is described as a ‘must-see’ in our tourist guide. Indeed, from the undulating volcanic mountains to the rice paddy fields the sceneries are breathtaking. On the side of the road, you can spot an elderly woman carrying a sheer amount of firewood on her head or perhaps a smiling boy walking barefoot carrying a basket of peanuts. After a 3 hours trek, we arrived in Kumbo where pouring rain welcomed us. Half-soaked, we checked-in into a cheap and decrepit hotel. After sharing a delicious tomato omelet cooked in firewood pot, Emmanuel reminisced on how he was able to go to university and work in development project today. Emmanuel, originally from the Southwest Province, comes from a very humble background where sending children to school was an unaffordable luxury. As a young man, he crossed path with a Dutch stagiaire who gave me enough money -200,000 CFA or the equivalent of $400- to put himself through school for the years to come. “This man changed my life and changed the status of my family. Thanks to him I was able to get a good job and send my siblings to school,” Emmanuel explained. This Dutch stagiaire knew that investing in the education of this young Cameroonian man would have a multiplier effect, not only benefiting Emmanuel but his entire family. As the night passed by, we shared our ideas about the consequences of poor national management, the impact of Françafrique as well as the increasing presence of American multinationals in Cameroon. Though Emmanuel’s concern echoed some of the worries expressed by our colleagues from the AMA women project in Douala, the disinvestment in the Anglophone region is incredibly palpable. As I have mentioned in a previous blog, the Northwest province is the bastion of resistance against the current government. In fact, this is where the first march for multi-pluralism was organized a couple of decades ago. Furthermore, while most of the petroleum is extracted in the Northwest region, not a dime is going to the local population since most of the management is francophone. This division between the Anglophone and Francophone sections of Cameroon is another challenge that the upcoming generation of political activists will have to tackle.

Road from Kumbo to Bamenda

The main objective of our visit to Tatum was to meet some of the rural women who have received the training on HIV/AIDS and who have themselves become trainers in their rural communities.. Here, it is important to distinguish beneficiaries from rights claimants. Too often, the beneficiaries in the developing world are perceived as passive recipients of international aid. In contrast, rights-claimants are directly involved in the fight for the respect of their human rights and play a vital role in disseminating knowledge. The women from Tatum are certainly rights-claimants.

As we arrived in Tatum, the assistant-mayor of the Nkum council, who organized the meeting with the Tatum women, warmly welcomed us. He underlined some the key cultural practices that contributed to the spread of HIV/AIDS such as widowhood practices and cultural jamborees. He underlined that sensitization is an incremental process but that tangible outcome are already being seen: people are more open to do check-ups before marriage and widows are refusing the inheritance practices. As Mr. Tokoh had emphasized the previous day, the assistant mayor explained that outreaching to remote communities where cultural practices are especially embedded poses one of the greatest challenges.

Women of Tatum

After this brief interview with the assistant mayor, we installed a couple of chairs in one of the bigger room of the Nkum council and invited the three Tatum women for our focus group. While slightly shy at first, the three women soon became more comfortable with us and started opening up about their experiences as trainers and some of the challenges they face in their communities. One of the women explained that the prevalence of alcoholism in her community is a catalyst for unsafe sexual practices leading to the spread of HIV/AIDS. She explained that People Living With AIDS (PLWA) are stigmatized by their families and isolated from the community as whole. Another Tatum woman raised a question about “traditional AIDS.” Effectively, one of the traditional leader has spread the word about the danger of getting “traditional AIDS” if a community members. This misinformation serves the purpose of moralizing community members is extremely dangerous for a plethora of reasons. Effectively, telling people that they have “traditional AIDS” hinders them from knowing the real causes of their diseases and changing their sexual practices; also it hinders people from seeking the appropriate medical treatment. We were able to discuss this issue and clarify some of the doubts regarding “traditional AIDS” expressed by the Tatum women.

We were later joined by a fourth local woman trainer, Aja Salamatou, who shared her experience as a member of a polygamous family. These four women expressed some of the challenges they face as trainers: first, people often expect that they will be given medication to ‘cure’ AIDS by the trainers, consequently they are often disappointed when they learn that this is not a health campaign; second, men have been antagonized by the fact that it is women who are taking the lead in curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS and would rather receive training from men rather than women about safe sexual practices; finally, the women expressed that within the Fulani culture, forced marriage is one of the hardest practices to curve and young girls are forced to accept the marriage due to community pressure. The women shared some very important recommendations that could enhance the impact of the HIV/AIDS campaign such as bringing more people to partake in general meetings about harmful cultural practices, include more men as trainers to outreach to the male population in their communities, have access to more visual aids and translate the material in the local languages. The Tatum’s women recommendations will be included as lessons learned and recommendations in our preliminary evaluation of the project. Effectively, their expertise is essential for the advancement of Nkumu Fed Fed HIV/AIDS project.

Fulani Women from Tatum

Le Cameroun est un pays majestueux! Though it took us close to 6 hours and a very bumpy ride to reach the Northwest Province of Cameroon from Douala, I could not stop myself from staring at the lush vegetation which complements the redness of the clay… the fiery earth. From fruits and vegetables to wood and petroleum, Cameroon has a plethora of resources; nonetheless, the majority of Cameroonian live in abject poverty. What mismanagement from the local authority and obstructionist policies from international powers! Each time the bus came to a stop at the local villages, children would come running towards the bus with buckets of roasted prunes, nuts, bananas and okras sticks in the hope that a hungry traveler might by them a snack. Cameroonian children represent the future of this country; that is why ensuring their well-being and investing in their education is vital.

Road from Kumbo to Bamenda

Paysage du Cameroun

Nkumu Fed Fed, Vital Voices partner organization in Bali, tirelessly works on behalf of Cameroonian children. This organization, which started out as a network of Bali women in the 1980s, has four major program areas: Gender and the Rights of the Child, Education, Health & HIV/AIDS, Secure Livelihoods and the Environment. As AP/Vital Voices fellows, our role is to document and evaluate the HIV/AIDS advocacy campaign, sponsored by a Vital Voices grant. Nkumu Fed Fed’s HIV/AIDS campaign has focused on creating awareness about harmful cultural practices, which facilitate the spread of HIV/AIDS. One of the local doctor in Bali gave us an overview of some of those harmful traditional practices: the practice of polygamy, which can entail traditional leader acquiring a third or fourth wife, the latter must preferably be a virgin; widowhood practices where a widow is forced to marry her brother-in-law; cultural jamborees –throughout the year, married people are allowed to have intimate relationships with past lovers without being sanctioned by their communities. Additionally, various problems that are not of cultural nature also play a decisive role in the spread of HIV/AIDS. They include older men praying on little girls; promising them 10,000 CFA ($20) if they sleep them; the overall lack of condom usage, and the overuse of unsanitary blades to cut someone’s hair for example.

Nkumu Fed Fed Rehabilitation Centre

Nkumu Fed Fed Rehabilitation Centre

Nkumy Fed Fed’s strategy to curtail those harmful cultural practices has essentially been a ‘train the trainers’ approach. Key stakeholders –including traditional leaders (called Fons), women’s groups leaders, and local political actors­– were invited to Nkumu Fed Fed multipurpose center to partake in a general training about the intersection of HIV/AIDS and cultural practices. Those trainees went back to their communities and trained the local people. This strategy seems to have been especially effective because some of the rural areas are very remote and hard to reach place for Nkumu Fed Fed staff.

Fon - Traditional Leader of Bali

Fon - Traditional Leader of Bali

Since our arrival in Bali, Helah and I had the privilege to meet two Fons and a local women’s group in Bamenda. Reaching out to and involving traditional leaders, who are the custodian of culture, is a key development strategy to ensure the sustainibility of the HIV/AIDS campaign. Those two Fons were undeniably well educated and progressive. They expressed their commitment to educating their constituency about the harmful cultural practices, understanding that the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS is the fight they have to adopt. While it is expected that Fons will ‘acquire’ many wives as a demonstration of power, the Fon of Bu with whom we met is one of the only Fons in the region who is monogamous. Taking a stand –even as Fon– can trigger various criticisms by other Fons and constituencies. As such, creating a consensus about health sexual practices among the Fons will be a challenge for the upcoming years.

After a visit with the Fons, we met with a group of women called Global Education and Environmental Development (GEED), which also focuses on the rights of the girl child and the empowerment of women in rural areas. One of the GEED members, Clotilda Ansiensa, who has a soft spot for women, also became a trainer for Nkumu Fed Fed. According to Clothilda, the greatest obstacle to eradicating HIV/AIDS in her community is the reality that women are very poor and uneducated. Often, a woman’s only alternative is to become economically dependent and concede to unsafe sex practices. Clothilda emphasized that the HIV/AIDS campaign must be accompanied by women’s economic empowerment. A woman who is economically empowered will be in a much better position to negotiate safe sex and make informed decisions about her future.

Meeting with GEED

Meeting with GEED

For the next two weeks, we will be traveling to rural communities to meet some of the local trainees… the last mile. What does the last mile look like? That is what I kept on asking myself during one of my development classes. For me, reaching the last mile is meeting that woman in one of the remote villages, sitting with her, discussing her experience as a trainer, providing her with all the tools and knowledge necessary to succeed in eradicating harmful cultural practices and support her efforts in the long-term.

In primary school, I remember cherishing a sturdy white and navy-blue folder adorned by one of my dad’s favorite quote: “Ce n’est pas la destination qui compte, c’est le voyage” (It’s not the destination that matters, it’s the journey). I turned twenty-seven a couple of days ago and being in Africa has led me to reflect on my own personal journey. A year ago, I traveled to Ottawa, Canada in order to renew my F-1 student visa and start my graduate studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. I remember feeling nervous about my appointment at the American Embassy being very aware that they could send me to France to renew my visa or potentially deny the renewal for some random reasons. Thankfully everything went according to plan and I was able to start my graduate studies in International Development. While in school, I diligently wrote policy briefs and conducted in-depth research projects, took part in grant writing workshop and learned various techniques for participatory development. Nonetheless, I could not wait to get to the field and acquire the practical experience so vital to carry out meaningful and sustainable work in the field of international development. A year later, I am leaving the dream! I am in Douala Cameroon participating in Vital Voices training initiative alongside exceptional Cameroonian women leaders.

Vital Voices Training in Douala, Cameroon

Justine Kumche, Executive Director of Women Alternative Action (WAA)

From July 20^th until July 24^th, Cameroonian women from all walks of life –including restaurant owners, dentist, lawyers, fashion designers and market traders among many others– came together to share their expertise, build a network and learn about various development tools such as strategic planning, proposal writing and fundraising. There were four key groups of participants: Cameroon Business Women Network (CBWN), Sandaga Market Women Traders (UCOMAS), Women Alternative Actions (WAA), and Nkumu Fed Fed (NFF). CBWN is a nascent network of business women located in Douala, which focuses on bringing together Cameroonian business women as well as organizing business plan trainings. Though UCOMAS has been our main priority for the last month, I will add that the women traders are currently awaiting the response from the American Embassy Self-Help program to rehabilitate the public toilets at the Sandaga market. As of now, they have been pre-selected…but will need additional funding. As such, they are looking to diversify their funding resources to be able to rehabilitate as many toilets as possible. Women Alternative Action, currently based in Yaoundé, mostly focuses on gender advocacy as it relates to sexual harassment, the eradication of harmful cultural practices which undermine women’s human rights, the elimination of discriminatory laws towards women and the prevention of gun proliferation. The WAA women passion for women’s rights and their insatiable drive to improve women’s livelihoods in Cameroon is contagious. Most of them are pursuing graduate degrees at the University of Yaounde, they work full time for WAA while fullfillg their responsibilities as wives and mothers…. they are true role models! Nkumu Fed Fed’s activities concern the rehabilitation of child trafficking and an HIV/AIDS campaign in the rural areas of the North West province in Cameroon and they will be the focus of our major second project as Vital Voices Fellows.

Vital Voices Training in Douala, Cameroon

Vital Voices Training Session

Helah and I were fortunate to work along side knowledgeable and experienced trainers from Vital Voices, which enabled us to further our expertise as aspiring development practitioners. My role during the training was two-fold: I translated some of the presentations from French to English and helped facilitate some of the activities such as the S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis which helps organizations identify their internal strenghts and weakness, while being cognizent of external opportunities and threats. We also had the opportunity to present an excerpt of our documentary about the Sandaga women market traders, which spurred many ideas for media outreach and fundraising opportunities once we go back to the United States. I believe that the greatest success of the training was to bridge the different levels of expertise between all those women and ensure that each one of them would leave the training with applicable and tangible skills. At the end of the training, Melysa Sperber, Vital Voices Grant Manager, asked the women how they envision the condition of the Cameroonian women in 5 or ten years. Here are some ideas they shared: living a life free of discrimination, women’s empowerment in the rural areas, the end of harmful cultural practices, more women in politics and in the business sector, access to education and health, having more men involved in the fight for women’s rights… From El Salvador to Vietnam and Cameroon to Palestine, women and men aspire to this vision and are tirelessly working to make this vision become a reality. I plan on working along side them for the years to come.

Vital Voices Global Partnership Training in Cameroon

Les Femmes du Marche Sandaga

During my first semester of graduate studies, I took a class entitled women’s rights in cross-cultural perspectives. This class revolutionized my understanding of women’s rights and informed my role as a future development practitioner advocating for women’s rights in a different cultural context. A key question drove this course: how are human rights norms translated at the local level without imposing on local populations and antagonizing local practices?

In the development field, various schools of thought have debated this issue. As such, universalism –which states that despite great diversity among us some basic human needs must be guaranteed to all human beings– has come under heavy criticism by proponents of ethnic relativism. The latter argues that human rights are Eurocentric and imposed by the West in order to perpetuate colonial hegemony. Supporters of universalism counter this argument by explaining that “so-called” cultural practices are used as a smokescreen to allow harmful cultural practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) to persist.

Cultures are not stuck in time and unchangeable; culture is a living entity. As such many health campaigns to stop FGM practices have met lasting success in various rural areas in Uganda for example. Nonetheless, it is very clear that practices that favor a dominant group within a society are extremely difficult to challenge.

Sandga Market in Douala, Cameroon

At the Sandaga Market, men traders feel threatened by the rise of UCOMAS. They know that if UCOMAS achieves one of its main objectives, which is to inform women about their basic rights and teach them how to advocate for themselves, they will lose their economic monopoly. Effectively, men traders at the Sandaga market are the primary recipient of the merchandise coming-in in from the country side. They buy substantial amount of merchandise from the rural farmers and then resell smaller quantities to the women traders who are prohibited from buying in greater quantities. Women traders are starting to stand up against this unfair practice. As Therese Leukeng explained in one of her interviews, “I know I am a woman but it does not mean I will let myself be walked all over. When I need to ask, I ask; when I need to demand, I demand.”

I am a firm believer that all human beings have inalienable rights. What I hope to see more in the upcoming year is the shaping of a real international forum where the voices of human rights activists and development practitioners from all corners of this world are heard and respected.

Women in the developed world do not have the monopoly over advocating for women’s rights; to the contrary, women in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe have a sheer amount of expertise to share and a lot to teach us. A case in point is Ms. Kah Walla, director of Strategies! and City Counselor of Douala First, who assessed the problems at the Sandaga market and decided to apply for the Vital Voices grant in order to provide leadership and business training for the women traders. As Ms. Kah Walla explains, “it all stemmed from an observation” which led us to a great struggle or as AMA co-Manager Annick would put it “un accouchement difficile” (a painful labor) of UCOMAS. A year ago, having a women market traders’ association was unthinkable, today it’s a reality.

N’oublions pas que “l’utopie est la realite de demain.” - Victor Hugo  

Sandga Market: Douala, Cameroon

The Sandaga women market traders make a substantial contribution to the local economy of Douala. In fact, their annual profit is estimated to range between $14,000,000 and $32,000,000. Nonetheless, being a woman trader is not valued within society. Due to its informal nature, this economic activity is looked down upon and considered a second-class job.

At the Sandaga Market, women traders face a plethora of challenges ranging from general problems intrinsic to the Sandaga market itself such as a lack of basic infrastructures –latrines, potable water, and safe electrical installations– to more specific problems targeting women traders in particular including intimidation, manipulation, as well as verbal, physical and sexual harassment.

In the following video, you will meet some of the women traders who will explain some of the challenges they must face on a daily basis. And because “l’union fait la force,” as the UCOMAS women traders have taught us, please find the second part of these excerpts on my co-fellow/partner in crime/dear friend… Helah Robinson.

Rainy days are coming to Cameroun. C’est la saison des pluies! For many of us in the West, the rainy season means that we might be spending more time at the library or in the comfort of our house, perhaps sipping a hot chocolate or café crème. For the women traders of the Sandaga market it means quite differently. From the beginning of July to the end of September, the woman traders will have to withstand hours at a time soaked by the rain, hoping to sell a few carrots or gonbo in order to make an average of $1 a day. Effectively, the economic activities of the market slow down substantially during those summer months, barely allowing women traders and their families to subsist. To continue, mosquitoes and other vectors of tropical diseases strive during the rainy season rendering women traders more vulnerable to diseases such as the flu and malaria. As such, women traders at the Sandaga market feel the rainy season in their flesh and bone.

In my development economics class we learned how to determine the national poverty line of a developing country, calculate the headcount of its poor people as well as the depth of poverty within the country. We discussed the percentage of people living below the poverty line -27%, 62% or sometimes even 86%- in a casual manner. I and probably the majority of my academic colleagues did not fully grasp what it means to live on 1 dollar a day, the nature and the extent of poverty that the former implies. In my opinion you can only start to understand once you develop a relationship of trust and care with a person who has to feed her three children on $1 a day. A person like Thérèse Leukeng or Lydie “La Douce” Youssa and Mama Frida or Lydie Nwegah.

Thérèse Leukeng

Thérèse emanates goodness; she is the kind of person who upon entering a room illuminates everyone’s soul. In her interviews, she is concise in her interventions and demonstrates an incredible depth of understanding as it relates to the complexity of the issues at stake. When we cross path at the Sandaga market, she greets us with warmth and genuinely inquires about our well-being and our adaptation to her country. Thérèse has always been motivated by the defense and promotion of women’s rights. She explained to us that many a time she wanted to intervene when she endured or witnessed abuses and discrimination towards herself or other women traders. However, she knew that she had to swallow her pride as the retribution for speaking out could have been dreadful. Today this seed within her, a seed for justice and equity, has been nurtured by the AMA Women Project. As Thérèse explains, “through the training provided by the AMA Women project we have become aware; now we are ready to take action.” UCOMAS serves just that purpose! UCOMAS enables women traders like Thérèse to express their concerns and thus feel empowered to challenge the status-quo. Take a second and look into Thérèse’s eyes and you will see a spark. Because of her inner motivation, Thérèse will keep the other women traders together and motivates them to persevere in spite of great obstacles. Thérèse is UCOMAS silent leader.

Sandga Market in Douala, Cameroon

Lydie “La Douce” Youssa

Lydie “La Douce” is celebrating her 13^th year at the Sandaga market. Today she enjoys a faithful clientele who buys her legumes on a daily basis; nonetheless, she has not always had this regular clientele. Thirteen years ago, Lydie still in her early twenties, would head to the Sandaga market before dusk, placing her newly born on her back and hoping to sell a few products. At the beginning of her time in Sandaga, each day was different; one day she would bring home a small profit from her daily sells, other days she would come back home empty handed. “What saved me is that I never stopped trying,” she recalls. Lydie’s nickname “La Douce” (the soft one) fits her like a glove; she is soft spoken and her gaze is gentle. Despite her soft composure, La Douce is not afraid to speak out her mind. In fact just yesterday Lydie “La Douce” was remembering how she had to confront a “man with a beard” who told her that he had not given permission for the creation of UCOMAS and that a women’s association was worthless. She reminded him that anyone is free to form and partake in an association under constitutional law without seeking any sort of approval from a third party. How is that for advocating for one’s human rights?

Interviews with UCOMAS executive bureau members

Mama Frida

Mama Frida taught me how to say “I approve” or “I like” by simultaneously pressing and pointing my lips in her direction. Every time I see her, that is the first thing we exchange; a talisman of our connection, friendship and love. Her beauty is striking; Eric explained to us that she is a descendant of a royal family in the Western part of Cameroon. Mama Frida is responsible for 11 children and she hopes that through UCOMAS she will be able to improve her condition as well as her family’s. A couple of weeks ago, Mama Frida came with a black plastic bag containing four delicious papayas. I was taken aback by her gift being conscious that this represented an incredible financial sacrifice for her and her family. Seeing our reaction of surprise and polite refusal she became tensed and a bit saddened. Eric told us that that she sees us as her daughters and that we should never refuse a gift from our mother. Despite the omnipresence of poverty in her life, Mama Frida feels compelled to take care of us and to ensure that we eat well. To thank her we wrote a little note saying: “Dear Mama Frida, Thank you for the papayas. We love you.” Eric smiled and told us that Mama Frida will keep this note for the rest of her life.

UCOMAS General Meeting

Lydie Nwegah

Lydie is a tall and elegant Cameroonian woman, her African dresses are colorful and stylish, her fingers are long and always adorned by a vibrant rouge polish. When Lydie Nwegah discusses the problems of the Sandaga market she thinks about her children’s future. As Lydie describes herself: “Je n’ai que des filles et je ne veux pas qu’elles passent par la même chose que moi” (Daughters are all I have and I don’t want them to go through the same things as me). Lydie is a very involved mom and as any mom around the world, she must take time off from her economic activities at Sandaga market in order to care for her daughters when they have the flu for example. Women traders like Lydie must constantly juggle between their duties as mothers and their responsibility as bread winners. Nonetheless, Lydie’s foremost motivation is to create change now so that the next generation of women traders will be able to conduct their activities in a just and dignified manner.

Lydie Nwegah, UCOMAS Treasurer

Moving forward…already?

The end of our sojourn in Douala is coming faster than I wish…. we now have less than two weeks before we head to Bamenda and start the second half of our Vital Voices assignment working for Nkumu Fed Fed. There, we will focus on HIV/AIDS and child trafficking. So what have we accomplished thus far for UCOMAS: we put together a brochure presenting some of the basic aspects of the women’s association; we created a google site describing the organization current and planned activities (here is the link, please do not hesitate to send us your feedback: http://sites.google.com/site/ucomas); we will conduct a basic ICT training to familiarize UCOMAS members with gmail, flickr and most importantly enable them to update the google site; finally, we are putting together a short documentary including the women traders’ expertise ranging from general problems at the Sandaga market to the creation of UCOMAS and recommendations for the overall improvement of women traders’ conditions. My feelings are very mixed about leaving UCOMAS at this point in time: upon our departure we will be able to present the women’s association with deliverables but the work feels incomplete… Indeed UCOMAS is a baby as Eric would put it; I want to be here to see it walk a little bit further, stumble and pick itself up on its way to fulfill her dreams.