MBONWEH

Mbonweh women realized that the children of poor families are the most underprivileged. Many of these children cannot complete the full primary school course. Most school drop-outs, delinquents, street children and abused children become youths in crisis: prostitutes, drug addicts and bandits.

As part of their commitment to the education of children and youths from poor homes, in the year 2001, a group of Mbonweh women created the Unique Primary School and care home in Batoke, within the Fako coastal region. The school was built to serve the local community who had no access to affordable quality education. It is founded on a ‘child-centered’ ethos, where class sizes are kept at low levels (max. of 35 pupils), and the fees are less than half of what a government run school would charge. Many of these children’s mothers are Mbonweh women.

In 2004, the school received funding from the British High Commission and the German Embassy which enabled the management to complete two blocks of classes. This project has also received major assistance from international volunteers, especially Mrs. Wendy Saker who founded the Child Sponsorship Programme and Miss Merit Heitanen who in 2007 greatly improved the child sponsorship program by enrolling 53 children who otherwise could have never attended basic primary education. This project’s appreciation also goes to other volunteers such as Miss Laura Johnston, Miss Helen Bishop, and Miss Jenny Zaidi whose assistance will remain in the history of the project.

The project is providing high quality basic education to a underprivileged children and youths in the 12 villages of the West Coast communities of Limbe. A vocational department has been created and the women are searching for funding partners to make this grow bigger.

Mbonweh women realized that the children of poor families are the most underprivileged. Many of these children cannot complete the full primary school course. Most school drop-outs, delinquents, street children and abused children become youths in crisis: prostitutes, drug addicts and bandits.

As part of their commitment to the education of children and youths from poor homes, in the year 2001, a group of Mbonweh women created the Unique Primary School and care home in Batoke, within the Fako coastal region. The school was built to serve the local community who had no access to affordable quality education. It is founded on a ‘child-centered’ ethos, where class sizes are kept at low levels (max. of 35 pupils), and the fees are less than half of what a government run school would charge. Many of these children’s mothers are Mbonweh women.

In 2004, the school received funding from the British High Commission and the German Embassy which enabled the management to complete two blocks of classes. This project has also received major assistance from international volunteers, especially Mrs. Wendy Saker who founded the Child Sponsorship Programme and Miss Merit Heitanen who in 2007 greatly improved the child sponsorship program by enrolling 53 children who otherwise could have never attended basic primary education. This project’s appreciation also goes to other volunteers such as Miss Laura Johnston, Miss Helen Bishop, and Miss Jenny Zaidi whose assistance will remain in the history of the project.

The project is providing high quality basic education to a underprivileged children and youths in the 12 villages of the West Coast communities of Limbe. A vocational department has been created and the women are searching for funding partners to make this grow bigger.

Mbonweh developed a micro-credit delivery model that is adapted to the environment and is highly successful.

The micro-credit cycle is designed to fit the geographical, seasonal and local needs of the rural women. With there being only two seasons in Cameroon - the dry season (November to April) and the wet season (May to October) - those of the members who are farmers have a big planting season in February/March, with their harvest being in June/July. Those with suitable soil conditions would have a second season starting August and harvesting in December/January. For those members who are small traders and market stall holders, the main ‘trading’ season is in the months to the run up to Christmas.

Therefore, there are two ‘draw downs’ of loans: in February to enable the farmers to purchase seeds, clear their land, buy any new machinery they need for their first and main season; and in August to enable the small traders to purchase their new stock to be ready for the busy season, or for the second season of planting for farmers with suitable soil conditions. Additionally, the August draw down is also popular for funding the educational costs of member’s children, with the school year starting in September.

The long experience of MWDA in working with and for Rural Women proved that, it was not only the lack capital and good farming skills that limited their potential to generate better income, but also their inability to mount and execute other more profitable small projects like petty trading.

Given basic skills in marketing, bookkeeping and saving, the women could become fulltime petty trade self-employees generating better and steady incomes with which to lift themselves and their families, hence their entire communities out of abject poverty.