Change a Girl's Life Through Microentrepreneurship

To increase household income of vulnerable populations, (single mothers, conflict-affected women and girls, women living with disability) through the creation of micro businesses,  the economic security and livelihood department of Reach Out Cameroon worked tirelessly in 2023 to archive its goal. Through door-to-door identification, the department was able to identify and build the capacities of vulnerable women and girls on business management, bookkeeping, savings and sexual reproductive health and rights.

In other for a vulnerable woman to actively engage and sustain a micro business, she needs to master some business management skills such as finance management, marketing and human resources. These are crucial to the start and maintenance of good business.

Bookkeeping (stock recording) is also an essential part of a business on which the capacities of women are built. Working with grassroots women who face the challenge of illiteracy (85%) of project beneficiaries, a simple and easy-to-understand method of bookkeeping is taught during capacity-building sessions.

Savings is another great theme which we dwell on. Building their capacities on easy ways to save in a dangling economy is important.  

 Emphasizing on family planning under sexual reproductive health and rights is for the following reasons:

Building and strengthening their capacities for family planning helps prevent unintended pregnancies which can have significant social and economic implications. By building their capacities on how to reduce unintended pregnancies, this theme helps beneficiaries avoid the emotional and financial stress associated with raising more children than they desire or can adequately support.

In addition, family planning plays a crucial role in breaking the circle of poverty in that it can help individuals/families plan their pregnancies, allocate resources invest in education and pursue economic opportunities. Smaller family sizes can lead to increased household income, and improved living standards thereby reducing poverty.

Noticing an increase in the psychosocial trauma Internally Displaced women go through,  it was necessary to integrate Psychosocial First Aid into our package. This helped beneficiaries as it facilitated their healing process from their conflict experiences back in their communities; this also helped them to focus on their business thereby improving their livelihood.

In 2023, Reach Out Cameroon identified and empowered 100 women and girls in 3 regions of the county (North West, South West and Littoral regions). To improve the household income and make them economically self-reliant and resilient in their communities, the women and girls were identified and empowered at different phases.

With over 30 on-site visits conducted in 2023, the team was able to track beneficiaries’ improvement in business and give recommendations where challenges were raised. Monitoring their monthly business capital and profits, a baseline midterm and end-line survey was conducted to ascertain the impact of the project. Indicators such as beneficiaries' number of eating times a day, their average monthly income/expenditure of beneficiaries, and average monthly consumption level of beneficiaries. During the end-line survey, it was discovered that beneficiaries' average monthly income had significantly increased to 75000 while the monthly average expenditure had increased to 60,000 comparatively to baseline which was 20,000 FRS for both income and expenditure. The number of beneficiaries who increased their number of feeding times a day to  3 times or more increased to 39 (end-line survey) compared to 91 who could feed just once a day (baseline survey).

This was how your donations helped several vulnerable women graduate from poverty in 2023. Thank you so much for the impact you create in the communities. While believing and hoping 2024 be a more impactful year, we continue to rely on your efforts to change lives and help vulnerable women and girls in Cameroon improve their livelihood.

Sharon is a 25 years old  girl who was forced to move from Ekona one of the most hard hit conflict affected towns in Fako divisions of the South West region. In 2018, she moved to Muea a relatively safer town compared to Ekona. Having no relative to offer her shelter, she squatted with her boyfriend whom she was displaced with. Along the line her boyfriend impregnated and abandoned her. Life became more difficult for her as she had no stable source of income. While in Ekona, Sharon depended on menial jobs for survival. After seeing the hardship coupled with the difficult pregnancy, a relative offered her shelter. After she put to birth, Sharon engaged in menial jobs once more and this time more determined than ever so as to support herself and her new born baby.

After 1 year, Sharon had saved $200 (100,000 CFA) which she used to rent a room of $10 (5000 CFA) monthly. She paid 10 months rents $100 (50,000FRS). Determined to have stable source of income, Sharon used the balance of $100 (50,000 FRS) to start a business of cooked food. Due to so much dependency on the business coupled with the slow nature of the crisis affected economy, the business could barely survive.

In June 2022, during a door to door identification process, Sharon was identified by Reach Out social worker in Muea. She was administered the social inquiry form, she was selected among the 100 beneficiaries after passing through a vulnerability selection process. With her first grant of $114 (57,000 CFA) she operated a small provision store at the road side where she rented a space for $10 (5000FRS) monthly. “Though the turnover was not that bad, however the landlady was a whole lot of trouble. Before the month ends she is already at the place asking for money. After a while she asked me to leave the space that she wants to make use of it” said Sharon. With a monthly average capital of $130 (65000 FRS), and an average monthly profit of $50 (25000FRS) Sharon operated the business from home. After meeting the criteria such as the availability for follow up, book keep and savings Sharon received a second grant of $228 (114000 FRS). “The second grant enabled me to buy things such as ground nuts, garri and beans in bulk” said Sharon. She buys such goods in bags of 50kgs. One of the challenges Sharon is currently facing is the availability of space. She lack space to fully display her goods.  “This business has helped me regain my lost self-confidence, made me trust myself and reconcile with myself. I am glad i am able to give my child a decent life. I can ready access and afford drugs when my baby is sick, we eat 3square meals a day and I now own an account in a micro finance. Thanks so much for the assistance” Said Sharon. With the knowledge she got from the trainings on entrepreneurship, book keeping and savings, Sharon is able to better monitor and evaluate her business. “The teachings I got on sexual reproductive health and rights have made me understand my system the more and am more careful now about my social life”.

There are still lots of women and girls out there who have lost their self-worth and are passing through other forms of violation and they need support. Sharon is just one of the 100 conflict acted women whom your donations have been able to restore their dignity and livelihood. Thank you so much for the donations.