Change a Girl's Life Through Microentrepreneurship

Flora faced challenges in her early days as an entrepreneur due to limited capital and an inconsistent income. She sourced clothing from Douala and resold it in Mudeka and surrounding communities, but her earnings barely covered her family's needs. Initially, her business was small, and her dream of expansion seemed far away. However, everything changed when social workers from Reach Out Cameroon conducted a door-to-door identification process in Mudeka, recognizing Flora’s potential and selecting her for their support programs.

As part of this initiative, Flora received financial assistance and essential training in business management, bookkeeping, entrepreneurship, and savings. This training helped her manage her finances better and set clear growth goals for her business. She soon received her first-level grant of 57,000 FRS (approximately $95.02), which she used to expand her inventory, diversify her clothing offerings, and attract more customers in her community.

Flora’s dedication and strategic thinking paid off. She was able to increase her business income and reinvest it, gradually growing her capital. Recognizing her steady progress, Reach Out Cameroon offered her additional support in the form of a second-level grant of 114,400 FRS (around $189.38) after six months. This second round of funding allowed her to diversify even further, adding footwear to her product lineup, which made her business even more appealing to her expanding customer base.

Queenver is 30 years old and an internally displaced person (IDP) from Nwa Village in the North West Region. She fled to Muea in 2018 for safety due to increasing insecurity, frequent deaths, gunfire, and a high number of rape cases in her village. "We often couldn't sleep at night; sometimes we had to hide in the bushes. It was terrifying, and food was a significant problem. Concerned for my safety, she took the risk of working in Kumba, specifically in an area called Timberland, deep in the bushes. She worked there for two months and managed to raise enough money to transport herself to Muea, a small locality in the Fako Division of the South West Region. Upon arriving in Muea, she used part of the money she had raised to rent a room where she now lives.

In Muea, she did odd jobs on people's farms to support myself. Eventually, she was able to buy a sewing machine and started repairing clothing for others. Initially, it was challenging to find customers because Queenver was new to the area, so she continued with my odd jobs to survive. Before the crisis began, she had just completed my training as a seamstress, but unfortunately, the crisis prevented her from opening a shop.

She was referred to Reachout NGO by another organization working in Muea. Reach Out sent a social worker to assess her needs and carry out a social inquiry. She was found to be very vulnerable. In August 2020, she was trained alongside other displaced and vulnerable girls and women in Muea. The training covered bookkeeping, sexual and reproductive health rights, savings, and entrepreneurship. With the initial grant of 30,000 francs (approximately $49.74), I used 10,000 francs (about $16.59) to rent a farm where she cultivated vegetables for business, and the remaining 20,000 francs (approximately $32.93) to buy materials and sew dresses for sale.

The clothes she made helped her gain the trust of my neighbors, leading to a growing number of customers. "My main challenge was the limited capital to purchase working materials. When I received my second grant, I traveled to the Littoral Region to buy more materials. I continued to sew in front of my compound, demonstrating a determination to save.

Recently, a social worker when Reachout visited Queener, and the progress she had made was remarkable. She now owns a tailoring workshop and continues to sew clothes for sale. “I truly appreciate Reachout for coming into my life as a lifesaver"

Queenver is 30 years old and an internally displaced person (IDP) from Nwa Village in the North West Region of her country. In 2018, she fled to Muea seeking safety due to increasing insecurity, frequent deaths, gunfire, and a high number of rape cases in her village. "We often couldn't sleep at night; sometimes, we had to hide in the bushes. It was terrifying, and food was a significant problem," she recalls. Concerned for her safety, Queenver took the risk of working in Kumba, specifically in an area called Timberland, deep in the bushes. She worked there for two months and managed to raise enough money to transport herself to Muea, a small locality in the Fako Division of the South West Region.

 Upon arriving in Muea, she used part of the money she had raised to rent a room where she now lives. In Muea, Queenver did odd jobs on people's farms to support herself. Eventually, she was able to buy a sewing machine and started repairing clothing for others. Initially, it was challenging to find customers because she was new to the area, so she continued with her odd jobs to survive. Before the crisis began, she had just completed her training as a seamstress, but unfortunately, the crisis prevented her from opening a shop.

 She was referred to Reach Out NGO by another organization working in Muea. Reach Out sent a social worker to assess her needs and conduct a social inquiry. It was determined that she was very vulnerable. In August 2020, she was trained alongside other displaced and vulnerable girls and women in Muea. The training covered bookkeeping, sexual and reproductive health rights, savings, and entrepreneurship. With an initial grant of 30,000 francs (approximately $49.74), she used 10,000 francs (about $16.59) to rent a farm where she cultivated vegetables for business, and the remaining 20,000 francs (approximately $32.93) to buy materials to sew dresses for sale.

The clothes she made helped her gain the trust of her neighbors, leading to a growing number of customers. "My main challenge was the limited capital to purchase working materials," she explained. When she received her second grant, she traveled to the Littoral Region to buy more supplies. She continued to sew in front of her compound, demonstrating a determination to save.

Recently, a social worker from Reach Out visited Queenver and noted that the progress she had made was remarkable. She now owns a tailoring workshop and continues to sew clothes for sale. "I truly appreciate Reach Out for coming into my life as a lifesaver," she expressed. 

Below are her pictures during and after intervention