Change a Girl's Life Through Microentrepreneurship

Tatiana is a 22-year-old internally displaced female from Ekona, a small town in Fako Division, South West Cameroon. She dropped out of school because of the protracted Anglophone crises.  The crisis started in 2016 when she was in Lower Sixth. As a result of the crises, Tatiana and her family fled for their lives from Ekona to Buea as the conflict got increasingly violent with several lives lost. As a result of her displacement, she became homeless with no shelter or business to sustain herself.  She was fortunate to locate her struggling uncle in Buea who managed to enroll her in the Advanced Level. She sat for her advanced level in 2022 and was successful. After her advanced level, Tatiana wanted to further her education but there was no money to enroll in a university. She was supported with 10,00frs ( $ 16)by her uncle during which she started a petit business of parched groundnut. She sold by hawking around her community, especially around church premises. She could make an average monthly profit of 20,000 FR ($ 33.04) from this business.

During the identification face of our economic empowerment project, Tatiana was identified when she was frying some groundnuts for sale. She received an intensive 3-day capacity-building session from Reach Out NGO. She got trained on where she was trained in entrepreneurship, bookkeeping, savings, Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SHR), and business management. After this, she created an account and supported it with a start-up business capital of 57,200 FRS ($ 94.50 ). After receiving this first-level grant, she changed her business to frying plantain chips, which she’ll supply in some shops around her area, and taking some to hawk around church premises. With the first level grant she received she has been able to buy a gas bottle and fry pan that she could use to fry her plantains. With this, she was making a monthly profit of 30,000 FRS ($ 49.5). The main challenge she was facing with this business was an increase in the prices of plantains. Before she received her second-level grant she had constantly followed up with the social worker of Reach Out NGO monthly during these business coaching sessions she reminded her of the best business practices. When she received her second-level grant of 114,400FRS  ( $188.99 ) she added up her business capital. As a result, she now buys business items in bulk and has also bought an extra gas bottle as a backup for business.

“Thanks to the money I received from Reach Out NGO, I have been able to enroll myself in a state University which has lessened the burden on my parents.  Due to the intensive business training by Reach Out NGO, I can operate my business with relative ease. I can now save in a bank, and do bookkeeping. My business now operates on social media, this has greatly improved my business.

Mary, a single mother of three, was forced to flee from  Bambui a community in the North West region of Cameroon  to Muea  a community in the south west region of Cameroon due to the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon. Before the crisis, she led a peaceful life and was involved in farming, cultivating egusi, yams, and cassava. During harvest time, she could earn around ($81) 50,000 CFA per month. Alongside farming, she was also learning a trade. When the crisis erupted, Mary and her family sought refuge in the bush on their farm. Their situation worsened in 2018 when their house was destroyed, and their farmland became unsafe. They had to leave Bambui for Muea, where a relative provided them with shelter.

Life in Muea was challenging for Mary and her children, and she had to work on other people's farms to survive. Eventually, a family friend introduced her to the onion business, where she obtained onions from a wholesaler and paid at the end of each day's sales. Mary was fortunate to be identified by a Reach Out Social worker during this time.

In January, she underwent a 3-day training program covering Bookkeeping, entrepreneurship, savings, and smallholder rotation business management. Upon completion of the training, she received her first level grant of ($93) 57,200 CFA, which she used to expand her business by adding half a bag of garlic to her onion business. In July, after a refresher training, she received her second level grant of ($187) 114,400 CFA. With this grant, she further expanded her business by purchasing two bags of onions at ($196)120,000 CFA and half a bag of garlic at ($106) 65,000 CFA .She has managed to support her family, and sending her children to school is no longer a source of stress. However, one of the main challenges she faces in her business is that sometimes the suppliers provide her with rotten onions, making it difficult to conduct her business.

Despite the challenges, Mary has been able to improve her monthly profits and now makes an average monthly profit of ($81) 50,000 CFA. She credits her improvement to the training she received, stating that it has enabled her to manage her business effectively and improve her customer relations.

“Thanks to the support i received from ReachOut and her partners, my family now lives without the stress of going hungry. my children are able to attend school, and I  can pay rent without worry. Additionally, the account created for me has provided a sense of security, knowing that  I have funds available for any future emergency such as her children falling ill.” Said Mary