Change a Girl's Life Through Microentrepreneurship

MEET Pauline an IDP from Muyuka who lives in Buea. Before the onset of the crises 2016, Pauline was into the fashion business. She bought used dresses from Douala, commonly called “bay” and sold them in the Muyuka, Ekona and Muea markets. Due to limited capital, she usually buys just a bay of dresses, which cost between 50,000frs to 60,000Frs CFA ($100-110). From this, she makes a profit of 29,383frs-35,259frs ($50-$60) over a period of 3 weeks. When the crises intensified, her business started crumbling and she could barely realize profit from her usual activities. Pauline lived with her husband in Muyuka. Her family’s primary source of income is farming. Since her husband could barely go to the farm due to the level of insecurity as a result of the protracted crises, her family started suffering starvation due to lack of food.

   With the implementation of the livelihood project by Reach Out Cameroon, she was identified through a door to door identification, trained on business, entrepreneurship, sexual reproductive health and right and psychosocial support for three days. After which she was supported with a first level start-up capital of 57,000 CFA ($97), She used this money to add up her capital and continued the fashion business. This still did not turn out positive for her. When the insecurity became unbearable for her, she then moved from Muyuka to Buea where she rented a small space and started a restaurant business while living with her junior sister. She sells cooked food such as plantain and ndole, fufu corn and vegetable, and rice and stew. She sells four times a week, making a weekly profit of 15,000 FRS CFA ($25). After receiving the second level of the business cash grant worth 114,400FRS ($195), she used it to increase her business capital. While making use of some entrepreneurial skills gained from Reach Out Cameroon such as good customer service, bookkeeping and saving, Pauline has been able to grow her business and now runs her business with a capital of 242,000frs CFA ( $410). ‘’Thanks to the account created for me at the micro finance in Muyuka I have been able to save some money which I interns to start purchasing my food items for the restaurant in bulk I wish to thank Reach Out Team for their regular business coaching it gave me more push and hope that people still care and love me. God bless your team to keep helping most of us who have been affected by this crisis’’ said Pauline