Change a Girl's Life Through Microentrepreneurship

Evodia is an internally displaced widow and a single mother from Bafan in the North-West Region of Cameroon. She lives in Buea, in the Fako subdivision, with her three children: one son and two daughters. Before the Anglophone crisis, her primary source of income was selling food items such as maize, groundnuts, beans, and cocoyam in large quantities to retailers. With a capital of 300,000 CFA (approximately $493), she earned a monthly profit of 75,000 CFA (around $124) and rented a shop for 20,000 CFA (about $23) per month. This income supported her family, while her farming activities provided food for their household. When the Anglophone crisis began, Bafan became increasingly unsafe, and tragically, Evodia lost her husband. She fled on foot through the bushes to a nearby town, where she was able to catch a car to Buea. In July 2023, a social worker from ReachOut Cameroon identified her during a door-to-door initiative aimed at assisting vulnerable individuals. This initiative provided seed capital under the project "Support Internally Displaced Persons Access to Self-Employment with the Right Approach." A social inquiry revealed Evodia's vulnerability and the viability of her business plan, which focused on farming. At that time, she was surviving by doing minor jobs on farms, earning just enough to feed herself and share a small living space with her son. Evodia was selected for the program and participated in training alongside other beneficiaries. After a three-day intensive program on business management, bookkeeping, savings, and reproductive health and rights, she received a business grant of 57,200 CFA (approximately $96). After six months of business coaching from Reach Out Cameroon social workers, she showed significant progress and received a second-level grant of 114,000 CFA (around $192) for business expansion. Equipped with entrepreneurial knowledge and skills in savings and business diversification, she increased her business capital to 200,000 CFA (approximately $329). With this support, Evodia was able to rent additional farmland to cultivate groundnuts and corn. She proudly states, “I have been able to send my children to school,” thanks to a monthly medical allowance from Reach Out Cameroon. This support allows her to run her business with less stress. She has also saved money for future crises by opening accounts in her name at a cooperative in Buea. As a result, Evodia can comfortably provide for her family and sponsor her son’s education.

• Evodia cultivating on her farmland (DOCX)