Seeding Hope Entrepreneurship Program
“There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women” – Koffi A. Annan
Displaced populations are at risk due to their vulnerable situations. Hope for Cameroon is mostly focused on women and children since they are the most affected by the crisis – among other challenges, they face malnutrition and food insecurity, along with sanitation and hygiene risks – no public health access and lack of proper medical care or medication. In addition, because of precarious living situations, they are also at risk of abductions; gender based and sexual violence; and unequal access to economic opportunities.
Hope for Cameroon empowers women through:
- Entrepreneurship Training
- Business Mentorship Programs
- Small Business Loans
- Agriculture
While there is no magic bullet to solving these problems, we believe that targeting women and providing them resources in the form of skills training, financial and business literacy workshops, small business loans, as well as a space and material resources to help them initiate their business endeavours will be the most sustainable and beneficial approach to generating socio-economic empowerment.
These forms of support can potentially help improve the livelihoods of these women and their families, thereby mitigating the risks and vulnerabilities that they face in their host communities.
In January 2020, Hope for Cameroon hosted a series of skills training workshops with over 40 internally displaced women. After several brainstorming workshops at the Center in Rail- Bonaberi, Douala, the women identified two vocations in which they were interested in pursuing, namely: – sewing and hairdressing. HfC bought sewing machines and necessary equipment for the hairdressing saloon. The center was primarily driven and run by the women.
Unfortunately, we ran out of funds to finance the rents and other costs of maintaining the center. Now, we are focused on finding different ways to continue providing training workshops and business mentorship programs for the women, and also providing small business loans to those who have already mastered some skills to help them start their own businesses. Once the loan is repaid, we recycle it to other women.
Our mandate is not politically or ethnically aimed. We simply wish to empower displaced and vulnerable women to become entrepreneurs and productive members of their community. We are looking for partners and sponsors to collaborate with us to support displaced women acquire skills training, business mentorship and small business loans so that they can be able to take charge of their lives again.
SECURE DONATION
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