The Cameroon
has many different ecological regions each with its own climate,
crops and resources. The FIOH Network would like to extend to
other parts of the country and capitalise on this by exchanging
goods and produce from the different regions but is handicapped
by not having its own vehicle for transport.
Each group meets weekly to deal with individual savings. Part
of the savings go to the co-operative. The amount collected after
four weeks is taken to the co-operative meeting and saved under
the group name in the co-operative account. These monthly meetings
are rotated from one village to another thus enhancing the sharing
of ideas and group experiences. There is no particular meeting
house for any co-operative. Some groups are separated by more
than 7 km, and yet women still walk to meetings every month. The
hosting group is responsible for feeding the other group's representatives
in attendance.
The main Co-operative Network meetings take place quarterly. Many
women have been amazed by the amounts they have been able to save
and are very encouraged by this. All the co-operatives have collectively
saved more than 5 million francs (£5,000) to date (September
2002) and are investing this in the name of the Co-operative Network
and the co-operatives.
Income-generating activities such as dances are organised to provide
some small money to manage the affairs of the co-operative.
Primary health care programmes such as sensitisation against HIV/AIDS,
hygiene and sanitation have been organised using the book "Where
There is No Doctor".
Adult literacy classes have been arranged so that women can, at
the very least, count from 1 to 10 and sign their own name. This
is to help them check and certify their saved amounts entered
into cash books.
Care has been given for the mentally and physically handicapped
and their children by providing clothes, feeding and housing.
The Co-operative Shop
All the co-operatives are affiliated to the co-operative shop
which was established in September 2001. Each co-operative contributed
300,000 francs (£300) as share capital. All the co-operatives
unanimously accepted that a donation of £1000 from the Future
in Our Hands Education and Development Fund UK be added to the
shares.
The purchase of items is done democratically and rationally. That
is to say, the women take stock of existing prices in all the
villages and in the country as a whole.
They then purchase the various items cheaper for the benefit of
all the co-operatives, groups and members.
Loans are accorded to member groups for the purchase of farming
inputs. The loan scheme is operated in a very flexible and easygoing
manner, This scheme helps many women to pay school fees for their
children and to meet family hospital bills. This flexibility has
been a resounding success because farming methods and needs vary
from one area to another and loans are needed at different times
of the year in different areas.
The women have organised many workshops and seminars and invited
many 'elite' people and given talks about their work, like the
Eucalyptus Replacement programme, afforestation and organic farming.
This has given the women more confidence and status in their communities.
Notwithstanding the hard work of the women they have been facing
a number of difficulties - long distances separating groups; lack
of liquidity to reinforce the saving and loan schemes; distribution
of food from farms to the co-operative stores is difficult because
of the long distances and difficult topography and poor roads
and pathways;lack of labour saving facilities; lack of post harvest
facilities. The women are also in need of more training to meet
up with their plans of work.
Networking and sharing of experience with women from other countries
is impossible because of the lack of communications facilities
(fax, email, etc).
Acknowledgement
of assistance
The
FIOH Co-operative Network is grateful to the following:
- Lizzie Jeans from England
- Katharina Scheba from Austria
- Connor Farrell from Australia
- Severine Henney from Switzerland
- Lise Bentley from England
SHUMAS established
a partnership with AidCamps
International in 2002 to build
a primary school in the remote village of Bangwe in the North
West Province towards the end of 2003. Volunteers helped with
the financing and finishing of the building, plastering the walls
and the fitting of the windows and doors. They also visited several
sites of special interest and some of the other SHUMAS projects.
Visit the AidCamps web site for details of the project and an
account of the volunteer's experiences.
