Each time we were
expecting someone to come to our assistance, but instead people came
in asking for the repayment of debts that my husband owed. I grew pale
like an AIDS patient. My eyes almost came out of my cheeks. In fact
I do not really want to think about it for now.
The year my husband died I could no longer pay the fees. Only three
out of my six children were able to go to school.
I was shocked that all my husband's business was from loans. All his
assets sold were unable to reimburse his debts, not to talk of the fees
of the children or medical attention of the family.
My benefits from
the FIOH Co-operative, SHUMAS and the Eucalyptus Replacement Project
This last academic year (2001/2002) that ended was a happy one for
me. I was able to take a loan from the FIOH Co-operative Nkum amounting
to 450,000frs (£450). I used 250,000frs (£250) to pay fees and with
the remaining 200,000frs (£200) I started up a small business of selling
cooked food and many other food items. This small capital has been sustaining
my children and me. I have been able to pay all the fees of all my children.
I have also been able to pay more than half of the loan, meanwhile my
capital is still there. I intend taking another small loan to boost
my business, which will enable me to pay all the fees just from the
business this year.
The only person who could have helped me is my brother - in - law. He
has three wives and does not even take care of his own children. Yet
he says he can only help me if I accept to be the 4th wife and I have
refused.
My husband owned two plantations of eucalyptus trees, which were planted
on the land I used to farm about 16 years ago. The Eucalyptus Replacement
Project helped me and felled the trees. We sold the plank/wood for 200,000frs
(£200). Part of this money went to settle my late husband's debt. However,
now that we have a farming area not far from our home, I am also able
to farm in the area and at the same time do my business. This last farming
season I had 5 bags of potatoes, which I sold for 35,000frs (£35), 2
bags of beans, which I sold for 40,000frs (£40) and there are still
many other crops like huckleberry and yams, which I harvested. In short,
I can say that SHUMAS and FIOH have wiped away tears from my cheeks.
It would have been an unthinkable misery for my children and me after
my husband's death if there were no SHUMAS and FIOH. The training's
in record keeping management skills from SHUMAS has also enabled me
to run my business. I was a typical African woman and could not survive
my husband's death.
I really pray every day those SHUMAS activities and the FIOH Co-operative
activities should continue in this direction. This will enable many
other people, especially widows like us and other disabled people, to
really feel that there are human beings and that life has a meaning.
We peasant farming women had never known we could also keep our money
in a bank. We had thought the bank was for rich people. The money we
have saved in the Co-operative helps people now in rounds as people's
needs differ in time and space. In our co-operative shop for instance,
we are able to use our share capital to buy immediately after harvest
and sell only towards the beginning of the new farming season when there
is a better price for food items. We stocked the food items in our co-operative
shop and with the training that we had from SHUMAS we are able to know
how to keep our records and how to conserve our food items for a long
time. The maize we bought at 1,000frs (£1) per 20 litres during harvesting
last time (i.e. September 2001) we sold it at 3,700frs (£3.70) per 20
litres at the start of the present farming season, i.e. April 2002.
We also have beans, castor oil/seeds, potatoes and craftwork.
Our sales gave us a total of about 1,600,000frs (£1,600) net profit
just for the maize.
Many thanks to FIOH UK, SHUMAS, FIOH CO-OPERATIVE CAMEROON.
