North Region: Plan Int’l Cameroon rallies youth leaders, senators to address adolescent challenges.

The session was within the scope of advancing the Plan For Girls Project. Focus was on addressing issues such as lack of birth certificates and violence against girls in schools.

The youth leaders were drawn from Lagdo and Tcheboa Subdivisions of the North Region. Two young people, Mainipa Solantine and Mapaltei Fatoumata, presented the situation of adolescents in the 16 communities across the North Region. 

Mapaltei appealed for senators to stage a timely intervention to address the situation. She disclosed that some 12,000 children could not write official exams last year due to the absence of birth certificates.

Mainipa on her part prayed government to through the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family to improve the lot of adolescent young girls.

She called for the creation of centres to enable young girls report incidents they go through in their communities.

Putting in place such centres will boost protection for girls and enable them complete school. She said the young girls have huge potentials and need support to maximize them.

Several personalities among them over six senators, the head of Plan International Cameroon, the representative of the Ambassador of Canada to Cameroon attended the session.

Lawmakers pledge timely intervention 

The senators left the session promising to intervene without delay to address the situation. According to Senator Aicha Pierrette from Garoua in the North Region, she and her peers are going to add to what government has been doing to address the situation.

“We are looking forward to bringing forth strong workable solutions,” the lawmaker said. 

Another Senator, Didjatou Oumarou, thanked Plan International Cameroon for the session, adding that: “We keenly followed the worries of the children and we will be accompanying to achieve the expected results”.

Speaking to the press after Thursday’s session, the Head of Project for the Plan For Girls Project, Tambe Edith Epse Owona, described the gathering as enriching. 

Tambe said progress made is satisfactory but said more will still be done to achieve desired goals and ensure adolescents fully take their destinies into their hands.

About Plan For Girls Project

The Plan For Girls Project was launched by Plan International Cameroon in 2018. This was as part of a decades-long series of projects carried out by the organisation since its arrival in Cameroon in 1996 to fight for the wellbeing of the population.

The project which is also underway in Benin, fights for the wellbeing of girls and children in some 60 localities. 

Focus is in the domains of education, sexual and reproductive health, rights and economic empowerment. This is done through sensitization on the adolescents’ rights and others.