To ensure self-reliance: Bihndulem Humanitarian Association partners with community leaders to train, empower 30 girls.

The beneficiaries who are predominantly vulnerable girls were selected from across Menchum Division and trained on several economic activities. 

The intensive training which lasted six months targeted women and girls who have been exposed to multiple rapes, sexual abuse, exploitation and harassment due to the ongoing Anglophone crisis. 

Some of the beneficiaries are said to have experienced forced marriages, unwanted pregnancies due to the armed conflict.

The humanitarian organisation which facilitated the training of the women and girls said: “Most of them have been forced in family ways with more than three children with no income to take care of themselves and the children. Due to continuous economic hardship, these girls continue to experience cycle of violence and abuse just to earn a living”.

The group said: “BIHAPH at the centre of community and grass root initiative and living the realities of the deteriorating humanitarian conditions, brave the odds amidst funding gaps to engage community leaders to take the lead in responding to these emergency needs to prevent and protect the women and girls”.

For six months, the humanitarian organisation partnered with the community leaders to train the 30 girls in tailoring, decor, pastries, market gardening, sport to build resilience and hope and psycho-social counselling. 

The initiative is said to have provided the girls with skills, to be self-reliant and be better versions of themselves in building strong and healthy communities. 

Commenting on the initiative, BIHAPH founder and Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Dighambong Bibiana, said the project which has come to a close, sought to improve the lives of women and girls who have been affected by the ongoing armed conflict in the Anglophone regions. 

The trained humanitarian and conflict management expert regretted that: “Many people don’t understand the importance of engaging communities to respond to the needs of affected population. They sit and wait for funders. And when funders go, they don’t have any reason to continue responding meanwhile we have so many needs”. 

“In our communities, we have potentials. We have our local resources. So, at BIHAPH, we look at the needs, then we look at our local resources to respond to the needs of especially women and girls,” the BIHAPH boss said, stating that: “We also understand that women are the most affected during wars and during humanitarian disasters. Because of that, they turn to put themselves in very disadvantaged position”.

Dighambong Bibiana noted that during wars, women are abused, while others are put in family way without their consent “and most often, the children, continue to increase their vulnerability”.

She said throughout the project, her organisation was able to use some economic activities including pastries, tailoring, market gardening, decor to empower the girls.

They were also lectured on how to operate small businesses as well as using sports as a means to cooperate with their peers. 

“They were also able to go through psycho-social counselling. After the six months with girls, we graduated 30 of them from the Centre. So, these girls are going out now with a lot of energy and a sense of commitment to take care of themselves and children and to be useful to the communities,” she added.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3173 of Friday July 19, 2024