Campo: Association urged to be responsible in use of financial support.

This was at the end of a training which took place at the Government Technical High School Campo. 

AFRiSC-Campo members had been handed 500,000 FCFA support by the Project Manager of GDA, Ekane Nkwelle. 

The financial aid, GDA Project Manager explained, was to support the predominantly dominated women-led association to finance their projects in future. 

Ekane disclosed that the move was inspired by a Bangladeshi rural economist who believed that resources could be channeled directly to communities and teach them basic functions on how to manage the money.

The GDA official said local communities usually face the problem of not having resources to carry out their activities. Ekane said the financial support comes after the successful implementation of a plethora of projects aimed at amelioraing the standard of living of the rural women. 

Speaking to reporters, Ekane said the donation marked a significant step in the pursuit of GDA to render members of the association to be financially independent.

"We are trying to move one step ahead by giving direct funding to the communities to choose their own activities that they want to carry out," Ekane explained. 

He added that: "The reason d'être is for them to identify their own projects that they want to carry out to help them to become autonomous in the future". 

The 500,000 FCFA support, it was said, will be saved in a financial institution in Campo. This, GDA officials said, will prevent members of the association from having direct access to the money. 

Measures, it was revealed, have also been put in place for members to fulfil before having access to the money. GDA also committed to do more in the future while calling on AFRiSC-Campo to use the amount diligently. 

"We know that it is difficult to manage money even with the measures put in place, but we have tried elsewhere. We hope that they will use the money for the sole purpose for which it is intended. The main purpose of the money is for them to be able to run their activities and not to use for other reasons," Ekane reiterated.  

AFRiSC-Campo schooled on dev't of business plan

Some members of AFRiSC-Campo were also trained on key steps in developing a compelling business plan to guarantee their chances of thriving. 

The one-day training organised by GDA was attended by women drawn from several villages such as Akak, Moneakak, Malaba and Nkoelon. 

According to organisers, the daylong training was for members to acquire the savoir-faire to solicit funding for their respective projects. They were also coached on how to evaluate projects. At the end of the training, some didactic materials were handing over to members.

AFRiSC-Campo express delight

Reacting to the donation, the President of AFRiSC-Campo, Mengue Medjo Nadege epse Massama, thanked GDA for their constant support. 

She said the support will improve on the living conditions of the women who have already engaged in several projects can be assured of financial assistance. 

"We can only be proud because the GDA has taken us out of the dark. I can only say thank you because the women in Campo were lost. I'm proud and delighted," Mengue said.

She described the donation from GDA as timely, adding that it will help “get women of AFRISC-CAMPO out of poverty and misery” and make them “autonomous".

Mengue said support from GDA comes at a time when the association is putting all hands on deck to improve the living standards of its members. The association, she added, had a positive financial situation and there are plans to better their records. 

"When we took over AFRiSC-Campo in March, the coffers were empty. Today, Afrise's coffers, whether in support of the families of Afrise women, are capable of supporting members at any time. We want to follow in the footsteps of the GDA who are guiding us into development," Mengue pledged. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3186 of Thursday August 01, 2024