Far North: USAID, PARC-Cameroon partner with community actors to streamline conflict resolution….

This was during a series of capacity building workshops organised from July 3 to 15, as part of the Community Resilience Support Programme, PARC-Cameroon. 

The programme is an initiative of the United States government, through the US Agency for International Development, USAID. It is implemented by FHI 360 and its partner, Centre for the Promotion of Human Rights and Development in Africa, CPHDA.

In a bid to foster a more resilient and peaceful society, the programme provided trainings to 193 community stakeholders, including 126 women and 67 men, from local associations in the Far North Region. 

During the six workshops, the trainees sharpened their knowledge on gender sensitivity, conflict resolution, and community engagement. 

According to the FHI 360 monthly newsletter, during the first phase of the programme, between 2022 and 2024, PARC-Cameroon supported civil society organisations in the Diamaré, Mayo Sava and Mayo Tsanaga Divisions in their resilience efforts in the face of consequences of violent extremism and climate change affecting the Far North Region.

It is worth noting that during the first phase of the PARC-Cameroon project, launched in March 2022, 45 civil society organisations were directly funded and strengthened at the institutional and technical levels. 

These included 11 community capacity for resilience and intermediary support organisations, 29 community-based organisations addressing community needs in the education, civil documentation and livelihood sectors, and five inclusive voice and advocacy organisations. 

Three hundred young people were recruited and trained in youth-led community mapping, data collection and analysis to support the work of these organisations at the community level.

During this phase of the project, 10 gender champions were also recruited and trained on gender, equity and social inclusion to address issues of gender and inclusion within 10 communities of the programme implementation. 

The second phase of the PARC-Cameroon project, which is being implemented, began June this year. 

During this phase, FHI 360 is supporting 14 civil society organisations, including four intermediate support organisations and 10 community capacity for resilience organisations.

PARC-Cameroon is also covering some five Divisions in the Far North Region, notably Diamare, Logone and Chari, Mayo-Danay, Mayo-Sava and Mayo-Tsanaga. 

About FHI 360

FHI 360 is a global organisation that mobilises research, resources and relationships to enable people everywhere have access to the opportunities they need to lead full and healthy lives. 

With collaborations in over 60 countries, FHI 360 works directly with local leaders to advance social and economic equity, improve health and wellbeing, respond to humanitarian crises and strengthen community resilience. 

It also shares data-driven insights and scalable tools that expand access and equity so communities can effectively address complex challenges, respond to shocks and achieve thriving futures. 

 This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3197 of Monday August 12, 2024