Bamenda: Nkumu Fed-Fed drills over 200 mothers on youth deradicalization.

Cross section of women during training

Over 200 mothers drawn from the Christian, Muslim, traditional and civil society settings have been drilled how to deradicalize youths in the conflict-hit North West Region of the country. 

This was during a two-day capacity building workshop organised in Bamenda December 6 to 7, 2024, by non-profit organisation, Nkumu Fed-Fed.



The training was under a project codenamed: "Mothers For Peace". It is sponsored by the US Embassy in Yaounde and implemented by Nkumu Fed-Fed.

Participants at the workshop included CBC Women, Christian Women's Fellowship, CWF, of the Presbyterian Church, Catholic Women's Association, CWA, Muslim Women, Bum Women Development, Ex-Saker Students among others. 

They were drilled on roles mothers play in identifying and addressing early signs of radicalization in youths and how to resolve conflicts, exercise tolerance, understanding role of law and nonviolent communication. 

The President General of Nkumu Fed-Fed, Eunice Tita, said the workshop was to empower and strengthen mothers to be daring in handling things and protect their children and to chart a way out on identifying early signs of radicalization in the community.

"We have been undergoing a sociopolitical crisis for closed to eight years and women are tired and children are gradually getting down the drain," Tita said.

She said instead waiting to go fighting those who have been radicalized, it is instead important to look at ways to prevent youths from becoming radicalized. 

Tita said the training will empower participants to identify early signs of radicalization in order to mitigate the cases in the community. She said unlike men whose masculinity is exposed; women have hidden powers that can help them talk their children to reason. 

She said with knowledge acquired; the mothers drawn from all walks of life shall roll out the project's activities in a sustainable way by transferring the knowledge gained to others in the communities. 

“They are going to talk to their churches, mosques, traditional communities, in the streets, the markets and groups. They are expected to spread the information learned during the workshop not only in the North West Region, but the entire Cameroon and beyond,” Tita said. 

Nkumu Fed-Fed boss, Eunice Tita, addressing participants 

 

 

Participants laud initiative 

One of the participants, who is Women's Group Leader of Bali Nyongha, Mme Gwanmesia Agnes Ndangoh, said much knowledge has been gained through the training especially as violence in the community affects mostly women and children. 

“I feel that going back home, my group of women are going to try our best to see how we can stop violence from children and women,” she said, adding that the training also helped them to better understand what makes children to become radical. 

“So, we are now going back with the knowledge that we must love our children, dialogue with them and teach them what they have to do and above all pray with them always," Gwanmesia said.  

 

On her part, the representative of CBC Women, Mme Miranda Ekfui, appreciation the organisation for the initiative and prayed God for grace to build peace not only with the women in the churches but even with women in the communities.

The representative of Muslim Women Old Town Bamenda, Halima Ibrahim, said the seminar has further shaped their ideas on other strategies they have been using to promote peace. 

“…we will change the strategies because, given what is happening in our society today with children taking drugs, it may be that it is what is prompting them to become violent and radical,” she said. 

It should be recalled that at the inception launch of the Mothers For Peace project on November 8, 2024, in Bamenda, Nkumu Fed-Fed had rolled out a calendar of activities that would be carried out within eighteen months.

The workshop on identifying signs of radicalization is said to be the tip of the iceberg. Peace building, community workshops and dialogue platforms are some of the activities that will be unveiled in the days ahead.

 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3319 of Friday December 13, 2024

 

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