Yaounde VI: Gender Empowerment & Dev’t rallies actors to combat GBV, youth drug abuse.

The Sub-divisional Delegate of the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family for Yaounde VI, Dongmo Clarisse, attended the seminar. 

It grouped parents, community leaders, administrators and a host of other stakeholders in the Subdivision. Dongmo lauded GEED for engaging with leaders to address GBV and drug abuse among young people.

She said the initiative will contribute to the safety of schools and communities.  Dongmo stated that those trained will promote the rights of children and women to enhance social cohesion and the protection of the family.

A Guidance Counselor, Ngwa Rosaline Ambo Ngassa, who attended the event said the conference empowered her to address challenges facing learners.

She said it has “helped me to be able to identify students who are engaging in such practices and how to help them out of it”. Ngwa insisted on the need to create an atmosphere that makes learners comfortable. 

“We especially have to create activities that we can exploit to constantly teach them about the effects of these issues and how they should go about with them,” she added. 

Building strong alliance 

GEED Project Supervisor, Ndonwi Lovett, expressed gratitude to participants. He noted that, the engagements will enable the institution to form a strong alliance with stakeholders to address the issues raised.

“We believe that when communities are sensitized on comprehensive sexuality education; when parents and students are sensitized on the ills, the impact of abusing drugs, it is a possible means for the reduction of Gender-Based Violence in schools and communities,” Ndonwi said.

The Project Supervisor noted that: “We understand children are being raped. We understand the skyrocketing reports of boys aged 16, 15, 14 who are involved in drug consumption”. He remarked that the action plan will help actors to confront the hurdles.

According to Ndonwi, the activity with authorities in Yaounde VI Subdivision falls in line with a project that the institution has been working on over the last three years on school related to GBV.

Ndonwi said GEED aims to cover 20 major localities in the West, Centre and Littoral regions in its project. He expressed delight with the support and approval GEED has had concerning the project. 

“The feedback is really positive. All the community heads and leaders we have worked with have taken upon themselves to sensitise and follow up as far as drugs and Gender-Based Violence is concerned,” he said.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3832 of Monday June 29, 2026