|
POVERTY REDUCTION AND PRO-WOMEN ACTIONS IN THE FAR NORTH REGION
ACBF PROJECT (CAREF PROJECT)
PROGRAMME FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF RURAL HOUSEHOLD INCOMES IN THE NORTHERN REGIONS
GLOBAL PROGRAMME FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN AND GENDER EQUALITY
Promoting Gender Equality and Equity
|
Background
Following the recommendations of the 4th World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995, the Government elaborated and adopted a Policy Paper and a “Woman and Development” Multi-Sector Action Plan. As part of the implementation of this plan on the one hand, and the priorities retained in the sixth programming cycle of the UNDP on the other, the Government, on 1 May 1999, signed an agreement for the execution of the Global Programme for the Advancement of Women and Gender Equality.
This programme comprises three sub-programmes:
Gender, Education and Communication;
Gender and Public Management;
Capacity building of women in economic activities.
These three sub–programmes integrate the objectives and priorities defined by the UNDP Regional Office for Africa (ROA) in terms of gender equality.
- Objectives:
Promoting the Development of Women and Gender Equality;
Raising the economic power of women;
Encouraging the participation of women in public management;
Favouring the integration of the gender approach in the media, communication and education.
- Intervention areas:
4 Pilot regions:
Adamawa, Littoral (excluding the Wouri Division), North West and West for the Sub-Programme: Building the Economic Capacity of Women.
The entire national territory for the Sub-Programmes “Participation of women in Public Management”, “Gender, Education and Communication”.
- Activities:
Activities of the Programme have been classified in three aspects:
Aspect 1: Institutional support
It involves carrying out studies in favour of a better understanding of Gender issues.
Aspect 2: Capacity building
The capacities of MINCOF, partners of the Civil Society, NGOs and Female Associations are reinforced through multifaceted trainings aimed at reaching the objectives of the Programme.
Aspect 3: Demonstration activities
Within the framework of this aspect, the activities whose transparency is established in the short run receive financial and technical support. Example; granting credits meant for conducting Income Generating Activities (IGA), or supporting the establishment of the Community Radio for Mbalmayo Women.
- Credit activity
General objective:
Raising the economic potentials of women in view of fighting against poverty.
Specific objectives
Arousing in women the spirit of initiative and the taste for business;
Raising the capacity of women to generate income through properly managed economic activities;
Promoting the emergence of a female entrepreneuship adequately equipped to integrate the formal economic sector;
Encouraging better harmony in men/women social relations.
Beneficiaries
individual women promoters of income generating activities;
Female groups and mixed groups within which men do not represent more than 30% of the total number of members.
Acces conditions to credit
Activities eligible to financing
Micro-realisations and SMEs of promoters residing within the pilot areas of the Programme of the following priority sectors are eligible to financing: - agriculture , - trade, - food processing, - livestock, - fish-breeding, - craft, - service provision etc
- Some achievements
Conduct of a study on promising sectors in the pilot areas.
Conduct of an environmental study to identify Gender-related problems.
Dissemination of 10 000 flyers on the “Women and Development” policy.
Suport to NGOs specialised in education and communication towards institutional development.
Training of the personnel of the Communication Unit and National Communication Professionals in “Gender and Communication”.
Elaboration of the Credit Procedure Manual
Contribution to the establishment of the Mbalmayo Rural FM radio.
Monitoring of 240 female projects in the Littoral, West, North West and Adamawa regions.
Monitoring loan recovery operations. Of the 240 micro-credits granted, 120 had matured. The recovery rate recorded in January 2004 stood at 70%.
Monitoring activities to revamp the Pouma Cassava Processing Unit in collaboration with UNDP, UNIFEM, FAO and AID Cameroon. Equipment was ordered from APICA. Pouma female groups were trained in cassana production techniques.
|
