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Economy of Communion action in Central Africa

Missions

Economy of Communion Action in Central Africa for the empowerment and professional integration project for internally displaced persons from the North-West and South-West in the Central, Littoral and West regions of Cameroon.

 

 

Date

2024

Localisation

Cameroun

The setec Foundation supports “Action pour l’Economie de Communion d’Afrique Centrale” (AECAC) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, as part of the Transition Fund.

AECAC is an incubator for projects with high social and environmental impact, whose aim is to help a new generation of entrepreneurs grow towards an inclusive, sustainable economy. Its mission is to provide them with incubation services and a space for collaboration. These services are offered in a spirit of reciprocity, and the action consists of accompanying a project leader through the process of creating and developing a business to maturity.

The project carried out by the structure and supported by the setec Foundation aims to empower and socially and professionally integrate internally displaced women from the Anglophone crisis, an armed conflict that has been ongoing in the country since 2017.

The project, sponsored by Cynthia Tuwa Tangmo, setec Afrique, and with the support of her colleague Norbert Kouawa, targets 50 internally displaced women in Yaoundé.

The setec Foundation is supporting the project with 14,000 euros.

 

Goals:

 

The aim of the project is to train 50 internally displaced women.

The actions will enable each trained woman to become autonomous in the management of small economic activities, and thus to emancipate themselves in their personal and professional lives, gradually lifting themselves out of extreme poverty.

 

Missions:

 

AECAC will guide and support these internally displaced women, who already have skills and competencies in various fields such as sewing, hairdressing, shoe-making and others.

The internally displaced women will then receive training in small business management, followed by financial support for their activities. They will also receive technical support to help them sustain their economic activity in society.

An evaluation of the profitability and impact of the projects created on the daily lives of the beneficiaries will be carried out at the end of the project.

 

Calendar:

The project began in April 2024, and will be completed in September.

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Project Summary Completed in September 2024

 

Context and Issues:

  • The crisis in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon has led to the displacement of many people to other cities.
  • Internally displaced people, having lost their livelihoods, find themselves in extreme poverty, unable to meet their own and their families’ basic needs.

Project Implementation:

  • Identification and Selection:
    • Registration and selection of 50 beneficiaries based on inclusion criteria.
  • Training Organization:
    • Formation of training groups.
    • Survey of beneficiaries’ preferred activity sectors.
  • Training Programs:
    • Financial management for small businesses and income-generating activities.
    • Awareness sessions on gender-based violence.
    • Techniques for making powder, liquid, and solid soaps.
    • Beaded sandal and slipper making.
    • Traditional clothing design.
  • Support and Logistical Assistance:
    • Project progress reporting.
    • Purchase of materials to create production kits for each beneficiary.
    • Procurement or renewal of contracts for sales locations for each beneficiary.
    • Distribution of materials and production kits to the 50 beneficiaries.
    • Psychological, entrepreneurial, and commercial support.
    • Various health awareness sessions.
  • Monitoring and Evaluation:
    • Follow-up visits (both unannounced and scheduled) to beneficiaries’ sales locations.
    • Improvement of accounting oversight during visits.
    • Collection of testimonials and success stories.
    • Registration of beneficiaries’ activities as Very Small Enterprises (VSE) at the local level.
    • Evaluation meeting and recommendations for project continuity in other cities.
    • Submission of the final report.

Challenges Encountered:

  • Initial mistrust from beneficiaries due to previous negative experiences with other organizations.
  • This skepticism was overcome thanks to positive testimonials from previous beneficiaries of AECAC projects.

Notable Achievements and Improvements:

  • Training and support provided to 50 displaced women in soap making, beaded footwear, sewing, and traditional clothing production.
  • Workshops in financial education and small business management, as well as awareness sessions on gender-based violence.
  • Participants achieved financial independence through the production kits and workspaces provided.

Positive Impacts:

  • Social Impact: Beneficiaries, now self-sufficient, are supporting their families; each family, representing 50 individuals, has gained an income source. On average, 250 people have been positively impacted by the project, according to the National Institute of Statistics (an average of 5 members per family).
  • Environmental Impact: Each beneficiary planted a tree near their residence, contributing to the preservation of the local environment.

Expertises

Transition Fund

Key figures

14 000 euros