In 2024, A2Empowerment (A2E) has revitalized our mission of education for women and girls in Cameroon through a new project aimed at continuing our A2E scholarship program and building entrepreneurial skills for our scholars, while providing the same training to those at risk of gender-based violence (GBV) in the greater community. The project is centered around our mission: Promoting Resilience, Empowerment and Self-sufficiency (PRES) for girls who are at risk of dropping out of school, women and adolescent girls who are at risk of GBV, and GBV survivors in Cameroon. A2E is partnering with two organizations to accomplish the PRES Project goals: World Economy Skills and Agro Development (WESAD) and Launch Girls.
Immediate and Long-Term Goals
The 2024 PRES Project has five immediate goals:
The first two goals focus on our existing scholarship program
Provide the continuation of A2E scholarships for the 2024-25 Cameroon academic year, funding all current high school and post-secondary students through graduation.
Build entrepreneurial mindset skills for our current scholars through the Girl Boss Basics curriculum and train our continuing mentors on curriculum facilitation to help them guide scholarship recipients through their life journeys.
The third goal focuses on a new income-generating project for survivors of GBV
Provide startup materials and educational support through the Girl Boss Professional curriculum for income-generating ventures to at least 25 women living in the Northwest Region of Cameroon, an area affected by the Ambazonia War, who are at risk of, or have survived, GBV.
The final goals apply to both the scholarship and income-generating projects
Reduce the vulnerability of all trainees within the program to GBV by focusing support on women and girls at risk of dropping out of school, early marriage, sexual exploitation, and abuse.
Increase women's and girls’ access to resources to meet their immediate basic needs, realize income-generating opportunities, and expand decision-making power...
As well as the long-term goal of changing societal and cultural norms around women's and girls' access to education and entrepreneurial skills within the community.
Partners
WESAD was established as a non-governmental organization in Cameroon in 2012 with the mission of improving the livelihoods and protection of less privileged people "through capacity building in economic, leadership and digital skills while ensuring environmental sustainability and self-reliance." As an A2E partner, they will support our operations in Cameroon and the field implementation of the Girl Boss curricula.
Launch Girls is a U.S.-based nonprofit "dedicated to equipping adolescent girls with the skills, information, and support required to enter and thrive in the world of work." Launch Girls partners with local partners, such as WESAD, and provides "comprehensive tools including curriculum, training, technology, and facilitator's guides to successfully deliver programming." The core of Launch Girls programming is Girl Boss Mindsets & Skills, 10 core entrepreneurial and work-readiness skills, which have been specifically identified to equip adolescent girls to take charge of their futures and successfully transition from school to work."
An Update: The Progress Made So Far
Since the introduction of the PRES Project in March 2024, A2E has been hard at work collaborating with our on-site partner, WESAD, to be ready for the 2024-25 academic year. A2E mentors were trained on the Girl Boss Basics curriculum and community member selection began to identify GBV survivors to benefit from the income-generating aspect of the PRES project.
A2E Mentor Training: In April, the Girl Boss curriculum was introduced by Dr. Helvecia Takwe, Senior Project Coordinator at WESAD, and instructed to continuing A2E mentors so they might become Girl Boss Advisors moving forward. The three-day, in-person training prepared mentors for the monthly Girl Boss meetings they will hold with their groups of scholarship recipients starting this fall. The group discussed several changes, including the addition of co-mentors to each group, to help share the administration of the project, and allowing up to 30 young women total to join each group, including those not receiving scholarships.
Income-Generation for GBV Survivors: Last spring, in the Santa Subdistrict of Northwest, Cameroon, WESAD and A2E representatives led talks on GBV at grassroots community gatherings. The representatives took the opportunity to introduce the PRES Project, explain its aims, and solicit applications for the GBV survivor income-generating program. Over 600 women applied to become part of the PRES Project income-generation program for GBV survivors.
A team of WESAD and A2E members narrowed down the pool of candidates and conducted an interview process with over 100 GBV survivors. Necessary steps were taken to ensure fairness and it was difficult to be unable to offer spots to everyone. The team selected 31 GBV survivors to participate in the Girl Boss Professional training. In July, the PRES Project for GBV survivors was launched in Santa Subdivision in the presence of the government and local authorities. Following its launch, the 31 project recipients began a three-month training following the Girl Boss Professional curriculum, which included entrepreneurial training and activities to increase their self-esteem.
The PRES Project has already had a positive impact on community participants involved in the Girl Boss Professional training. It is a testament to the 31 women and adolescent girls selected that they have seized the opportunity with such grace and excitement, and their feedback highlights the importance of ensuring that these opportunities are provided.
Womeven said, "I really appreciate this program because it has really improved my writing and reading skills. The program has made me to better understand how to initiate and run a business, the program will not only change my life but it will change the lives of others through me."
Sidone said, "I started a small business some time ago and within 2 months I had nothing because I knew nothing about calculating profit for my business, managing my business capital and profit, doing market research and getting customers. I was just buying and selling blindly. I now know where I went wrong. This training has exposed me to a lot of things I never knew about business before. I am sure to make it this time."
So much is still to be accomplished this year, and the PRES Project is just another step in the fight for equal opportunity and the end of GBV, in Cameroon and worldwide. However, we couldn't be more excited about the early signs and are so grateful for the support of our partners WESAD and Launch Girls. These initiatives are funded by A2E individual donors who enable project leaders to take new steps and try new things in our fight for educational opportunities for women and girls.
WESAD report edited and summarized by Tom Smee, A2Empowerment Intern
A2Empowerment is grateful to our partner WESAD for providing the report referenced and quoted in this blog post.