The Centre for the Advancement of Women’s Initiatives (CAWI), in its humanitarian drive, continues to focus on the lives and livelihoods of the internally displaced person (IDPs),-their daily challenges and how to cope with them. One of CAWI’s most impactful scheme in this direction is the Economic Recovery Fund. Through this scheme, CAWI offers startup capital to IDPs to begin small scale businesses in order to ameliorate their living conditions.
CAWI recently visited some of the beneficiaries of the scheme to ascertain that they are actually doing the businesses and to evaluate the trend. Those visited are visibly very satisfied and appreciative to CAWI for having provided such a springboard for them. From the proceeds of their ventures, they are able to put food on their tables and equally take care of many other needs like health and house rents.
One of the beneficiary, who received XFC 50,000, went into “garri” and cocoyams business. Akoni Blessing as she is called , buys “garri” in basins from Muyuka, a locality in the southwest region of Cameroon and cocoyams from Bonakanda still in the same region. From each trip, she makes a profit of about FCFA 10,000. She says she intends to diversify as time goes on.
Another beneficiary, Foleven Elizabeth who received FCFA 80,000 is trading firewood. She buys a truck load of wood in logs, splits and retails for domestic fuel. For each truck bought, she makes a profit of about FCFA 40,000-FCFA 50,000. Apart from helping herself with the proceeds from the firewood business, she has suddenly become so valuable and popular in the neighborhood for meeting the fuel needs of the inhabitants of “Limbe Quarters” in Molyko, Buea.
They both confessed that their stories have never been the same again since CAWI came into their lives. CAWI is delighted by this revelation and hopes to continue transforming more lives positively.
