Farmers in Besongabang Village
In Besongabang, the village of origin of AADA near Mamfe in Manyu Division, we are now collaborating with another women’s group to help them set up a poultry farm. The so-registered Petit Petit Women’s Group counts 12 members who all live in this village and do farming. At weekly meetings they collect a set contribution from each member as a contribution to an emergency budget that could be used to help any of the members in when in need. The group is well-organized with a president, a treasurer and a secretary elected by the women.
They are used to the local way of keeping chickens and as they indicated a near-constant unmet demand for poultry in and around Mamfe they came up with the idea of starting a poultry farm. The generated income will mainly be used to pay for school fees, uniforms and other school needs for their children that cannot be met with the income from the women’s farming activities. In the long run the project will benefit many people related to the women and can be extended or taken as base for further group initiatives.
Land for the building and detailed plans on the organization of the project exist and the group is in collaboration not only with AADA, but also with a Peace Corp Volunteer based in Besongabang. We are in the process of applying for a grant from the “program for the improvement of competitiveness of family agropastoral farms” (ACEFA).
Finally, we have been able to raise 300,000 francs CFA as 15%-contribution to the ACEFA-grant and are now waiting for their completion. The 15%-contribution was raised partly with a loan from AADA which will be payed back by the women from the profit made during the first two phases of the project. This way the same loan can be given to another committed women’s group within the community to enable to apply for a grant. This method strengthens the women’s engagement in doing well with the farm as well as it strengthens the solidarity within the community.
The collaboration with Petit Petit Womens Group therefore is a long-term project by including more needy women’s groups.
