Empowering Women, Young Girls: Dividends That Speak For Themselves

The Sahel region of Africa is synonymous with recurring conflicts, natural disasters and epidemics. Which exacerbate poverty, perpetuate inequality, and affect socioeconomic security and development in Sahel countries. The poorest region in the world, the Sahel is home to millions of people – mostly women and young people – who are exposed to risks such as famine, forced migration, and radicalization as they are faced with the threat of terrorism and the propagation of criminal networks.

Removing Economic Growth Hiccups
Moreover, rapid population growth, very high fertility and youth dependency ratios are an economic burden. Which weighs on economically-active people, families, and governments, and significantly restrains economic growth.

Raison d'être Of SWEDD
This explains the launch in November 2015 of the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend, SWEDD regional initiative. Comprising Cameroon and other Sahel nations, the project has a three-prong objective. To accelerate the demographic transition, spur the demographic dividend, and to reduce gender inequality in the Sahel region. SWEDD is implemented in Cameroon by the government with the financial support of the World Bank and technical assistance of the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA-Country.

Dividends To Show!
Years on, SWEDD has much to show in terms of palpable dividends in the North and Far Regions of Cameroon. In the North Region, the first set of distribution of all envisaged 4,978 items has been entirely achieved. The second set of distribution, which is currently underway, has so far seen 4,534 of the 4,627 items already given out, making a total of 98 per cent. In the Far North Region, distribution is also underway, with 14,587 of the 15,036 items or 97 per cent distribution rate achieved.

Education, Reproductive Health
In addition to 30,000 school kits, other materials and equipment were distributed to strengthen sexual and reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and nutritional health structures. Also given out were hundreds of buckets, generators, freezers, anatomical models for 16 midwifery schools, training equipment for 165 youth support structures, and 2,000 literacy kits. As well as over a million units of contraceptives, equipment for 67 adolescent reproductive health units, 4,500 menstrual hygiene kits, 3 ambulances and 4 refrigerated trucks.

Empowering Women, Young Girls
Similarly, 12 mobile clinics, 5 forklifts and other manual pallet trucks were offered to beneficiaries. All the equipment contribute to strengthening the empowerment of women and young girls while accelerating the demographic transition and reducing gender inequalities in Cameroon.

Things Will Change
"We are very isolated here in Meri. Households do not have enough means to buy several hurricane lamps. This reduces the chances of success for our children. With these kits, I am absolutely convinced that things will change," says Godola Avaï, the traditional chief of Meri village in the Far North Region of Cameroon.

Facilitates Studies
Female students in primary and secondary schools benefit from school kits. Kits containing school supplies, notebooks, ballpoint pens, calculators, pencils and a school bag equipped with solar-powered electrical equipment. The device allows the flashlights contained in the bags to be recharged to facilitate the studies of young girls from poor families.

Let There Be Light!
"Since I received the gift, I have been studying without waiting for my mother to first finish her night kitchen chores before handing over the bush lamp to me. The little flashlight gives me light when needed. I no longer stress like before,” says another student, Jolie Djibrilla, who lives in Meri village. Dem-Meldebe Victorine who attends the local technical high school in the same locality acknowledges that it is thanks to the donation from the government and its partners that she was able to have complete notebooks for the rest of the year.

An Asset Never To Be Undermined
“As a source of innovation and creativity, youth are an asset that should not be underestimated. Young people and women play an immeasurable role in building the foundations of tomorrow’s world, and we should expect changes in the social norms and values that guide them. Access to education, healthcare, employment, and training will make more of a difference than ever if we want to see the Sahel countries progress towards shared, lasting, and sustainable growth. Harnessing the demographic dividend is an opportunity Africa can’t miss,” comments Dr Justin Koffi, UNFPA...