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Women Empowerment

Women’s Empowerment in Cameroon

In many parts of the world including Cameroon, women are facing threats to their lives and health, given that they are overburdened with house and farm work. In Cameroon, women’s abilities and knowledge are usually not recognized in the effort towards sustainable economic development.  Many women in Cameroon, most of whom live in the rural areas, do not have the right to personal political and social opinions, their right to inherit property is, most of the time, checked through the use of customary laws and cultural practices. Violence against women, in Cameroon, is a common phenomenon; women are usually not allowed to form their own opinions when it comes to reproductive rights and health-related issues. They are simply required, by tradition, to abide by what their partners or spouses think about such important issues that, strangely, affect their lives directly.

International Women's Day 2011

What is IDF’s History and Experience in this Domain?

IDF has been carrying out action research in the area of woman’s empowerment for many years.  In 2000, IDF undertook researching the profile of 322 sexually active female adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 in Wum.  The study revealed that many of these girls suffered from: unwanted and early pregnancies, an early age of sexual activeness, in some cases encouragement from parents to be promiscuous, and a low level of literacy and employment due to incomplete schooling.  In order to help young adolescent mothers gain market and life skills to become contributing members of society and able to become financially self-sustaining, IDF started a vocational training course.

Raising Awareness on Women's Day

In additional to the vocational training course in Bamenda, IDF has also carried out training of young adolescent mothers in Babessi.  This training was geared towards educating girls to gain life and market skills.

Women living with HIV and AIDS have also been supported through IDF’s work.  Not only does IDF offer health programs such as the home-based care program but IDF also offers a program in collaboration with the International Labor Organization to empower women living with HIV and AIDS.   This program is the SIDA/COOP program which promotes entrepreneurship and mitigates poverty amongst women living with HIV/AIDS in Bamenda, Kumbo, Wum and Bali of the North West Region.

Some of the activities in the area of women’s empowerment include:

For a PDF booklet on IDF’s work in women empowerment, please download: IDF Women’s Empowerment Booklet