TWO HANDS MADE WORK LIGHTER
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Wangbé is a Heifer International Cameroon farmer who wanted her family to become closer. Wangbe was schooled by Heifer International Cameroon through GIC Boyare of Goudjouing. She has been married to Watey Joseph for 15yrs and they have three children.
Wangbe and her family live in an area where farming is in a precipitous decline due to drought. Her spending income was seriously compromised. “It is true we did not have enough money to meet our needs, I was managing by selling gravel that I gather around the village; with the money I bought salt and soap for the family,” she said. Limited resources and poor communication between Wangbe and her husband led to a series of hostilities. “It started with my husband’s excessive consumption of alcohol that brought division in the family,” she said crying. The woman, too, retaliated by drinking but her financial situation only deteriorated, leaving her and the children malnourished. “I could not stay for more than three months without abandoning matrimonial home in search of solace anywhere,” said Wangbe.The Heifer International Cameroon training on integrated agriculture, gender equity, HIV and AIDS, composting, pen construction broadened her mind. The donation of pigs and donkeys to her as a Heifer International Cameron helped her put the ideas she learned in the trainings into practice.
Read more »Labels: Development, Human Resource
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 2:42 PM,
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SERVED TO SAVE
Aman Nkoti Christine, 56, is one of Heifer International Cameroon’s successful community leaders. Christine is the president of Groupe d’Initiative Commune des Producteurs de Concombre et Couscous Manioc of Boyaba I, some 150 km from Yaoundé. This group was formed in 1996 at the peak of the economic crisis by some 32 farm families, to counter the effects. Their objectives to succeed in their ambitions ended up a mere wish due to lack of inspiration. None respected financial promises from external elite rendered the group members incapable. The membership dropped to five. Aman Nkoti Christine was one of the members who stayed on.
Though shy and timid in her everyday life, as president Christine was a force to be reckoned with. She believed that one day things would change for the better. “I stayed with those who persevere and strongly believe that one day the light will shine on us,” she said. Her perseverance raised their membership to 13.
Read more »Labels: Cameroon, Development, Heifer International
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 2:34 PM,
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Cane Rat Rearing
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“My wife and friends abandoned me because I was walloping in poverty. I had no place in the community. Simolium damnosium bites locally called “Mutmut” deformed my skin and life for me was senseless,” said Paul Bidyme. But Heifer International Cameroon’s support to him under a cane rat scheme through his Groupe d’initiative Commune de Sante de Batombe converted his sorrows into joy. Paul, 36, lived with his mother Ngomune Christine, a widow and his six year old daughter Ngomme Christine Biyha at Batombe some 5km from Edea, in the littoral region of Cameroon.
His father’s death in 1987 led to the beginning of his frustrations. He dropped out of school. He ventured to automobile mechanic, carpentry and welding. He did not graduate from any. No relative was willing to give him any financial assistance. Paul’s dreams of providing medical aid to his ailing mother failed. In 2002, Paul was earning 4000FCFA (£5.4) a week from doing odd jobs. “That was not enough as we drudged day in-week out for a complete meal.
Read more »Labels: Development, Heifer International
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 2:30 PM,
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GIC Confiance Bafole Heifer International Cameroon Model Farmers
The group started with the help of some graduates in 1998. It was a self-help initiative but legalized its status in 2002 as a common initiative group. According to one of the pioneers, the group president Adamou Ali, 36, they cultivated sweet potatoes, maize, tomatoes and huckleberry on 1.5 hectares of land. Their farm size increased as the membership of the group increased. Group members worked together on their farms to ease the burden of one another. “For each month, we provided each other with labor worth 7,000 FCFA ($15.6). This was to enhance our food security,” Ali remembered.
Although the group members struggled together, they only just managed to feed their families and to send their children to school. By necessity the group members began providing cheap labor to other community members in search of extra income and resources.
According to the group president Ali, the annual income per farm family stood at 15,000 ($71.1) and 40, 000F CFA ($88.9 in those difficult days. “We could barely eat two poor meals a day, we mostly ate without oil,” Ngarigang Irene, mother of six (3 boys, 3girls) recalled. This lack of food translated to many health-related complications. “In 2004, I stayed in hospital for three months and could not pay my bill; it’s a cousin that helped me out,” Ibrahim a group member cried. Wanting to forge a comprehensive plan for themselves, the group members applied for Heifer International Cameroon’s assistance in 2008. Ultimately the 14 farm families were retained for immediate help.
Read more »Labels: Cameroon, Development, Farmers, Farming, Heifer International
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 2:22 PM,
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Analysis of the Mobile Lighting and Battery Charging Market in Cameroon
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
RESEARCH PROTOCOL
Objective
The overall objective of this study is to elucidate potential areas of intervention by SNV in the existing market for small RE lighting and charging systems, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas of Cameroon. This is to be accomplished through the following specific objectives:
Read more »Labels: CAT, Development
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:00 AM,
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Royal Home Alahkie Mankon
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Labels: Development
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:14 AM,
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At the Project Side
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Labels: Development
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:53 AM,
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Preparation for the Project
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Labels: Development
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:43 AM,
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The Project Side
Labels: Development
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:38 AM,
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Work in Progress
Labels: Development
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:35 AM,
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King Simon Leshy at the Site
Labels: Development
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:22 AM,
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Main Entrance Royal University Centre Alah-Mankon Bamenda
Labels: Development
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:19 AM,
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Road to development
Labels: Development
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:08 AM,
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CAT, SES, DGFK Setting The Pace For African Energy
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
In a bid to promote African Energy through the use of solar energy, the Centre for Appropriate Technology, CAT – Cameroon in partnership with Senior Expect Service (SES) Boon-Germany and Society for the Advancement of Culture (DGFK) Berlin Germany have for the past days organizing “open day” and public exhibitions on some appropriate technologies as solutions to Climate Change and adaptation.
A series of solar training workshops for students in Cameroon and the North West Region in particular by CAT Cameroon and its partners is training students on photovoltaic system which is a solar energy system that provides electricity directly from sunlight. It produces clean, reliable energy without consuming fossil fuel and can be used in wide varieties of application like radio, lighting and even large scale electricity supplies.
Before promoting the use of solar energy, CAT Cameroon led by its Director Njini Victor, SES led by Dr. Norbert Pintsch, DGFK led by Lutz Fluegge and Mrs. Renale Perrier have been cress-crossing schools in the North West Region educating the students that conventional fuel sources have created a myriad of environmental hazards such as global warming, acid rain, smog, water pollution, rapid filling waste disposal sites, destruction of habitat from fuel spills and the loss of natural resources. It is against this back drop that CAT and its partners are out to educate the entire population that photovoltaic systems do not pose these environmental problems.
Today, many photovoltaic modules use silicon as their major component. The silicon cells manufactured from one tone of sand can produce as much electricity as burning 500.000 tons of coal. Today, photovoltaic modules supply electricity to more than one million homes and create hundreds of thousands of jobs world wide. One of such sensitization tours took place at Alah-Nkie at the Royal Development Cooperation Foundation. The free passive solar Active Technology training workshop brought students from ENS Bambili, students on Youth Forum Programme from CRTV Bamenda. In the presence of Prof Norbert Pintsch, Lutz Fluegge and Renale Perrier, CAT’s project coordinator Njini Victor drilled the students and villagers on the need for the use of solar energy and the various environmental problems caused by conventional fuel sources. In the long and short of it, it was a free passive solar active technology training workshop for the students and villagers characterized by interactive stage plays by Lutz and Renale as part of their ongoing campaign against environmental degradation and climate change and adaptation for children in Cameroon.
At Baptist Comprehensive College Nkwen, students and teachers were equally drilled on the need to diversify and choose solar energy because it serves health and money. Njini Victor outlined the disadvantages of relying on other sources of energy than solar energy. He and his team also sensitized the students and teachers on how medicinal friendly trees can be planted to prevent global warming. Before the workshop rounded up, students were called upon that the only way forward is to have an autonomous
house that produces its own electricity. The students were taken aback when they saw some demonstrations on the use of solar energy on household equipment. The principal of the school Bumenang Eugene appreciated CAT and its partners for choosing his institution as one of the beneficiaries of the workshop.
Over the years, CAT-Cameroon has been collaborating with schools like JMBC Ndu, BCHS Njinikejem Belo, SAC Kumbo, BHS Mankon and others, organizing free passive solar active technology training workshops for students. It has also been organizing open days or public exhibitions on some appropriate technologies as solutions to climate change and adaptation.
During such, some site attractions like cooking, baking, drying, boiling, lighting with solar energy have often taken pride of place. It should be noted that CAT Cameroon has been excelling in the field of appropriate technology with a ten year experience. They have also been working in partnership with Africa Energy in Arizona in the US.
Away from that, song, dance and fanfare characterized the arrival of Njini Victor, CAT Director, Prof Norbert, Lutz and Renate at the Alah – Nkie Royal Home for the laying of the Foundation stone for the construction of the Royal Rehabilitation Centre for the treatment of mentally handicapped persons, the abandoned and under-privileged children. The project according to Prof. Norbert is an example of appropriate technology, financing and implementation in a rural area based upon, traditional methods, local materials, autonomous functioning and flexible. The project is expected to engulf a walloping sum of FCFA 300 million.
The project designed by the Institute for Planning and Consultancy IPC in Germany, is expected to have a school, hospital, workshops, a Biogas plant, solar installations and rooms. According to Prof. Norbert, the project is one in Africa and its construction will depend on foreign donors, and the Government of Cameroon.
Appreciating the gesture, the Regional Delegate for Culture North west congratulated Prof. Norbert Pintsch for helping Ambassador Simon to realize the project which will go a long way to improve on lives. He congratulated Prof. Norbert, Lutz, Renate and Njini Victor for coming to lay the Foundation Stone. He equally lauded CAT Cameroon for the efforts to educate people on the need for solar energy. The Delegate called on Njini Victor not to relent his efforts because if solar energy is propagated as it has to be, and then there will be a solution to frequent power cuts.
The Royal Rehabilitation Centre for the care and treatment of mentally handicapped persons and the under - privileged and the people’s centre for development is a project of Ambassador Simon Tabufor Lesley who saw the effectiveness of his medicines for the treatment of mentally handicapped persons and to reduce the high number of mental patients in our streets.
The centre will also act as the reformation and training of already mentally handicapped persons.
This article also appeared at Light Within
Labels: Cameroon, CAT, Development, Energy
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:30 AM,
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