Handicrafts and Appropriate Technology

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.

Aaron Kaah

Mamma Bitang, is a Heifer International Cameroon resourceful farmer at the Noubou village in Moutourwa sub-division in Mayo Kani Division of the Far North Region of Cameroon. Mamma, mother of ten (6 boys and 4 girls) received relevant knowledge on treating animals with herbs through her Groupe d’Initiative Commune Wudmezle in 2009 during a Heifer International Cameroon sponsored training workshop on livestock rearing and donation. Mamma like other women in her group was offered a series of lessons on animal husbandry, gender equity, sanitation and hygiene and ethnoveterinary medicine. To strengthen the trainings each farm family was given 4 animals a ram and 3 sheep each in compensation of their loyalty to the teachings and prescriptions. Mamma had her share.

Aaron Kaah

The gift of a dairy cow can change the life of a family. Lukong Cyprian was a proud recipient of a Heifer Cameroon pregnant purebred Holstein dairy cow through his Dzekwa multipurpose farmer’s society in 1997. The animal transformed not only the dreams of Cyprian in to a reality but those of his loved ones, the widows and orphans he helps provide milk for, and the many boys he employs to works on his farm fields for an income at the Vekovi village in Jakiri sub division, Some 85KM from Bamenda, the capital of the North West Region in Cameroon of West Africa. Today Cyprian is a fulfilled husband, a model farmer and social entrepreneur.

Before benefiting the assistance in livestock training and donation, Cyprian, his wife Relindis and four children, lived in a mud brick three room houses with dirt floors, a licking roof and with limited house hold equipment. “We used the seating room as our kitchen” Cyprian recalled. Like every one in the village they farmed for a living with hoes and cutlasses. In search of change Cyprian and his friend Philip Sahwai decided to form the Dzekwa Multipurpose farmer’s society but did not have the skills or motivation needed to brave the poverty storms. “I was doing completely nothing at that time” he said at the time. To provide for her family Cyprian’s wife Relindis hustled the best she could - buying and selling gari (cassava by-product) to feed her family through long distant villages. Cyprians attempts to fight poverty saw him applying for a teaching job as a contract teacher in 1991 on a minimal salary of 12$US a month. “Life for me and my family was senseless” Cyprian cried at the time. His mother was battling a life threatening stomach problem, his children were suffering from malnutrition-lack of school needs and painfully without any means to afford medication, epilepsy was eating the life of one of their kids. In the late 1992 Cyprian and his friend Philip, the two pioneer members of Dzekwa Multipurpose farmer’s society heard of Heifer Cameroon and contacted them for assistance. In 1993 Heifer Cameroon responded positively. The first step involved the farmers being trained on rabbit management. Next, Cyprian and Philip are given two rabbits each. Dreaming of a renewed life Cyprian formidably transformed his Heifer trainings in to action and steadily diversified in to poultry farming in 1995.

In 1997 Heifer Cameroon retained Cyprian’s group for a dairy farming project. Cyprian took trainings on livestock management and manure use, Heifer 12cornerstones of love and sharing, gender equity, home sanitation and hygiene and HIV and AIDS awareness campaign in readiness to receive an animal. On August 15th 1997, Heifer Cameroon rewarded Cyprian with a purebred Holstein dairy cow for his sense of commitment and determination. Cyprian and his family willingly submitted their might in to the project, respecting their course prescriptions to the latter. “What I couldn’t dream of in my life became a reality” Cyprian said beaming with smiles. From the dairy, Cyprian milked the unthinkable success for his life and family. The milk from the cow is consumed by his family, shared with close and distant love ones and neighbors and marketed for extra income in the near by markets.

Today Cyprian and his wife have achieved in few years dreams they never thought of in their lives and community. They have landed property and many vegetable farms fields. Contrary to the past Cyprian now earns 200$US monthly from the sells of food crops and milk by products. “I have a well furnished 7 room house constructed with income from dairy” Cyprian said. Cyprian’s family has afforded standard household equipment like a TV set, and seating chairs. Their children have being through college and one of the kids Emily once devastated by epilepsy is strong and healthy and her treatment is afforded thanks to the income earned from the farms. “My mother survived a serious stomach operation thanks to income form the project after many years in pain” Cyprian said rejoicing to tears after having spent 400$US for her mother’s surgery. Through the dairy project they can now afford three square meals, and reach out to the needy in their community with milk, food and counseling.

Cyprian has curbed idleness by employing some youths in his community. He has counseled them to start livestock projects of their own with the cash they are earning, to save for rainy days and betters ways of expanding their activities for more income, to work in collaboration with their wives and children and to know their HIV and AIDS status.

With good social and financial plans for their family and community, Cyprian and his wife Relindis see their love growing and their confidence to tackle any obstacle is overwhelming. “I agree with my husband before we carry out any thing in the family” Relindis said. The couple have a joint account worth 300$US at the local credit union.

Since 1997 Cyprians dairy has blossomed with 11offspring. He has gone to the market with 5 animals including his first joyful Passing on the Gift in 1999, to Wirnkar Tata to widen the cycle of hope. A Heifer prescription. Wrinkar had also relayed this good will gesture to another struggling family in 2003.

On behalf of Cyprian and his family, the needy and orphans he shares his love with, the youths he as given hope and the developments projected he has initiated and piloted, the village head of Vekovi Fai Waikov had sent Heifer Cameroon these words “I thank you from my heart for giving us the hope that we can succeed after years of frustrations”.

Treating the study tour team to a hilarious welcome in a joint forum, the Bamendakwe Dairy Cooperative and the Unity Farmers Common initiative groups in electrifying voices and displays in their numbers radiated the open satisfaction and joy and in their hearts in reverend songs and dancing. In a welcome address to the August guest, the representative of the groups narrated the history of their love story with Heifer Cameroon in their community and said from 2002 the group members had kept over 78 animals, with some sold and others as POG. The speaker nailed down the benefits of the projects to improved nutrition and income for emergency spending. The representative decried the high cost of dairy inputs and low government subventions, fluctuating market for dairy products and the bottlenecks in the certification of dairy products in Community. In a discussion chat that followed, the farmers where challenged to continuously share their experiences in a bid to expand on their production and to seek advice where necessary from Heifer Project Cameroon.

In a brief address to the Farmers the leader of the day for the study tour team Bill Minton appreciated the farmers for their tremendous experiences that taught them practical experiences in family life, care for the earth and sharing and love. “We are grateful you improved your lives” he said. Bill explained that the valves of keeping animals were the same and productive any where. “Please stay focus and be patient, you are in the right direction” he ended.

Aaron Kaah.

A visit to Small Dairy Development Projects with the Bamendakwe unity and Dairy Farmers cooperatives was the task of an Elanco US study tour team to Heifer International assisted projects in Cameroon on the 30th of May 2011. The Bamendakwe village with some 65.000 people mostly subsistent farmers, some 15KM from Bamenda the capital of the North West Region of Cameroon was the community of attraction for the team.

In a visit to the Dairy farm of Akoh Anthony who had received Heifer donated animals and teachings in 2009, the team came face to face with the animal husbandry of the farmer and his family and how they were striving to improve and sustain the nutrition of their 3 animals with grass the available fed from their neighborhood.

Anthony told the team that division of labor in his family had facilitated the care for their cows. Asked about the care for the animals by Kerry keffaber, Bill Minton and Courtney knupp and how he fed his livestock, Anthony discussed to the best of his knowledge how he systematically constructed his pen, where he harvested grass and how strenuous it was at the initial stages before giving way to a more relaxed and rewarding project. The farmer told the guest about the group bull he was keeping and the hygienic precautions he took before and after milking his animals. “Keeping milk in high quality translated the trainings” Kerry said. “I have 5children and one had being through University thanks to the project” Anthony told the enthusiastic Guest. After joining the project in 2005 Anthony and the family have reaped enormous benefits like the marketing of milk and surplus food crops for extra income with which to run their family and send their children to school After receiving two animals (Heifer and Bull) in 2005 Anthony and his wife have raised five animals, sold one and POG with another. “Good care has an impact on the animals….. And making use of what they can afford from their environment is important” Kerry concluded.

At the next stop, Neteh Susan and her husband Max received the team with all smiles and walked them through their dairy project. The couple talked about their accomplishments and attributed seriousness and working together and the assistance from the Heifer Cameroon counselling to their new found hope in their community. “After receiving an animal in 2009 I now have 3animals and my POG is ready” Susan said. The proud couple talked about the education of their 7children with ease because of income saved through the project and a car Max now proudly rides in the community. Susan’s first daughter has graduated from a teacher training college as a state teacher, thanks owed to the project. “They can study any ever they want” she said. Before joining Dairy project, Max and Susan had been passionate pig farming for over 20 years but Heifer Cameroon guidance moved their project to a rewarding business. The couple told Mike Tockach, Dr Joe Fent, Gary Sexton and Bill Minton how the Heifer training motivated them to give full time interest and investment in pig farming. Showing the team compost gathered from the staples of the livestock Susan said their aims were to maximize food crop production. Apart from the income earned from going to the market with animals and food crops the family had diversified in to tapping palm wine (a local drink collected from palm trees in West Africa) and bee keeping in a bid to expand their wealth. Meticulously keeping their records in every activity s the couple jealously guided these records like wining cards and their guest did not resist leaving some valuable comments on some of the pages.

Receiving the guest at their residence George Ndifor and his wife Grce walked the team through their Dairy staple. These now model farmers had received a dairy cow in 2009 and by respecting Heifer Cameroon prescriptions to the latter, while doing the best they could as a couple successes came their way. “We named our first calf Joy and the second one a Bull Success” George told his visitors as he pointed to his Dairy proud fully. Asked why the names by Marleen New, George and Grace said the names translated the warmth in their hearts and the fulfillments in the project…….. “Nice baby calf”……Betsy Keffaber said smiling at the livestock. Since joining the Heifer Cameroon assisted Dairy project in his community George and his family had sold milk for over 200US Dollars, income with which they have seen their five children through various levels in school and renovated part of his livestock pen. One has graduated from the university with a degree an unbelievable achievement for the family.

Holding the hands of some of the tour members, George said “I’m grateful to the project and to you all, May God bless” he concluded. In the home of one of the project beneficiaries Ndetah Abigail and her husband Augustine the names of the dairy animals also brought the guest to the realities of their rewards in the project. Augustine and Abigail had named 4 of their 5 animals “Joy, happiness, Solomon and the Project”. As an extra ordinary achievement in the project a bio gas installation facility constructed in their residence for cooking and lighting portrayed this family as an ideal one in the community as well as in the project .while treating the team to the joy of the technology Mike Tockach was quick to note that this installed Bio gas facility was a fascinating improvement that made cooking enjoyable and family life comfortable. In a bid to know about the expansion of the skills and technology to other group members the team was told that plans were under way to share the knowledge with more farm families. One bio gas installation facility is priced at 1000US Dollars for its construction.