NEWSLETTERCameroon |
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Food Sovereignty Program in the Far North Province enters its second year by Elias Gondji, Food Sovereignty Program Coordinator Started in 2006, RELUFA's Food Sovereignty Program has evolved as planned. The activities for the period of January-June 2007 included restocking of the community grain banks, formalization and legalization of the groups, and the initial stages of establishing a larger organization for communities involved in this activity. Rebuilding grain supplies for 2007 |
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More info: On the Publish What You Pay website: Food for Thought: A Project Non-Completion Report The newest publication on the Chad Cameroon Oil and Pipeline Project by Samuel Nguiffo of network member organization CED |
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In the first case, the management committees bought grain from the group members, either in bags of 100 kilograms, or in smaller measurements at the time. The latter was particularly the better way for women, who generally cannot keep large reserves.
In cash By purchasing back the produce from the group members themselves, the management committees could do the transactions in the communities themselves without extra transport costs. Besides, by selling the crops in cash directly to their granary, group members prevented their harvest to leave the village with the merchants, while they still received the needed fresh money. It allowed them to buy clothes for the religious feasts at the end of the year, like Christmas for the Christians and Eid Al-Adha (Festival of the Sacrifice) for the Muslims. Others took care of their family's small needs. This was particularly important for the women, as they were able to buy the needed salt, matches or dried fish at the weekly markets.
In kind On the other hand, in the groups where stocks had been cleared by giving bags as in an kind loan, the grain bank committees have been satisfied with the way their group members have reimbursed the borrowed quantities along with a small profit in grains. This has allowed them to considerably increase their initial stock. By the end of March all of the 18 village grain banks involved in RELUFA's program had been able to increase their stocks, and this with an average of 15.2%.
The grain bank management committees received continued training to reinforce their understanding on:
Building a larger network of village grain bank groups During the awareness building activities, the communities have started to discuss the need to establish a much larger organization to encompass all groups that are involved in village grain banks. By doing so, they would become a counter force to face shady merchants and secure as much as possible the local production for the needs in their own communities. This is a very interesting development, which requires a great deal of time from the trainers, as they have to try and explain to the people the need for such a network of groups, which are organized around village granaries. |
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Chicago JH Addresses Corruption in Extractive Industries By R. Michael Winters, Chicago JH Teamleader
Travelers from Chicago and the Twin Cities Area this winter walked along the Chad-Cameroon Oil Pipeline pipeline from the Atlantic coast near Kribi into the jungle. The construction works of the pipeline were recently completed by the Cameroon Oil and Transportation Company (COTCO), in which Houston based Exxon/Mobile has a 32% share. The Joining Hands team listened to the cries for justice of the communities affected by the pipeline and was struck by their low living standards. When the travelers returned to Chicago, ironically, Exxon/Mobile announced a record $39.5 Billion profit for the previous year. This story is repeated in most countries in Africa. It may not be oil, rather some other natural resource such as diamonds. Consequently, the appeal is for the whole continent. RELUFA National Coordinator Valéry Nodem has become a recognized advocate in the Publish What You Pay Campaign.
PWYP is an international coalition calling for transparency from the extractive industries sector (oil, gaz, mining). Their campaign seeks a common reporting mechanism for stakeholders in the extractive industries to allow for public scrutiny of the deals that give companies access to the natural resources of a country. This is an important initiative as rampant public corruption is believed to have impoverished millions in resource-rich countries on the African continent. Paradoxically, the vast wealth in natural resources throws most nations into greater poverty. This is in contrast to the huge riches their leaders accumulate for themselves from the lucrative deals made for extraction, rather than allowing for the revenues to enrich their country as a whole. For example, Equatorial Guinea’s population of 500,000 has an income of about $1 per day. The gas concessions pay into the country $7 Billion/ year. Do the math. There is great potential for developing the nations’ infrastructure and alleviating poverty. In contrast, with a salary of only $5,000 per month, Equatorial Guinea’s Minister for Environment Teodorin N. Obiang bought a $35 million estate in Malibu, California in 2006. He happens to be the son of Equatorial Guinea’s President!
Recently, the members of the Chicago JH Economic Justice Team met with Sara Pray, the Director of Publish What You Pay, USA and Alexa Smith, the PCUSA JH facilitator. They generously gave a day to coach the team as it prepares to present its petition to the Presbytery Assembly when it meets in October. Chicago JH welcomes the entire PCUSA JH network to co-sponsor the petition to overture the 218th GA. The petition may be obtained by dropping a line at rmwgrace@sbcglobal.net |
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by Christi Boyd, JH Companionship Facilitator
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by Guy Roland Noumigue, Credit Against Poverty Program Coordinator The Common Interest Group DEFUCAM, a grassroots group for the development of smoking activities in Cameroon, was among the recipients of the first eleven loans RELUFA disbursed in January 2007. The group’s loan request to the network's Credit Against Poverty (CAP) program was sponsored by member organization Centre for the Environment and Development (CED). DEFUCAM was created in June 2005 for its members to earn income through various economic activities and to improve this way the general living standard of their families. Based in Mvog Ebanda, a quarter of Cameroon’s capital of Yaoundé, the group's main activities are drying and smoking of food stuffs, but also include husbandry, the production of fruit juices and general commerce. With five members at the time of its creation, the dynamic group has seen its membership grow to 15 active members today of whom fourteen are women and one is a man. Individually group members make soap and engage in rural activities. At the time of the group’s creation, the members sold fresh fish. But the sales were not always good and with fish being perishable they sustained losses. The group decided therefore to shift to smoking as income generating activity. The quality of their smoked fish has gained the interest of consumers as substitution for other products. Smoked meat and poultry (chicken) are particularly popular. After they received training from CED, the group added the drying of fruit and vegetables to their activities. The project financed by CAP
In January 2007 DEFUCAM received a CAP loan of 240,000 FCFA (almost $500). This amount allowed the group to buy a cow, to smoke the meat and sell the final product. The group employed five full time staff and three people on a temporary basis. Since then they have further expanded their smoked fish activities, added smoked poultry and embarked on dried fruit and vegetables. Their earnings cover the costs of purchasing small equipment needed for the processing (knives, pans, bowls and an oven), as well as labor, water bills, transportation, communications, charcoal and gas (about 210,000FCFA). The profits from this activity are an estimated 90,000 FCFA ($180) per month. This has been the first loan the group members requested for their project. They have honored the repayment of the first two installments, and have four more of each 42,127 FCFA to go. The main strength of the group lies in the quality of its product, while its weakness is tied to the lack of financial resources to satisfy the ever increasing demand.
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RELUFA staff and members would like to thank the Self Development of People program for providing seed money as loan fund for the Credit Against Poverty program |
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