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Hunger
and poverty are often rooted in structural problems at societal and
global levels. To address symptoms as well as causes RELUFA strategizes
its actions around the three themes Economic Justice, Self Development, and Food Sovereignty. Under Self Development resorts the network's micro-finance
initiative Credit Against Poverty (CAP), while more systemic societal and
global inequities are tackled in the programs of Economic Justice.
Food Sovereignty
With the Sahara desert stretching out over the Far North Province, this
part of Cameroon is permanently at the brink of famine. RELUFA's sustainable
response to the recurrent food shortages in the country's arid North is the
establishment of a communal grain banking system
in vulnerable villages. This program breaks the cycle of exploitation by
businessmen, food scarcity, soaring market prices and dependency on
food distribution programs. The community granaries allow for
self-governance of food supplies by the villagers and curb the usury
mechanisms that generate poverty.
The network further helps the participating group into a federation to eventually advocate policies that would prevent the sale of the already marginal regional production and keep the food available for the local population.
Self Development
Credit Against Poverty
(CAP) is RELUFA's micro-finance initiative to provide low-interest and
generally guarantee-free loans for projects of poor communities
affiliated with network member organizations. CAP offers a variety of loan products. CAP Holidays, for example, is geared towards University and High School students, enabling them to undertake small business ventures during the long and often idle summer break. RELUFA celebrated the 2008 International Women's Day by launching CAP for Women aimed at the self-development of society's underprivileged gender. Upon the request from subsistence farmers in the Far North, CAP for Schooling helps pay their children's tuition at the beginning of the new school year.
Land- and Trade Justice
For long Cameroon has been considered a country that is self sufficient in its food needs. Climatic and soil conditions are favorable for abundant agricultural yields, but the focus on the production of export commodities has rendered the sector vulnerable to world market prices that plummeted in the 1990's. At the same time structural ajustment programs, imposed by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to regulate the national budget and make the country eligible for their continued support exacerbated the difficulties for farmers. More recently, Economic Partnership Agreements between ACP countries and the EU threaten to further undermine the livelihoods of Cameroonian farmers.
RELUFA tunes into the international banana trade to illustrate the impact of these agreements on small producers. The network works with victimized farmers to offer consumers fairly produced dried fruit, which is currently marketed in the US through Partners for Just Trade. This Fair Fruit project is still being developed to eventually obtain certification from one of the recognized Fair Trade or Ethical Labeling Organizations.
Social- and Economic Justice in the Extractive Industries
Besides being endowed with favorable agricultural conditions, Cameroon harbors a wealth's in natural resources that are exploited to satisfy foreign
markets. Seeking Economic Justice RELUFA joins national and
international efforts to advocate changes in the current trends of the
extractive industries in the Central African region. With the Chad
Cameroon Oil and Pipeline Project as case study, the network follows up
on unresolved compensation issues, monitors changes in living standards
of the poplation living in the vicinity of the pipeline, brings their grievances to the table of a platform of the Oil Transportation Company COTCO, the Cameroonian government and NGO's as well as the World Bank and presses for solutions to the outstanding issues. The network further calls for transparency in the
resource revenue management by joining the international "Publish What You
Pay" coalition, and monitors the spenditure by the Cameroonian government through its participation in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
Targeting in particular students from University, the network further builds awareness on the tendencies
of the global economy at large by organizing film discussions.
Programmatic and Institutional Support
Each of RELUFA's programs is supported by activities that enhance
communications and strengthen the network's foundation for solidarity
action.
To
lift up people's stories from the grassroots to a worldwide audience,
to publicize the network's programs and to make the efforts of its
member organization known to a larger public, RELUFA tries to mantain a
website.
For cross-fertilization of knowledge and the sharing
of experiences, RELUFA's support program allows for several exchange
visits between member organizations per year.
RELUFA further seeks to
strengthen its solidarity action through study and publications of
religious and cultural traditions that express values of solidarity. |
