By Jodelle Kuenbou / Project Manager – RELUFA
For several years, communities in Cameroon’s Far North Region have faced recurrent food insecurity, particularly during the lean season which usually runs from July to September each year. In response, the Network for the Fight Against Hunger (RELUFA), with support from its partners, helps identified affected communities in providing cereals, and locally producing biopesticides and compost, that contributes to improving local agricultural production This is a an effort to contribute to sustainable community development and transformation that makes their lives better.
In addition to the above mentioned support to reduce food insecurity, several Common Initiative Groups (GICs) also requested grinding mills to ease the burden of travelling long distances just to grind cereal for a family meal. One such village is Mbozo-Kae which the RELUFA has just visited. Before 2021, grinding millet for the family meal in Mbozo-Kae was a major challenge for community members. Women and children particularly had to travel nearly 10 kilometers to access the nearest grinding mill. a journey that was particularly risky during the rainy season due to flooded waterways and the roaming dangers of drowning during the crossing Others relied on traditional grinding stones, a painstakingly long, labor intensive and time-consuming process.
To address this challenge, RELUFA, with the support of its partners, provided the Mbozo-Kae village with a grinding mill. The initiative aimed to reduce the workload for women and children while creating an income-generating activity for the village group.
Five Years Later, notable changes have been observed. Firstly, there is improved access and significant time savings for beneficiary community members since the grinding mill has eliminated the need for long and difficult journeys. Women from Mbozo-Kae, as well as neighboring villages situated 2, 3, and 4 kilometers away, now use the grinding mill regularly. The mill has become a key service point for the other surrounding communities.
It is interesting to note the effective Community Management of the grinding mill. The Common Initiative Group in the village has established a reliable and self-sustaining management system. Revenue generated from the mill covers maintenance costs and the replacement of non functional- parts while contributing to a savings fund for the village. After meeting all operating expenses, the group has accumulated more than 100,000 XAF in community savings. Secondly, encouraged by this success, the Common Initiative Group has begun saving toward the purchase of a second grain mill to serve another neighboring village. Their objective is to expand access to the service, increase their revenue, and extend the benefits to more communities. This is symbolic community driven growth coupled with ambition just through the initial RELUFA support.
In sum, the experience of Mbozo-Kae village demonstrates the sustainability and long-term impact of community-driven support initiatives. Beyond the provision of equipment, the project has fostered empowerment, local ownership, and economic resilience, generating tangible benefits that continue to improve the lives of community members. Comforting words of gratitude to RELUFA and its partners resonates deep and wide from all community members and indicates the relevance of any project when the beneficiary community assumes ownership.
Thanks to the Relentless effort of RELUFA, that these underserved communities are integrated in socio-economic economic Resilience in the face of the current rising climate crisis.