MIH BIBIANA MBEI DIGHAMBONG is an Expert in Peace, Conflict Prevention and Humanitarian Action. She holds a BA in Social Science, Higher Diploma in Education and a Masters in International Relations with specialty in International Cooperation and Humanitarian Action. She is the CEO/Founder of Bihndumlem Humanitarian Association of Peace and Hope (BIHAPH).
She is a Writer and Author of two books RWANDA-HORRORS OF GENOCIDE: PREVENTION IS POSSIBLE IN OUR WORLD TODAY and A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO MITIGATING POST-GENOCIDE CHALLENGES.
MIH BIBIANA had this burning passion for serving and saving humanity, which since her youth, has been her driving force to create BIHAPH so as to reach out to the down-trodden and less privileged. Her deep research on wars and genocide with case study of the Rwandan Genocide during her writings brought her face to face with even more degrading realities of the inhumane treatment meted on humans of all races by fellow humans and this, coupled with her inborn passion to make humanity a safe haven, prompted her to decry these human right abuses, injustices and boosted her quest for human right protection, equality, justice and peace.
As a passionate Humanitarian, Human right activist, who stands at the forefront of Peace Building through Inclusiveness, Equality, Justice, Reconciliation and Reconstruction, she partnered with other organizations to form the South West/North West Women’s Task Force (SNWOT), a women’s led group in Cameroon that has as duty to fight against all forms of violence and promote peace especially in the restive South West and North West Regions of the country.
MIH Bibiana is equally a founding and active member of the Cameroon Women’s Peace Movement (CAWOPEM), an assembly of women from all ten regions of Cameroon and the Diaspora, aimed at advocating for the right of women to participate in decision-making at all levels. She remains one of the pillars of this movement as her contributions to peace-related issues and activities of the movement are primordial.
Mih Bibiana is a consultant, and an expert in conflict prevention in Cameroon with a commendable moral probity as demonstrated in her humanitarian and intellectual works including her book titled “Rwanda-Horror of Genocide: Prevention is Possible in our World Today” wherein she traced the root cause of Rwanda genocide from an ideology of hatred, divisionism, meticulous planning, economic hardship, deeply rooted in colonialism and recommended conflict prevention strategies and policies. It should be noted that the situation
expounded by Bibiana in her book falls on all folds with what is happening in the North and South West regions of Cameroon. Through her organization, she regularly organizes conferences, seminars and talks on conflict prevention, Gender Equality, Human Rights, Non-violence, Peace-building, Justice, Reconciliation and Forgiveness for a Sustainable Peace and Development. She is currently a prominent figure in the struggle to find a lasting solution to the armed conflict that has devastated Anglophone Regions of Cameroon since the end of 2016. Although she often finds herself in the cross-fires of government forces and Non state armed groups because of her passion and drive to defend the rights of marginalized and oppressed people, she places her passion for humanity over her very own life.
In 2019, she intervened in the Aghem-Mbororo crisis in Wum, assisted the survivors and mitigated for peace. In September 2019, she successfully trained 50 youths in ICT in partnership with the Public Investment Budget (PIB) and graduated them as Peace Ambassadors later in February 2020. These youths now serve as torch-bearers of peace in the community. In February 2020 she organized an Inter-Community Peace Dialogue in Wum during the Aghem-Mbororo insurgence, where she brought resilience through humanitarian assistance, peace speeches, social cohesion, forgiveness and reconciliation and this brought about peace in Wum right up till date.
In March 2020, Bibiana also represented civil society on the Ngarbuh massacre independent investigation alongside Bishop of Kumbo George Nkou and Mr. Chemutah Divine Banda, President of the National Commission on Human rights and Freedom of blessed memory. She selflessly participated as a member of this fact-finding commission of inquiry set up by the Head of State to investigate the massacre Since March 2020, she is actively involved in the promotion of peace through dialogues with members of the said commission to prevent another Ngarbuh incident.
From 8-10th October She organized a three-day training on community mobilization towards conflict prevention and transformation, crisis management, peace building, humanitarian assistance, trauma healing and rehabilitation: SHAPING PEACE TOGETHER. This training empowered 16 councilors across 13 different councils in community peace building at grass roots.
Furthermore, Bibiana is one of the few grassroots peacebuilding actors who has understood and mainstreamed an economic empowerment through income generating livelihood activities in her actions for social cohesion. She has among other things brought the women in her community together to start a honey farm which enables them to realize many other peacebuilding initiatives, stop the women from fleeing and rather amplify their voices against attacks and threats from both government and non-state armed forces. A good, peaceful, human-centric and nonviolent leader can only instill such qualities in her collaborators.
In July 2020, she trained 300 Grass-Roots women in Bafmeng, Fungom Sub-Division-Menchum on their role as women in building peace in their community through their potentials as women. She then trained them in laundry-soap, bathing soap, and body lotion production for Economic Empowerment and to reduce the rate of Gender-Based-Violence where women are usually the most affected specially to rebuild livelihoods that have been destroyed by the conflict.
Trained and empowered most affected and vulnerable populations in poor rural communities as Project coordinator with UNHCR in partnership with local initiatives on strengthening community response against Gender-based violence in WAR affected rural communities in Cameroon
Trained and empowered 1500 community leaders as Project coordinator with SWISS Embassy Yaounde-Cameroon on Providing space for an increased citizen participation and civic engagement as major tools for conflict transformation (CT) and Peace Building (PB) in shattered communities by the crisis in the NWR, Cameroon.
Guest speaker at the first ever NATIONAL CONVENTION OF WOMEN FOR PEACE IN CAMEROON on "The normative framework for women's participation in peace processes in Cameroon". "What legal and administrative options exist for enhancing women's participation in peace processes in Cameroon?" organized by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation's office in Cameroon and Central Africa, in partnership with networks of women's associations and organizations in Cameroon, under the patronage of the Ministry for the Promotion of Women and the Family.
Almost on a daily basis, MIH Bibiana sends out peace building messages as a way of sensitizing the public through her social media handles. She writes statements condemning every act of violence, human rights abuses meted on people irrespective of their race, sex or affiliations. Through her sensitization campaigns, she is able to transform many lives and bring peace to those areas where possible.
MIH BIBIAN MBEI DIGHAMBONG is a frontline Peace Builder/Crusader who takes all the risk with her team and works during dangerous/ difficult circumstances especially in the most remote and disadvantaged communities and conflict affected zones where no one can go. To have you gain a better appreciation of this inspiring woman, I invite you to watch a few videos of her following the links below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvVisVWwZkA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqx_uqZ4pnQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OykFSX1ojGk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaYaUImde1I