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For the past eight years, girls and women in the English speaking regions of Cameroon are facing precarious emergencies humanitarian needs due the the armed conflict and it consequences. They have been out of school for the lost eight years. Given their extreme vulnerabilities, they have been exposed to multiple rapes, sexual abuse, exploitation and harrasment. They have equally experienced forced marriages, unwanted pregnancies, high sexual transmittable deseases. The repeated abuses on them put them in very, high risk, harmful  traumatic and depressing conditions. Most of them have been forced in family ways with more than three children with no income to take care of themselves and the children. Due to continuos economic hardship, these girls continue to experience cycle of violence and abuse just to earn a living. BIHAPH at the centre of community and grass root initiative and living the realities of the deteriorating humanitarian conditions, brave the odds amidst funding gaps to engage community leaders to take the lead in reponding to these emergency needs to prevent and protect the women and girls. In a six months project BIHAPH partners with the community leaders to train 30 girls in Tailoring, decor, pasteries, market gardening, sport to build resilience and hope, psycho social counselling. These initiative provided the girls with skills, to be self reliant, self worth, self esteem and to be better versions of themselves in building strong and healthy communities. EMPOWER A WOMAN OR GIRL, EMPOWER A NATION! WHEN WOMEN AND GIRLS THRIVE, OUR COMMUNITIES TRIUMPH!

There has been nothing limited about the suffering and misery that the neglected war has brought to the English speaking regions of Cameroon. As feared, it has been a tragedy beyond words.

Fresh and new killings resurfaced prior to the country’s National day celebration this year.

 Secessionist leaders both home and abroad announced a three-day lock down and warning to all to stay away from national day celebration or faced death. These years’ National Day Celebration, witnessed gruesome killings of atleast 20 Government security forces, in Bambili, Mamfe, Ndop, and Akwaya. The mayor and two other Government officials in Belo were brutally assacinated on their way to commemorate National Day Celebrations.

As tensions continued, many civilians have been killed following events marking this year’s celebration. So many kidnapped and huge ransom demanded. The Government state security forces have retaliated by killings Dozens of Ambazonia separatist fighters leaving civilians with deep casualties.

The under-reported armed conflict is in its 8^th year running with more than 7000 deaths and more than 20.000 displaced. The rest of the English speaking populations live in fear and peril because they are targeted for exercising their state or national duty in a country they called their own, people are attacked, invaded earmarked for killings just because they hold a different ideology and opinion.

Those most impacted by this atrocious acts are the local populations. The ground incursion continues to cause immeasurable pains and suffering to the local populations who have nothing left for a livelihood. More people are being displaced, fleeing time and again in fear for their lives and arriving in areas without adequate livelihood, shelter, education, clean water and greatly traumatized.
As the world grabbles with severe humanitarian crisis, severe shortages to meet the needs of those fleeing wars, high rate of refugees crisis, At a time when the people are staring down famine, when civilians are under bombardment from north to south; it is more critical than ever for the International community to Unite, heed cries of the local people in the English Speaking Region of Cameroon by calling for an all-inclusive dialogue to End this nightmare.

BIHAPH- transforming Rural women as agents of change rather than victims of circumstances -where lack of economic opportunity, Lack of education and schooling, rape, early marriage and sexual exploitation are still very prevalent.

Addressing the issue of gender-based violence is fundamental to achieving sustainable rural development as well as the SDGs.

BIHAPH field results indicates that the world ‘s poorest people are women living in rural areas - women without any access to land, income, resources or services. There are, however, several important reasons to invest in rural women. For instance, more than 100 million people could be lifted out of poverty if rural women had the same access to productive resources as men. 

Leave No Woman Behind, ‘that tests and scales-up pilot projects to empower women and enhance

their opportunities to access income-generating and entrepreneurship activities in the communities. BIHAPH with her partners is Investing in rural women; pursuing gender-sensitive economic growth models; ensuring that social protection schemes reach rural women; going beyond access towards adequate and non-discriminatory distribution of land; and creating an enabling environment where rural women ‘s collective voice can actually influence decision-making processes.

This initiative has improved livelihood opportunities in the communities. through

capacity development and facilitating access to credit which, in turn, increased women ‘s assets, self-

esteem and voice within their households and communities. In addition, this initiative enhances

behavioral changes at individual and community levels, generated a culture of savings and

encouraged women to seek out and use health services.

FOR ANY DURABLE SOLUTIONS TO BE ACHIEVED DURING ARMED CONFLICT? POWER MUST BE GIVEN TO LOCAL PEOPLE WHO BEAR THE BRUNT OF THE WAR; FRIDAY 16TH FEB WAS A BRIGHT DAY TO COMMUNITIES SHATTERED BY WARS IN BDA 1,11, &111; BIHAPH WITH SUPPORT FROM CANADA FUND FOR LOCAL INITIATIVE TRAINED WOMEN  GROUPS IN SOAP LAUNDRY, DETERGENT, PASTERIES AND DONATED START UP KITS FOR THE WOMEN TO CONTNUE RESTITUTION AND BUILD THE CAPACITY OF OTHER MEMBERS; SOME IDPS IRECEIVED SEWING MACHINES AND TAILORING ASSECESORIES TO EMPOWER THEM TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD; THIS WAS IN ACCORDANCE TO BIHAPH MODUS OPERADI: MAINSTREAM ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES IN PEACE BUILDING, INCREASE LIVELIHOODS, POVERTY REDUCTION TOWARDS VIOLENCE MITIGATION, COMMUNITY REHABILITATION, RE-STABILISATION, AND BUILD SOCIAL COHESION IN SHATTERED COMMUNITIES IN MEZAM DIVISION.  1,11 AND 111;

THE BENEFICIARIES EXPRESSED DEEP GRATITUDE TO CANADA AND BIHAPH AND PROMISED TO USE THE EMPOWERMENT KITS JUDICIOUSLY TO BUILD A MORE HARMONIOUS AND PEACEFUL COMMUNITY;

 The last seven years in an ongoing armed conflict, Girlshave experienced formidable and complex challenges due to rampant sexual abuse and exploitation, Unwanted pregnancy, forced marriages, Denial of resources, discrimination and gender biases. The discrimination is now assuming new forms. 

While all women and girls, in general, face socio-cultural challenges, these are more overarching and complex in rural areas. Disadvantaged by a lack of access than ability, rural women remain subjugated by want of equality and equity.

When women are continously kept in disadvantaged positions and lack opportunities to excel, it destroys their self exteem, self worth, decline in health.  A combination of such gender prejudices trickles into lower self-esteem and basic dignity and reflects a decline in women’s health and nutrition. Children are greatly affected and increases malnutrition, child mortality severe health complications. The whole community decays, poverty is in the increase when women and girls are left behind. WHEN WOMEN AND GIRLS TRIUMPH, THE COMMUNITY PROSPERS AND FLOURISHES, GROWS; There is vigor and armor.

BIHAPH LEAVES NO STONE UNTURNED TO PROVIDES WOMEN AND GIRLS SAFE SPACE NEEDED TO PREVENT PREVAILING GENDER BIASES, HARMFUL CULTURAL PRACTICES, SEXUAL EXPLOITATION;

JOIN BIHAPH TODAY TO MAKE MEANINGFUL CHANGE AND DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFES OF GIRLS LIVING THE BRUNT OF WAR IN POOR RURAL COMMUNITIES; 

Seven years, the population of the North West and South West Regions (English Speaking Regions of Cameroon) are experiencing a scouging  armed conflict with civilian especially children, women, and girls greatly targeted by the warring parties. On 11th February 2024, an explosive by the non state armed groups killed one child living 40 severly injuredand traumatised in Nkambe during the 11th Feb festivities. We can not say we do not know who did this. We can not also claim we are not aware of where or who the pepetrators are! This heinous and barbaric acts must not only be condermed by us on paper, but its time to seek justice for the victims by punishing the pepetration;It time to read the early warnings signs and timely interventions to save the already too fragile and maginalised people. Let the word NEVER AGAIN PUSHED US TO TAKE ACTION: 

James Woods, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Africa, observed during the Rwandan genocide:
Failure to appreciate is an artful excuse for not wanting to appreciate the facts which, indeed, were presented to the White House and everybody else at the time.They knew. They chose not to know and they chose not to act…We had a lot to apologize for, but it’s not just the United States that owes the apology, it’s the whole international community. We all failed to act and the facts were known in the capitals of Europe and in New York and in Washington. Clearly, as James Woods has stated, there was undeniable evidence of a genocide taking place and not only the United States, but the international community shares the burden of being silent bystanders.

Upon his visit to Rwanda in March 1998, Clinton, apologized for his country’s inaction in the face of the Rwanda genocide. He stated as follows: The international community, together with nations in Africa, must bear its share of responsibility for this tragedy as well. We did not act quickly enough after the killings began. We should not have allowed the refugee camps to become safe havens for the killers. We did not immediately call these crimes by their rightful name: genocide. We cannot change the past. But we can and must do everything in our power to help you build a future without fear, and full of hope.

Before the whole world, Cameroon is at the edge of human tradgedy: A near elimination of a people, if the preamble of UNITED NATIONS still make sense to us its time not to look away!

Our collective humanity, the political will and an empathetic leadership can save  lives! Human Life precede any state entitilement. 

BIHNDUMLEM HUMANIATARIAN ASSOCIATION OF PEACE AND HOPE (BIHAPH) in partnership with CANADA FUND FOR LOCAL INITIATIVES (CFLI) Trains, equips and commission local broadcasters WITH KNOWLEDGE ON BOTTOM UP APPROACH TO PEACE BUILDING, rekindles their potentials to build peaceful communities and disseminate information that condemns violence at BIHAPH HEAD OFFICE UPSTATION Bamenda on the 17^Th January 2024.

There is too much human atrocities, hidden abuses happening in the ongoing armed conflict, too many civilian lives have been lost. Too many aftermaths to come SHATTERRING COMMUNITIES IN THE ENGLISH SPEAKING REGIONS OF CAMEROON. 

In an engaging and participatory workshop of local broadcasters, BIHAPH turns, Painful, horrifying, gut-wrenching stories of the victims of ongoing violence, killings and unimaginable suffering to   hopeful, bravery stories of resilience, compassion leadership for ordinary people who have figured out how to build lasting peace in their communities. As a grassroots organization, BIHAPH Community peace building strategies have worked to build lasting peace in conflict zones, particularly for ordinary citizens on the ground. 

 With examples drawn from happenings in the communities and in a more interactive victim centered approach, BIHAPH reveal that peace can grow in the most unlikely circumstances. Contrary to what most politicians preach, building peace doesn't require billions in aid or massive international interventions. Real, lasting peace requires giving power to local citizens.

Using local color and experiences of the participants, these brave souls who have seen it all  tell the stories their stories,  the stories of ordinary yet extraordinary individuals and community leaders that are confronting violence in their communities effectively. BIHAPH's best practices, success stories in mitigating violence and the unimaginable sufferings of civilians especially women and children, shows how grassroots peace building is most needed to build stable and harmonious communities even in times of war or peace time. It involved innovative grassroots initiatives led by local people. Many Thanks to DR ELLEEN TABUWE for facilitating the workshop with her sages and expertise the local peace broadcasters’ express deep appreciation for skills and knowledge gained.

With success stories of this kind, BIHAPH shows the radical changes we must take in our approach if we hope to build lasting peace in fragile settings.

SUCCESS STORY OF A 16-YEAR-OLD FULANI GIRL This 16-year-old is a member of a household of Nine in one of our communities of intervention in the North West Region where her Grand Mother is the head of the household.