Lessons learned from the Corona Virus Pandemic
By Wazeh Nicoline Nwenushi |March 19, 2020
Countries all over the world should strive to invest their human and material resources in developing their countries and building their resilience. The outbreak of the COVID 19 has been declared a global pandemic with huge human, political, economic, social and gender equality consequences on all the affected countries.
Most of our African Countries have paid lip services to their development. The insincere promises of our political elites to develop our countries and the continent generally touted as a priority on their campaign agendas has caught us in this era of the fight against the corona virus.
Some African politicians over countless decades have gained pleasure in the misappropriation of our national natural resources, crackdown on individuals and civil societies who dare criticize them, arbitrarily imprison and execute their opponents. They have been qualified absentee landlords who travel abroad to treat even common colds and do their shopping. They have preferred to send their children to schools overseas than to build schools to educate all the citizens with the same entitlement to the resources they greedily and unduly stockpile for themselves and their families.
Most African countries depend on Foreign Aid in the form of Official Development Assistance (ODA) either as bilateral or multilateral funds from individual “friendly” countries; United Nations or the World Bank for the pseudo development of their countries. These “Saviour” countries including China, USA, France, Italy and others are today overwhelmed by the death toll and the political, economic and social consequences of the corona virus on their citizens and economy. All the countries of the world including even the mightiest have been hit beyond imagination by the COVID19 virus and their human and technological limitations uncovered.
The huge human casualties registered by countries may mean they need to invest more in training and capacity building of the citizens. In countries like Italy, this may mean incentivizing the younger generation to consider having more children. From a political perspective, leaders may want to secure subsequent mandates from the electorate through making certain concessions including reconsidering their diplomatic relations bilaterally and multilaterally especially in the form of finance and technical assistance.
Economically, countries have promised to exonerate citizens from some consumption taxes like rent, electricity, gas and others. Others plan to inject trillions of US Dollars to revive the different sectors of their economy including air carriers and banks. many countries have halted the issuance of foreign visas and completely closed their boarders. The extended lockdowns have gross economic impacts on countries including estimated budget deficits and plummeting world economic development projections.
From a social standpoint, the health facilities and infrastructures of many “Saviour” countries like China and USA have proven insufficient and inadequate to contain the COVID-19. Social projects in other areas have been suspended and all energy directed to the fight against this pandemic.
Looking at the impact of the corona virus from a gender perspective, women and girls bear the brunt like in any other disaster outbreak. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) acknowledges that globally women perform 76.2% of unpaid care work, as much as three times than men. Many schools have been closed around the world due to the corona virus pandemic, a massive shutdown which according to UNESCO leaves many parents especially women with little or no choice but to take off time or to work from home while caring for their children. Development projects aimed at gender mainstreaming are generally disrupted during such health emergencies thereby undermining or even completely nullifying milestones in achieving gender equality.
The above human, political, economic, social and gender equality consequences of the COVID-19 on all the affected countries imply that, our “Saviour” and “Friendly” countries are now overwhelmed with their own internal issues. Charity, they say “is injurious unless it helps the recipient to become independent of it”. Injurious charity on the guilty African countries is epitomized by their inability to travel to these foreign paradises for treatment and shopping, which are also the fiscal anchorages for our embezzled funds destined for the construction and development of the African continent for all of us. Subdued with devising internal mechanisms and strategies to cope with the virus, it is unlikely that our “Saviour and Friendly” countries can still reach out to us. Closing their boarders and halting the issuance of foreign visas clearly indicates that we have all become vulnerable and abandoned to ourselves to face an illness that we neither have testing devices nor adequately trained personal to cope with it. “C’est chacun pour soi” (each for himself). The African rich biodiversity and mineral fields is enough to exploit with due diligence and transform this continent into a paradise on earth- an El Dorado. We have rather indulged into the abusive, egocentric and systemic exploitation of our own riches, discriminating, excluding, intimidating, and summarily executing indigenous populations who dare ask for mere royalties. We have through bad governance, corruption, embezzlement, marginalization of some citizens, rigging of polls, threats, and prosecution compromised our own infrastructural independence, medical dexterity and general development.
It is unlikely that Foreign Aid in the form of Official Development Assistance (ODA) either as bilateral or multilateral funds from individual “friendly” countries; United Nations or the World Bank is available to us at his crucial moment. It is impossible for us now to start building our own health and other social facilities to contain the corona virus. Most African countries are caught in this quandary, and the days ahead with the corona virus pandemic creeping into Africa are somber. Hope we’ve learned a lesson!
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PaWED PaWED
Organisation Profile
1. NAME OF ORGANISATION:
Pathways for Women’s Empowerment and Development and it Integrated Agricultural Training Center (PaWED/IATC)
2. DATE OF FORMATION: 24/02/2015
3. HEAD OFFICE ADDRESS:
P O Box 12414 Yaoundé Center.
House no. 468, street no. 8556 Mendong.
Telephone: +237677758345
Email: pawedmailing@gmail.com
4. LEGAL STATUS:
PaWED is a local Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in Cameroon and registered by virtue of prefectural order N0: 00000030/ARDA/JO6/A2/ALPAS/APPB of January 16, 2018; as stipulated in Article 7 of law No 90/053 of 19 December 1990 relating to freedom of association, as amended by law No 99/011 of 20 July 1999. While IATC is registered as a Common Initiative Group (CIG), No: CE/GP/042/13/33374, of 24/06/2013 and located at Ndong Village in the Mefou Afamba Division of the Center Region.
PaWED is a local Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in Cameroon The geographical coverage of PaWED is national with main offices in Yaoundé, Mfoundi Division of the Center Region; and, Akum, in the Santa-Subdivision of Mezam Division in the North West Region. IATC is the women economic empowerment training center of PaWED which practically establishes and builds women’s capacity in poultry farming and other integrated Agricultural techniques.
5. VISION AND MISSION
Vision:
PaWED envisages a joint effort by all stakeholders for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls.
Mission:
The mission of PaWED is to ensure a gender just society in which men and women enjoy equity, contribute and benefit as equal partners in the development of the country and the world.
6. OBJECTIVES
To analyse the root causes of gender inequality, VAW, GBV, poverty, diseases, hunger, conflict, post war traumatic stress disorder, education parity and climate change;
To evaluate how the above issues and others affect the mental, social, political and economic wellbeing of women and girls and obstruct the implementation of the SDGS;
To advocate for gender equality and lobby for accelerated institutional change with gender mainstreaming at the core;
To employ all stakeholders to actively participate in the crusade to eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls; and,
To educate and train stakeholders to prevent and respond to cases of GBV and inequality.
7. STRATEGIES
Researching and reporting on the gender situation in the country and the world.
Enhancing stakeholder’s capacities and knowledge through workshops, leadership trainings, educative talks and seminars around gender theories, women human rights principles and cross -cutting issues.
Partnering and networking with Government, United Nations Systems and other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to implement gender and development projects.
Lobbying with government for accelerated institutional change and enactment of gender responsive laws.
Fundraising to Mobilize resources for proper execution of the objectives of PaWED.
8. BENEFICIARIES
Although the entire community is the ultimate beneficiary of PaWED’s programs and activities, our major thrust is on the welbeing of vulnerable, underprivileged and marginalized women and girls. PaWED works with communities both at field level and capacity building of organisations working for the betterment of our target groups. However, Programs such as engagement of youth during holidays offered to keep youth busy and active during holiday, participate in their own back to school preparation and spare them from recruitment from violent extremism and other societal ills like drugs manipulation are designed to benefit the larger community.
9. PRIORITY AREAS OF INTERVENTION
Women economic empowerment, gender and development
Conflict management at institutional, policy and community level
Child protection, education and development
Training for human resource development in integrated agricultural techniques and others
Research and consultancy
Advocacy and policy lobby
Livelihoods and food security
Peace, conflict resolution and gender
Project management
10. PROJECTS/PROGRAMS
Name of program Major program focus Geographical coverage funder
Integrating Subsistence and Commercial Farming for the Economic mpowerment of Rural Women -Bringing rural women together into 165 self-help groups (SHG)
-Assess the assets and needs of such SHG
-Together with the women devise projects which can enhance their well-being and economic empowerment using their existing assets
-Propose new farming mechanisms to boast their productivity, eliminate poverty and fight hunger
-Debate on the advantages and disadvantages of such projects a
-Make recommendations to donors for training and funding “YAMBA women Solidarity Group” of Ntui Sub Division of the Mbam and Kim Division Center Region Cameroon PaWED/IATC
Engaging youth during holidays to keep them busy and spare them from recruitment into societal ills -Train youth on poultry farming techniques during holidays
-Build awareness on societal ills like, pedophilia, child marriage, drug manipulation, child trafficking and recruitment in to violent extremism
-Support them with 10 chickens each to help prepare for their back to school
-prioritize Internally Displaced Yaoundé and environs PaWED/IATC
Operation bounce back of vulnerable and underprivileged women and girls -Train such women in poultry farming and commercialization
-encourage and support them to eliminate middlemen between them and the poultry farm to increase their profit margin
-accompany them to the poultry farm between 4 and 6a.m. to personal buy their stock Retailers in markets in Yaoundé PaWED/IATC
Advocacy and lobbying for peace to resolve the ongoing Anglophone crisis with the effective participation of women as a critical majority - lamentation campaigns
-Organisation of press conference
-meeting and discussing with key stakeholders
-Engaging in social media campaigns
-organizing workshops with youth and women on their role in conflict resolution and peace building -Bamenda
-Buea
-Yaoundé -UNDP Cameroon
-Friedrich Hebert Stiftung Foundation Cameroon
-Southwest North West Women’s Task Force (SNWOT)
- PaWED/IATC
Policy analysis and recommendation Analysing UNSCR 1325 first Nation Action Plan (NAP) to bring out loopholes and make recommendations for effective implementation and enactment of high impact NAP in the future. PaWED/IATC
11. MEMBERSHIP
These organisations are primarily women led. However, in other to undermine patriarchy, social constructs, gender stereotypes and cultural barriers, we involve men known for their prowess in championing gender equality as our HeForShe ambassadors.
NO NAME SEX POSITION
1 Nicoline Nwenushi Tumasang Wazeh Female Founder and CEO
2 Feigni Victorine Female Secretary
3 Tumasang Judith Lum Female Assist. Secretary
4 Oscaline Mangwi Ndifor Chi Female mobiliser
5 Aku Ndifor Emmaculate Epuli Female Financial Secretary
6 Aite Judith Njong Female Assist. Financial Secretary
7 Shura Victorine Female Treasurer
8 Zuhmbushi Eric Nsuh
Male Compliance adviser
9 Tantoh Charles Chebo Male Legal adviser
10 Joseph Azibo Tijie Male Cultural adviser
11 Wazeh Stephen Atanga Male Technical adviser
12. FINANCIAL PARTNERS
Afriland First Bank (First Bank) Yaoundé Cameroon
Account Name: Integrated Agricultural Training Center (IATC)
Account number: 0615670100111
SWIFT Code: CCEICMCX
Bank Code: 1000
IBAN: CM21 10005 00026 06156701001-11
Agence de Crédit pour L’Entreprise Privée (ACEP)
B P 14614 Yaoundé Cameroon
Account Name: Nicoline Nwenushi Tumasang Epse Wazeh
Account number:2205442701
13. Name, Designation and contact details of CEO for further communication:
Nicoline Nwenushi Tumasang Epse Wazeh
Founder and CEO PaWED/IATC
P O Box 12414 Yaoundé Center
House no. 468, street no. 8556 Mendong.
Telephone: +237677758345
Email: pawedmailing@gmail.com
wazehwanic@yahoo.co.uk
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