Cameroon - First short story

Aissatou Bakari

We meet Aissatou Bakari in the shed constructed in Boulembé, where every Tuesday, women participating in the income generating activities (IGAs) meet to calculate the value of their weekly incomes. Quietly she tells us that she came to Cameroon five years ago, together with her husband and their six children, after fleeing Central African Republic, as the security situation was untenable. They left their home during the night, without looking back; they walked for long hours until, at the first light of the morning, they reached the car that would take them to the Cameroon border, and their entrance to a safer environment and a new life. After spending time in a UNHCR refugee camp, finally they settled down in Boulembé, their new home. Through Sport Network’s funding, Aissatou started to work with manioc (Cassava work) and she notices how her life has got better, her three children can now attend school in the neighboring village. With the benefits that she has been gaining, Aissatou would like to buy a calf and keep her children going to school.

If you'd like to read more about our project in Cameroon, click here, or visit our webpage.

Written by África Coloma, Sport Network's volunteer in Cameroon