Despite the conflict, work continues...

National Day is a holiday in Cameroon celebrated on 20 May, a day whose events this year unfortunately made international news because of the violence that flared up in our region of the Northwest during these celebrations.

Beginning as an anglophone demand for more say in the government of President Paul Biya at the end of 2016, the movement has evolved into strikes, demonstrations and an uprising which is beginning to claim lives and whole villages.

Despite this worrying situation BERUDA is hopeful that a peaceful solution to this uprising can be found and that once again children will be back in school and villagers can return home.

In the meantime BERUDA has moved its headquarters from Belo, which has become a centre for the conflict, to Fundong, where it has always had a branch office, and staff are now working safely out of the Bamenda and Fundong offices, and our projects continue. Community organisations responding to the needs of local people become invaluable in times of crisis because needs can change so quickly.

Those of you involved in sponsoring our Orphan program will be aware of the impact the crisis has had on our children through the closing of schools in the area. BERUDA maintains contact with all the orphans, many of whom have moved out of the area to stay with relatives in other parts of Cameroon. Older children who have remained in the area are enrolled in apprentice programs wherever possible. Despite the problems facing education in the region, looking after the well being of the children in the program remains a priority.

And we are working on exciting new developments too.

Forest conservation:
For the last 6 months we have been surveying the Ijim Forest and have created a project to reclaim the forest. There has been conservation projects focused on this forest in the past but it has been many years since they have been active and villagers and graziers have begun encroaching on the forest again and it is gradually being destroyed. Following the surveying we are now seeking funds to embark on a reclamation program which will involve:

1. Providing fenced paddocks for graziers so they can keep cattle contained outside of the forest. We will also help them to produce organic manure from cow dung to be sold to crop farmers and also to use in their farms for better yields.
2. The production of 2,000 bee hives to be given to farmers to install within the forest. The installation of income generating assets in the forest which rely on flora and fauna to survive provides a strong incentive for protecting the forest from felling and animal agriculture. The hives produce honey, propolis and wax which currently command a high market price and can be reworked to provide further useful household items for use and for sale.
3. Distribution of 10,000 trees for replanting in the forest sourced from the two nurseries in the area owned by two of our partner groups in Fundong. We are seeking funds for this urgently with the plan of starting the planting in July.

A computer Project in the Far North:

• We are setting up an IT project with BERUDA staff and help from a team of IT technicians. The project will seek to train mostly young women who are not familiar with computers, and a group of young men who have been displaced by the terrorist group Boko Haram. A computer section will also be made available for public use. We are really grateful to Miva Swiss who has provided us with funds to kick start this project and the setup has already begun with staff currently working in the North.

Micro-finance projects in Nwa Subdivision:

• We already work in 16 villages in this area with a micro-finance project sponsored by Swiss Hand but our plan is to expand to cover 50 more villages in the future. Nwa Subdivision is a very enclaved area with little or no help from NGOs and the government. Our main difficulty in expanding our work in this area is the inaccessibility of the roads. We are seeking funding to purchase five motorbikes with which our staff and volunteers can access and work in the remote villages.

So we are excited about the work on the horizon, and we are hopeful that the political situation will stabilise and peace will return to the Northwest.

As always, but especially at times like these, we appreciate your support and your kind words. We'd love you to get in touch and to share your thoughts with us.

BERUDA staff conducting beekeeping training.