CEYOFE, Beijing 25 CARegion To Scale-up Prevention Of COVID-19

By Tarhyang Enowbikah Tabe

With Support from the Urgent Action Fund, leading Women-Led Civil Society Organisation, Centre for Youth and Family Empowerment (CEYOFE) in collaboration with the Beijing25 CARegion have launched a project to scale-up the Prevention of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the Promotion of Women’s Rights.

The project that was launched in Buea, Capital of the South West Region of Cameroon, according to the director of CEFOYE, Dopgima Stella Guelleu epse Eteki Njoh, is the outcome of a brainstorming by a coalition think tank made up of members of the Beijing 25 CARegion Platform coordinated by Women For A Change Executive Director, Zoneziwoh Mbondgulo-Wondieh.

With over 100 cases recorded in Cameroon after 26 March 2020, with no data disclosing the difference in which the patients are affected in relations to Gender, the working group thought that it was clear that COVID-19 has equal potential to infect women and men destructively.

According to Stella Dopgima, considering the proximity of COVID-19 in Cameroon, it is crucial for governmental institutions, non-governmental organizations, community leaders and members, as well as all stakeholders to increase efforts to control the transmission and spread of the Coronavirus and to ensure that all persons engage in prevention methods.

The project took into consideration the way of lives of local communities in the South West Region Of Cameroon and the vulnerability to COVID-19 transmission.

“There are many reasons why this coalition is necessary to increase prevention of the COVID-19.

First of all, there is no cure yet for this deadly disease. The disease is highly transmissible and spreads very fast, in over 150 nations around the world already. Secondly, it has proven very challenging and demanding to treat COVID-19 patient; Buea clearly does not have humanly and material readiness for such a demanding disease.” She opined

On a gender perspective, the project holds that, in Buea like all over Cameroon, socio-cultural norms limit women; for example, women do not have power like men in decision making and that with such an outbreak as COVID-19 surging in Cameroon, the general rights and sexual and reproductive health needs of women will most likely go unmet.

It adds that there is need for women’s rights to remain promoted and protected despite the pressure associated with the response of COVID-19.

This is so because it has been proven that during such crisis, the potential for women and girls to be violated are higher and unfortunately overlooked.

As organizations which promote the respect of women and girls’ rights, Stella Dopgima told The Advocate Cameroon that “we are concerned about this and we plan to increase collaboration with other organizations to increase advocacies on the promotion of women’s and health rights during our activities to improve prevention of COVID-19.”

The project which is in collaboration with the Beijing 25 CARegion Platform is also partnering with DAREM, whose founder, Zainab Abdullah works with ethnic minority groups in Buea and FAPs which works with children and adolescents in Buea, to unite and embark a handful of community activities that can on one hand prevent the spread of COVID-19 and on the other promote women’s rights and action in health security and justice.

Concretely, the project seeks to raise awareness on COVID-19 risks, implications and prevention, raise awareness on Gender-Based Violence during the pandemic and sensitize the public on the respect of the rights of women and girls.

To achieve these, CEYOFE in collaboration with the Beijing25 CA Region will use their resources to empower women and girls in Buea towards practicing preventive measures to avoid health deterioration associated with the pandemic as well as increase advocacy on the rights of women and girls at all times even during crisis like the one COVID-19 presents.

This will be done through sensitization and awareness raising by carrying out daily sensitization via Mediafrique and Revival Gospel Radio Station for 3 months and a biweekly TV program on HITV.

The main Radio and TV host is Qunita Fon, who has been doing a formidable job as far as communication for the project is concerned.

It shall also engage in the placement of wash hand buckets in 6 rural communities around Buea namely: Wonya-Mavio/Bomaka, Molyko, Tole, Great Soppo, Buea Town and Bokwaongo.

The organizations also plan to use its staff and volunteers to carry out daily hand washing and sanitizing exercises at all 6 project target communities around Buea.

According to Stella Dopgima, experience has proven that women become more vulnerable to violence in the face of a crisis.  Hence their organizations plan to use the Radio, Television amd social media, to raise awareness on the respect of women’s rights and equality, even during such a crisis like COVID-19.

The team believes and strongly too that at the end, Rural women and girls in particular in 6 Rural communities around Buea will not be infected nor spread the Coronavirus and that violence against women and girls in 6 Rural communities around Buea will decrease significantly, that Rural women and girls in 6 rural communities around Buea will access information and resources more easily.

With the project already underway, it is hoped that at the end of the three months that there would be an increase number of participation of women and girls in 6 rural communities in Buea in COVID-19 response measures involving including ideas and decision-making.