Mbonweh Women's Development Association

Thanks to Mbonweh I have experienced my first serious and direct contact with microfinance. I have seen how it works in practice, what are its obstacles, challenges and of course profits in a developing environment. And once you are into micro-credit there is no way you would not become passionate about it. Throughout the last years I have met with so many different ways of helping the ones who are less privileged and now I can definitely say that micro-credit is one of the best options. The most important thing for me is the fact that it is not about charity  which in majority of cases implies an unhealthy never-ending relation  but about lending and expecting at the same time that the borrower will make a good use of the funds ideally multiplying the money and establishing better living standard for herself and her family. I am using the female article since women in Cameroon like elsewhere in the world play a crucial role in micro-credit and get the lions share of its benefits. And I am grateful as well to Mbonweh for giving me the opportunity to meet so many strong women who have to fight against stereotypical thinking and conventional attitudes almost each day and in nearly all situations. As to Cameroon it is indeed Africa in miniature. The two Anglophone provinces are under huge Nigerian impact while the rest of the country would not preach anything but French. At first sight the coastal areas seem to be very westernized but in fact witchcraft plays here still very significant role  unfortunately hindering both the national progress and good relations within the families. During my trip to the northern part of the country I have been passing through various language families, different cuisines and varying clothing styles. Entering the train in Yaoundé I left behind the shouting Christian south and found myself in the quiet Moslem north. Garoua welcomed me with its hot and dry breath giving me the kind of sensations I do not think I could ever forget and proving through its city plan and appearance how organized the former president was. It is really a pity that the time of order has passed so long ago  Cameroon has all what one would need to create a paradise on earth! All in one I can call myself a very lucky person because of seeing here so many things arousing ones interest and learning a lot not only about micro-credit and gender but about Cameroonian mentality, the local lifestyle and expectations from outsiders and as they say here mamma-mi-eee I had a really good time and no matta condition I no go forget-am!

Hi  my name is Wendy Drake and I volunteered for Mbonweh WDA for 6 months in 2007. I chose the charity because it was a small local charity that had been set up by local women totally for the benefit of other local women and that was really important to me. I also had a 20 year banking career behind me and wanted to learn more about microfinance. Mrs. Evelyn Nojang (President of Mbonweh WDA) - aka Mamma - was my host both in terms of work and home life. I was enthusiastically welcomed into both circles and immediately felt part of the family. Cameroon life is definitely an experience! I laughed every day at something I saw that could only have happened in Cameroon! I got used to hearing white man! shouted out at least 10 times a day! I became Auntie Wendy to the whole of the South West Province!! The work that Mbonweh does is inspirational and I met some absolutely amazing women. The success of Cameroon is most firmly in their hands and they have the power to make such a difference  they just dont realise it. Despite many of the rural women being illiterate  they are hugely bright and absorb practical training like sponges. They are honest, decent women who always honour their debts. They live in wonderfully supportive communities. No-one goes without food when they are surrounded by an extended family that will make sure that everyone is looked after. I was honoured to visit the Unique School in Limbe  this school just buzzes with enthusiasm. It has a young, passionate staff and is full of amazing kids who truly value their education. It was Mammas vision that made the school possible and she takes a close interest in its running. Class sizes are kept small to ensure that every child receives a good education and sufficient attention. I instigated a scheme where my friends and family are now sponsoring children at the school to pay for their fees. This costs just £5 per month and the scheme set up ensures that every single penny of that gets to the kids. NOTHING goes on administration. It really is making a difference that the children are seeing on a daily basis. I also have a few friends who are providing money to support the cost of school dinners. This ensures that every child receives a good quality meal at least once a day and with our help this is now even more substantial and nutritional for them. I had an absolutely amazing 6 months where every day was different. It was truly a life changing experience for me and I am now maintaining my links over there and will endeavour to revisit my Cameroon family on an annual basis. If you have any aspirations to do voluntary work, but dont want to spend 2 years committed to it, then consider coming to Cameroon for a few months and helping Mbonweh WDA. I can guarantee you will be welcomed, you will have an amazing experience and you will definitely make a difference to peoples lives. In the words of a famous sports shoe manufacturer  Just Do It!!

Well where to start on my Mbonweh experience&.. I came across Mbonweh purely by accident whilst searching on the internet. Reading through the information provided, I decided there and then to write to Mamma and see if she wanted me to come and volunteer, and run the HIV/AIDS workshops. Luckily, Mamma accepted me with open arms and off I went. One of the main reasons that Mbonweh appealed to me, was that I really wanted to get involved in a grass-roots organisation. Mamma and the women sounded full of inspiration and I think I was in need of being surrounded by such strong wills and characters. Arriving on the aeroplane in Cameroon made me know that I had made the right choice. As soon as the wheels touched the tarmac the whole plane errupted and broke into song, the people rejoicing that they were back in Cameroon. From that moment on I knew that my experience was going to be one to remember. During my three month period I lived with Mamma and the family. It was great to be in the very communal house and become part of the family. There was always a big pot of food to help yourself to, and everytime you went into the front room of the house another cousin, brother, uncle, sister, niece, nephew had arrived to stay for a few days. All the neighbours also made you feel very welcome and I feel like I made a good set of friends out there, who I try and keep in contact with as much as possible. While I was with Mbonweh, I got involved in the HIV/AIDS workshops and tried to co-ordinate funding for various Mbonweh projects. I was lucky to meet a representative from a European funding organisation that agreed to give Mbonweh a small grant to purchase new resources and materials for the Unique Primary School that Mbonweh run. Securing funds is not easy for Mbonweh, as they are a Cameroonian based charity and so many UK organisations do not give funds to charities based outside of the UK, or charities that do not have any UK/European representation. That is perhaps the biggest reason why it is so important for volunteers to keep coming to support Mbonweh. Your presence can make a huge difference to how Mbonweh is viewed and you can be their biggest voice for securing the funds and resources that they so desperately need, to keep up their great work. Apart from the travel I did delivering Mbonweh workshops, I was also lucky enough to do some of my own personal travelling. Cameroon really is an amazing country. The people, the diversity of the environment and culture. The best thing for me about the experience was being adopted into a new family and making so many good friends. Since being back in England I have met up with Mamma again, as she came to London on a business trip. It was like we had seen each other only yesterday, but it had actually been almost two years. We chatted about Buea, the Mbonweh women, the family&.to be honest we just had a really good gossip like women do. I know that I will always be welcome back and that puts Mbonweh and Cameroon firmly in my everday thoughts. I hope to one day be in a position to give Mamma and the Mbonweh women back, as much as they have given to me. I promise I am working on it&.. So to round this up&..I cant wait to go back, and when I do I am sure that it will be me singing the loudest on that plane as it hits Douala runway- Cameroon!

I am volunteering for Mbonweh for only two months in August and September 2007. I am writing this in the beginning of September, when I am over half-way through my stay. Although I feel this is a very limited time period, I already think I have been able to do many things, which will not only affect me as a person, but also many Cameroonians and even more people at home in Finland, where I am from. My work for Mbonweh has been very dispersed and in the beginning I felt my task was something my expertise did not cover. I am a human rights and politics student and I was supposed to help with acquiring funding for the micro-credit scheme and various other projects. While I have no trouble trying to find funding, I was unable to make applications, which require financial statements and excel tables that are completely out of my field. I recommend for you to ask what you will be doing during your stay and perhaps there are some things that you can prepare already at home. Key to the stay is communication. Always discuss openly any problems and matters you have, preferably with Evelyn, the president of Mbonweh, and they will be solved. You are going to stay in a completely different culture, especially if you are from anywhere but Africa and remember that people in Cameroon might not recognize if you have a problem with something unless you come out and explain it. I then proposed that I would develop the child sponsorship project in the Unique School in Batoke. I was able to get some 50 new sponsors from Finland and other places in the world and I feel it has been just as important for the children as many Finns, who have been deeply interested in the culture and the life of the children they are sponsoring. In case the project continues well after I leave and I am able to transfer my work in a good way, I think it can develop to a meaningful project that allows cultural exchange as well as the possibility of education for various students. I also started developing this website in order to find more easily funding in the future as well as provide sponsors and volunteers with better information since Mbonweh is in need of volunteers. I think one of the most important things of the stay is cultural exchange. Learning about Cameroon and telling people how things are done where I am from. You learn from each other. Especially my weekly emails to a huge number of people at home have expanded knowledge from Cameroon and certainly made many people think of ways to help a developing country. I also work as a freelancer and will write articles and make radio for the Finnish Broadcasting Company about the Cameroonian women and think this advertisement might be very valuable not only to Mbonweh, but also Cameroon as a country. Also just the fact of going to a micro credit meeting as a "white man" and giving the time to interview women and give them your support is a motivating tool that they value highly. To me it has been an invaluable experience. As a volunteer you do not need to worry about security. You are well taken care of, to an extent that sometimes it becomes too much to a person who likes a little adventure. I would say that Cameroon is quite safe and where we are staying, I have not felt unsafe walking the streets even in the evening. But it is good to be cautious; we for example had a burglary in the house in the evening and lost most of our valuables. So lock your doors, is my suggestion and will certainly be Evelyn's as well after this incident. The nature here is incredible, probably most incredible in the world. So give some time to see it in its entire splendor, which will of course be easier if you are staying longer than I am and choose another time of year than the rainy season. More time will also make you less annoyed about the ineffective ways of going about the day. Volunteering for Mbonweh will allow you to meet so many interesting and sweet people, will allow you to be innovative and creative and have responsibility in helping many people. I am not expecting two months to change the world, but I am sure that it was meaningful, although in the beginning I thought it would be better just to send the money rather than to spend it on a flight ticket. The water might be cold and the cockroaches might be disgusting, but that is just part of all the fun.