CESO works with partners in Cameroon covering: gender equality, tourism and hospitality, non-governmental organizations, agriculture and food processing, and urban and rural development.
Gender Equality
The Association to Fight Violence Against Women (ALVF, in French) and CESO ensure services are offered to women who have been victims of violence, and motivate women to assume more active roles in the social, economic and political areas of their communities.
Tourism and Hospitality
The Cameroonian government prioritized the tourism industry as it may be the solution to economic recovery and the fight against poverty. However, many hotels need to be brought up to international standards when it comes to things like hygiene standards. CESO and the Employers’ Federation of Hospitality and Tourism (SPIHT, in French) work with hotels on management issues to boost the overall hospitality sector in Cameroon.
Urban and Rural Development and Agriculture and Food Processing
CESO works with three branches of The Union of Cities and Councils of Cameroon (CVUC, in French), an association of municipalities. Together they work to better respond to the needs of CVUC members, and with its member organizations on more specific needs: agricultural development, how to collect tax revenue, mapping out plans for urban development, etc. According to The World Factbook, 70% of Cameroon’s workforce is in the agricultural sector, meaning improvements to this area will dramatically affect the country’s well-being.
CESO has partnered with Canadian CUSO-VSO in its work with CVUC, with CESO focusing on increasing economic development and CUSO-VSO on improving non-governmental organizations.
Non-Governmental Organizations
Ensuring a society is well-governed and improving the rights of citizens are two of the aims for Global Network for Good Governance (GNGG), one of CESO’s Cameroonian partners. Together, CESO and the GNGG increase the group’s ability to reach out in the community and increase its members.
Since 1972, CESO has been working in Cameroon in a number of areas. From 2004-2009, CESO and its partners:
- Improved the infrastructure and efficiency of public services through the purchasing of equipment, changes to management structures and new organizational practices, which have indirectly brought benefits to 350,000 people in the municipalities covered by the partner.
- Formed a local producers’ cooperative, along with a community credit union, a fish farmers’ union and a community radio station. The construction of new tourism facilities has also begun.
- Many municipalities created new services for the public including: a communal radio station to deliver important information and current news to the residents; tourism facilities; a tour guide association; a website with information on the area—increasing the number of tourists in the area of Marie de Bot Makak over 20%; a new public toilet system; a garbage disposal system; and, a water supply system.
- The new services in the communities created jobs, reduced inter-village conflicts and improved hygiene conditions, among other things, which led to a reduced child mortality rate.
- The Municipality of Wum created 15 new part-time jobs and increased income generation (about $2,000 U.S.) in the local economy over the six-month tourism season), developing its tourism potential.
Interested in becoming a program partner or client? Contact our Country Representative:
Ivy Kwadzo
628 Rue Ivy, Immeuble CNPS, zénith 2, Module 112 A, Bonanjo-Douala
BP 3956 Douala-Cameroun
(237) 9991-6210, 3302-2733
Fax: (237) 3342-2781
sacocameroun@yahoo.com
For more information in Canada about the program, contact our Program Manager:
Apollinaire Ihaza
Program Manager - Africa
514-875-7226, Ext. 5803 or 1-800-268-9052, Ext. 5803
apollinaire@saco-ceso.com