Empowering Vulnerable Young Women through Entrepreneurship: Bright Light Projects Equips Over 50 Trainees with Business Skills in Buea
Bright Light Projects (BLP), in partnership with the Women’s Empowerment and Family Centre (WEFC) and with support from TEMA Veterinary Hospital, organized a one-day entrepreneurship training workshop for over 50 vulnerable teenage girls and young women in Buea on 22 July 2026. The training sought to bridge the gap between vocational skills acquisition and sustainable economic empowerment by equipping participants with practical knowledge in entrepreneurship, business planning, marketing, financial management, bookkeeping, customer relations, and business growth strategies.
The initiative was developed after BLP observed that many graduates of its vocational training programmes possessed technical skills but struggled to establish successful businesses due to limited entrepreneurial and financial management knowledge. The Participants were current and former trainees at the Empowerment Centre sponsored by Bright Lights Projects. Most participants were internally displaced persons, survivors of conflict, school dropouts, and young women from economically vulnerable households whose livelihoods had been severely affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Cameroon’s North West and South West Regions. The programme reflects BLP’s broader commitment to promoting sustainable livelihoods and economic resilience among vulnerable populations in Cameroon and Sierra Leone.
During the workshop, participants received practical training from experienced facilitators in entrepreneurship, business development, marketing, financial management, and bookkeeping. Sessions emphasized identifying business opportunities, preparing realistic business plans, maintaining proper financial records, marketing products and services, customer care, savings, investment, and responsible use of start-up capital. Facilitators encouraged participants to apply these concepts directly to their vocational trades, demonstrating that successful entrepreneurship requires planning, discipline, innovation, accountability, and continuous learning rather than technical skills alone.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, WEFC Director Mrs. Eteki Stella Dopgima described the workshop as timely and essential, noting that vocational education only achieves its purpose when beneficiaries are empowered to create sustainable businesses. She praised the longstanding partnership between WEFC and Bright Light Projects and encouraged participants to remain committed to rebuilding their lives despite the challenges they have faced. BLP Country Director Mr. Shing Praise Wandia emphasized that entrepreneurship training is an investment in resilience, enabling young people not only to earn incomes but also to contribute to community recovery and local economic development.
The training was more practical and ended with group exercises in which participants developed and presented complete business plans tailored to their vocational fields. Facilitators provided constructive feedback to strengthen participants’ confidence and ability to translate theoretical knowledge into viable enterprises. Many participants described the workshop as the missing link between vocational training and financial independence. Beneficiaries highlighted the importance of accountability, proper record keeping, disciplined financial management, and starting small while gradually expanding their businesses.
The entrepreneurship workshop forms part of Bright Light Projects’ wider livelihood programmes, including the Girls Shall Rise (GSR) initiative, Young Men Entrepreneurship (YME) programme, and BLP Mothers Club Familiarization Programme (BLPMC). These initiatives collectively provide vocational training, entrepreneurship education, mentorship, financial literacy, leadership development, and support for vulnerable women, youth, men, and caregivers. Through these programmes, BLP aims to reduce poverty, strengthen household resilience, restore dignity, and promote inclusive community development in conflict-affected regions.
While celebrating the success of the workshop, Bright Light Projects acknowledges that significant challenges remain. Thousands of vulnerable young people across Cameroon and Sierra Leone continue to face barriers to employment, entrepreneurship, and economic independence due to conflict, displacement, poverty, and limited access to finance. The organization therefore calls for continued partnerships and investment to expand livelihood opportunities and enable more beneficiaries to transform vocational skills into thriving businesses, becoming self-reliant entrepreneurs, employers, and agents of positive change within their communities.
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
