Bright Light Projects Empower Girls with Vocational Skills in Buea-Cameroon
3 min read
Bright Light Projects Team and Girls Shall Rise Program Beneficiaries
Providing sustainable humanitarian services to the vulnerable population remains a priority in crises like an immediate humanitarian response. During crises, young girls are directly or indirectly affected especially in the socio-economic context.
The Anglophone armed conflict in Cameroon’s North West and South West Regions has increased the vulnerability of young girls leading to sexual exploitation, prostitution as a surviving mechanism. In a bid to remedy the situation, Bright light projects Cameroon have been carrying out research-based projects in some communities affected by the armed conflict in the North West and South West Regions of the country and in the processes, they have also designed numerous projects directed to the refugee camps in Nigeria.
Through the flagship program “Girls Shall Rise” an initiated of The Bright Light Projects with a focus on providing educational support, skills training and advocacy for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) specifically violence against women and children.
On 12 October 2021, the Bright Light Projects Cameroon launched the implementation process of the Girls Shall Rise Program in the country with the sponsoring of 7 seven beneficiaries to enrol in vocational training in COIC-Buea. The overall objective of this project is to prepared over 1000 disadvantaged and poor adolescent girls, youth and women in Cameroon’s troubled regions for the job market. The methodology of this project have been proven successful in Sierra Leone and according to Mr EKOLE BAZIL Najembe the Program and Development Chair for Bright Light Project Cameroon, the launching of this project in Cameroon will go a long way to reduce unemployment and create more jobs opportunities especially for vulnerable girls.
At the opening of the program at Cameroon Opportunities Industrialisation Centre (COIC), the Bright Light Project Cameroon team headed by Mr Ekole Basil were sincerely welcomed by Mrs Marie Lyonga, the Program Director of COIC. It is worthy to note that the Bright Light Project Cameroon had already enrolled seven (7) girls to be studying at COIC after they finish with their community mapping between April and July 2021. While welcoming the team, Mrs Lyonga expresses satisfaction with the impact that Bright Light Projects is creating on the Cameroonian youths while applauding the long-term impact, which will indirectly be translated to other community members. The seven(7) selected vulnerable girls, mostly IDPs are the first batch of the Girls Shall Rise Program in Cameroon. It is worthy to note that this is not the first time the Bright Light Projects is supporting vulnerable girls in Buea municipality, but they have been one of the leading organisations campaigning for children to go back to school amid the ongoing Anglophone armed conflict.
Mr Ekole while speaking to HRLRC, highlighted that the Bright Light Projects Cameroon have already selected some vulnerable girls for vocational training scholarships in the Bamenda-the North West Region and Douala-Littoral Region of Cameroon and maintained that the trainees will be placed in various companies for vocational training.
Discover and apply for career opportunities HERE
According to the Director of COIC, the administrators whose aim are to train the students to be independent, self-reliant and economically viable will continue to give the best to the admitted students. Mrs Honorine Echike communication officer for COIC made known while speaking to the media, that COIC is at least 70% practical work and 30% theoretical thereby building skills/capacities of the students to be more practical and economically independent after their studies.
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.
