Day 22

A safe overnight stay for women in Cameroon

50 houses offer refuge in emergency situations

Girls and women are empowered through protection and education

"I want others to have it easier than I did." Together with her youngest daughter, Fatima lives in a small house in a village in northern Cameroon. Today, she is a happy woman, but she has had a difficult life. She was married as a child, and when her husband died early, she had to raise her children on her own. She knows how important it is to have a safe place when you're in danger. That's why she keeps a sleeping mat ready in her living room – for women in need. Word quickly spread in the village. When a girl or woman with small children knocks on her door, needing help, the mat is lovingly rolled out. Fatima then lets the women stay with her for a month, cooks for them, and accompanies them to the aid organization ALDEPA. There, they are taught how to protect themselves and build a life of independence. The girls learn not to give up, even in difficult times, but to stand up for their rights.

Fernsehmoderatorin Nina Moghaddam erzählt dir von ihrem Lieblingsprojekt

need

Protection and support for independent living of girls and young mothers in Northern Cameroon

activity

50 women provide shelter for women and girls seeking protection, accompanied by an assistance program that offers further psychosocial and economic support

Measurable performance

Number of nights, days and women who find shelter and rest in the 50 safe shelters

Result

The girls and women seeking protection live in safety and can provide for themselves and their children. They are role models for other women

Systemically relevant impact

Girls and young women live self-determined, financially secure and violence-free lives. Their success also inspires other women and strengthens social commitment against forced marriage and violence and promotes longer school attendance and better vocational training

background

Fatima is one of 50 volunteer helpers trained by ALDEPA, providing shelter to girls seeking protection in northern Cameroon. The region is part of the dry and hot Sahel zone, where climate change has led to more extreme weather conditions, including prolonged droughts and floods. In recent years, the situation has worsened, with cows and goats struggling to find food and crop cultivation becoming increasingly difficult. In September 2024, the heaviest floods in decades caused massive damage, affecting thousands of families.

However, extreme weather isn't the only source of insecurity. Since 2014, when Boko Haram terrorists crossed the border from Nigeria and systematically attacked villages, 385,000 people have fled to safer areas, yet they have neither land nor income to support themselves and their children. Many children, especially girls, are no longer able to attend school, and some are married off by their parents, who can no longer afford to feed them. As a result, there are increasing numbers of very young mothers who are overwhelmed by the situation and end up running away or being abandoned.

To support these girls, ALDEPA provides safe havens where they can find peace and be heard. The experience of care, understanding, and protection builds confidence. In workshops, the girls work on finding good solutions for themselves and their children, reshaping the path for their future.

The good deed

Your donation finances the safe accommodation for girls and young mothers in one of the 50 shelters created by ALDEPA in the villages of northern Cameroon. The shelters are advertised via radio in the region, and often, the threatened girls flee there on foot or by motorcycle taxi. They are provided with clothing and food, and injured or pregnant girls receive medical care and counseling. ALDEPA offers them a training program where they learn about their rights and opportunities, as well as gain vocational skills. Here, they also meet other affected individuals. The exchange among them provides relief and opens up new perspectives.

To ensure a structurally sustainable improvement in the situation, ALDEPA trains police officers, teachers, mayors, village elders, and religious leaders, appealing to their role as role models. They learn to advocate for the right to education for girls and women and to protect them from violence.

About Cameroon

Yaoundé

Capital city

28,647,293

population

as of 2023

1,673.6

Gross domestic product per capita per year in USD

as of 2023

0.587

Human Development Index (Human Development Index)

as of 2023/2024

Cameroon is called "Africa in miniature" because it combines all the landscapes of the continent: in the southeast there are rainforests, in the southwest mountains, a 2000 meter high plain, and in the north desert landscape.

About the organization and further information

organization

Stiftung Alltagsheld:innen

website

www.alltagsheldinnen.org

transparency

Sources and further links

Leroux, É., 2023. Cameroun: que se passe-t-il en Extreme-Nord? CCFD, Terre solidaire, Paris.

Backes, M., . “It is not easy to find your way back to life traumatized and empty-handed.” Caritas International, Freiburg

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, 2022. Cameroon 2021.

Haug, F. & T. Rolbiecki, 2024. “States must cooperate”. AMNESTY JOURNAL

Nagarajan, C. et al., 2018. Climate-Fragility Profile: Lake Chad Basin. adelphi, Berlin.

Kapfer, R., 2005. The Women of Maroua: Love, Sexuality and Marriage in Northern Cameroon, Edition Trickster, Peter Hammer Verlag, Wuppertal. (Book recommendation - no link)

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