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| NOWEFU Executive Members at CASD's workshop on ARHR |
“We, the North West Fons’ Union (NOWEFU),
today declare that, our traditions henceforth, denounce any belief and practice
that exposes our daughters to early pregnancies. We are committed to end
adolescent pregnancies and transgressors shall be punished....... Parents should promote Adolescent Reproductive Health and Rights (ARHR) by discussing sex education with their children at home” Hon. Fon Teche Njeih, President General of NOWEFU.
There
is an African proverb which says “The piper determines the rhythm of music not
the dancers”. Similarly, traditional rulers in Cameroon
define the cultures and traditions that determine the attitudes and behavior in
the community, and not the community members. Unfortunately, from ancient days
till now, the cultural and traditional practices in the North West Region of Cameroon
significantly encourage incidences of adolescent pregnancy. In most of the
villages, if a beard-chin man or a full-breast woman dies without a child, he
or she is buried with a stone in the coffin as a sign of disgrace. In some
villages, there is a belief that before a girl gets married, she must prove her
maturity and fertility by giving birth as soon as possible. These societal
pressures conspire against adolescent girls, making motherhood a likely outcome
of their transition from childhood to adulthood. Instead of staying in School,
127 in every 1,000 girls aged 15-19 years get pregnant and drop out of school.
Some die of complications resulting from the pregnancies, while others survive
and continue the poverty cycle in their families.
To significantly reduce unwanted pregnancies among
adolescent girls aged 12 – 19 in the NWR of Cameroon, Cameroon Agenda for Sustainable Development (CASD), designed the
"Adolescent Pregnancies - Traditional Rulers Speak Out"(AP-TRSO) project. The
AP-TRSO Project strives to encourage traditional leaders (“Fons”) in Cameroon
to actively promote adolescent reproductive health and rights. Recognizing
traditional leaders’ enormous influence over cultural practices in Cameroon,
this project will target local leaders with the goal of transforming them into
public opponents of adolescent pregnancy. Through radio placements, poster
messages and the training of North West Fons’ Union (NOWEFU) members, this
project also hopes to spark positive change in broader community attitudes and
behaviors to reduce adolescent pregnancy.
Strides Made
“We, the North West Fons’ Union (NOWEFU),
today declare that, our traditions henceforth, denounce any belief and practice
that exposes our daughters to early pregnancies. We are committed to end
adolescent pregnancies and transgressors shall be punished”
The above declaration was made by Hon. Fon. Teche Njieh of Ngem-eyah, President General of
NOWEFU, after a recent advocacy workshop on adolescent pregnancy organized by
CASD, targeting traditional rulers in Cameroon. Via the project, the “Fons” learnt
and believed that, when a girl becomes pregnant, her present and future dangles
like a candle in the wind. Her education may end, her career prospects
evaporate, and her vulnerability to poverty, exclusion and dependency multiply.
The traditional rulers also learnt and accepted that, families without
adolescent pregnancies are more stable, communities with reduced adolescent
pregnancies develop faster, and nations that promote family planning achieve a
demographic dividend. They are now committed to lead action against adolescent
pregnancies in their villages.
In the Horizon
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| Numfor Alenwi, Executive Director, CASD |
To leave from
commitment to action, the NOWEFU formed a taskforce that will work with the AP-TRSO
project management team to design advocacy messages which will be disseminated
to their community members via posters and radio spots. Fortunately, the
President of NOWEFU is also the Secretary General of the Cameroon Senate (upper
house of parliament). "Working with Hon. Fon Teche is a great opportunity to advance the advocacy on ARHR. We had a meaningful discussion towards raising the issue of ARHR at the Cameroon Paliarment" say Numfor Alenwi, Executive Director, CASD. CASD is gazed at the horizon, working and watching to see the day
when every girl in Cameroon will receive the necessary societal support to
delay her first pregnancy and have additional years in school, and when
childbearing will not be a cause of death.
