As creative as Bamenda people can
be, since the advent of the ongoing Anglophone crisis that has resulted to people
escaping from restive areas in to safer grounds, this borne the idea of how to
empower those internally displaced.
These Internally Displaced Persons IDPs particularly women who have of
recent been receiving training in income generating activities from the founder
of Burita Beads have exhibited their products in Bamenda. The exhibition event
Saturday July 28, marked the end of three months training which the IDP women
were trained in income generating activities.
The Founder of Burita Beads, Madam Yenjong Rita Buriya,
intimated that the three months free training program for IDPs was inspired by
the increasing presence of IDP women in Bamenda. In her own words, “So many
people have been giving them food, clothes and others but it’s not sustainable
because you give today, you have to give tomorrow and so we of Burita Beads
thought of coming up with something different and the only idea that came to
mind was something to empower these women to be able to feed themselves; to
provide these things that people are giving them by themselves."
The first batch of 35 women received free training in
activities like beads production, production of detergents, production of body
lotions and coconut oil which according to Burita Beads founder will be
accompanied with some startup capital.
Graduating Trainees Display Products At Burita Beads Center
“I am here because there was war
in my village; I could not stay; people were dying, with the military and some
unknown men shooting so we had to escape to town. While in town we were
stranded having nothing to do before I came in contact with Madam Rita who told
me about her work and I had to bring some other people to the center. I have
been here for one month but I intend to continue and graduate in the next badge
because it’s very helpful.” Emmanuella one of the trainees said adding “the
other things we know how to produce like the detergents; knowing how to produce
it and with little money it helps the family because really leaving from the
village (Belo) and coming to stay in town having nothing to do with the family
and so many people around you other relatives it’s not easy.” Sembo Cecilia from Batibo sees the program as
not only occupying them both at the training center and at home but also
empowering them to generate revenue for the family to reduce expenditure since
some of the products like detergents will be used at home.
Another trainee, Cecilia a full
time farmer in Batibo regrets that her food has been abandoned in the farms
because of shootings every day. “We are here like this we are living in hunger.
I have all those things; I was a farmer. All those things are left in the
farm. We don’t have food. This time we
harvest beans, corn, yam and pumpkins. We are living in a house about 15 of us.
… and we are renting two room house and we are living on buying, buying but
since I came here and met Aunty Rita, she made me comfortable.” While hoping to
get some form of assistance from any benevolent elite and the crisis ending,
the duo have engaged their families in the production exercise with plans to
make this trade a major income generating activity. At the close of the
graduation ceremony of the first batch, Rita Buriya did announce the beginning
of the next session to train the next batch of women and girls.
Quizzed as how she came about
this initiative and by what means has she been sustaining it financially. Madam
Rita Buriya said though started as a family initiative, Burita Beads founder
reiterated that she has received some assistance. Hear her, “We have been able
to get assistance from a good number of persons; the humanitarian arm of the
Now Movement led by Barrister Akere Muna. They have given us space, startup
capital for some of the women and they have provided chairs for which we are
very grateful. Others have been supporting with others in identifying some
women and giving startup capital, we have had people who have assisted in form
of training material so we have had a lot of assistance.”
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