3 in all to break unemployment with goal-getting open door days event in Fako

A world with less poverty, hunger and disease, greater survival for women and their infants, better educated children, equal opportunities for women, and a healthier environment emanates from UN publication and condensed by Cameroon’s Growth and Employment Strategy Paper. Two emerging organizations; Organization for Gender, Civic Engagement and Youth Development (OGCEYOD) and the Environmental Protection and Development Association (EPDA) together with Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Social Economy and Handicraft (MINPMEESA) Fako, formed a trio coalition to promote social entrepreneurship in the Division. Grassroots efforts to promote Cameroon’s political vision 2035 in the Fako Division, brought OGCEYOD and EPDA in collaboration with MINPMEESA Fako, and the Chambers of Commerce Fako, in the organization of the first edition of Open Door Days Event that ran from 28 – 30 June 2012.   This event, which was carried out under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of MINPMEESA who has always been quoted “je veux les résultats” witnessed the participation of local administration, councils, and individuals from all parts of Cameroon as well as international participants. This event focused on tackling the critical concerns of unemployment among youths, poverty reduction and the social wellbeing of women regarding promotion of profit and nonprofit initiatives. Unlike most open doors, this event was characterized by not by categorical exhibition of the product and service richness of the division, but also knowledge and information sharing of best practices and market opportunities through multifarious trainings. These trainings were powered through by experienced development think tanks from relevant civil society, corporate bodies and government agencies covering eight modules during which at least 20 participants attended each module.  Most prominent during this event were the blind people from Muyuka blessed with the skill of waste management creativity of transforming waste material into useful foot mats, shopping baskets among many other products; Nzimbistic arts using organic waste to fine decors and craft and agroforestry promotion through improved seedling production. The event strived on building relationships and redefining and development of identified value chains. Over 30 different products were exhibited and the event and the eight training modules included strategic planning in business operation; record keeping; the role of micro financial institution in small and medium sized business operations; business start up and management; role of ICT in business management, career orientation, business operational procedures, business tax awareness. Funding was sourced from local corporate bodies which value human development and business expansion in the division. The results of this event cannot be doubted and prominent impact will include raising the employment index in Fako by 40% in five years. Any measurable success of this initiative was not possible without a list of challenges. The 3 partners of this event also known as vision and concept carriers recommend pro-activeness on the part of corporate bodies through their corporate social responsibility policies, the mayors of councils, craftsmen and economic/nonprofit development actors and the international community to join in this initiative for the realization of the Minister’s call for “je veux les résultats” and President Paul Biya’s vision 2035.