BY ESTHER QUI
The Association of Fako Female Councillors, AFFCO, has received in-depth training on ways to effectively lobby, raise funds and work hand-in-glove with each other for the general well-being of the woman and girl child in Fako. They received this training during a one day workshop organised by the Women’s Education and Empowerment Programme (WEEP) of the PCC on Thursday April 20, 2017, at the Limbe City Council hall, Down Beach.
Addressing the councillors, Hon. Gladys Etombi, Parliamentarian for Fako East, entreated them to be committed in impacting the lives of women in Fako.
“As a female leader, you must make sure that your spirit knits with what you are doing. You must be positive. This is because touching the lives of people in community is the most important thing you can do.”
Hon. Etombi exhorted these female councillors to endeavour to come together and work in unity for the betterment and prosperity of their communities: “Women are supposed to be the friends of women and not their enemies. You do not need millions to work together; what you need is a vision and the drive to fulfil it.”
Meanwhile according to Beryl Kombe, Coordinator for WEEP, this workshop had objectives to; equipping them with skills which will enable them implement gender sensitive projects; and enable establish a broad fundraising base for their activities and organisations.
“Through a study, we at WEEP came to observe that female councillors have not been able to implement projects that benefit the grassroots communities. This from all indications was as a result of inadequate and/or lack of funding.”
On her part, Njomo Veronica, M.Sc student of Gender Development, advised that: “Female leaders should substantially represent women and those who voted for them. They should stop the ‘Queen bee’ syndrome just to please men. For women to succeed in politics, they need to galvanise. This can only be achieved when there is sisterhood and communality.”
Speaking on behalf of AFFCO, Christiana Eposi Luma Njanjo, president AFFCO, said the workshop was very beneficial to them: “Before now, we did not know that we should not lobby only our mayors but even the rich ones in our community. We have acquired new and more practical lobbying and fundraising strategies.”
The President went on to add that: “We have learned to differentiate activities from projects. We have come out of this workshop amply equipped, ready to go back to the drawing board and come up with projects of greater impact.”
WEEP, should be noted has been in existence since 2005 and has as main sponsor, ‘Brot für die Welt’ (Bread for the World), a Protestant Development Service. WEEP‘s relationship with AFFCO will enable them both to; eradicate gender gaps; increase literacy rate of the girl child; merge projects and implement them; and through AFFCO, WEEP can easily penetrate the grassroots communities.