1.0wilpfcameroonhttps://wilpfcameroon.org/en/wilpfcameroonhttps://wilpfcameroon.org/en/author/wilpfcameroun/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="3z4cTU8o1q"><a href="https://wilpfcameroon.org/en/wilpf-cameroon-10th-anniversary/">WILPF CAMEROON 10th ANNIVERSARY</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://wilpfcameroon.org/en/wilpf-cameroon-10th-anniversary/embed/#?secret=3z4cTU8o1q" width="600" height="338" title="“WILPF CAMEROON 10th ANNIVERSARY” — wilpfcameroon" data-secret="3z4cTU8o1q" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://wilpfcameroon.org/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script> https://wilpfcameroon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/WhatsApp-Image-2024-01-08-a-17.25.19_380a45bf.jpg1064413WILPF CAMEROON 10th ANNIVERSARY Interview with Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo, Founder of WILPF Cameroon ” My commitment and determination to work in civil society and for the emancipation of women were motivated by a few major facts…” Where did you get the idea to create WILPF?          I discovered WILPF and its work twelve years ago at the AWID International Forum in Istanbul, Turkey. On that occasion, I visited the organization’s stands and took part in some of its workshops. On the one hand, I once again came to the bitter realization of the impact of conflict on women and girls through the sharing of experiences during the workshops, and on the other, I was very impressed by the work that WILPF was doing all over the world to promote peace.     I was particularly intrigued by the cutting-edge research carried out by the organization and the data provided in many areas: actions and needs in conflict prevention and peacebuilding, militarism, peacekeeping operations and the military spending of different countries. The latter were often disproportionate to the efforts made to promote human rights, particularly women’s rights.     I was then able to establish a clear link between women’s rights and the proliferation of weapons, and was shocked to discover that countries were able to vote colossal budgets for the purchase of weapons to the detriment of other fundamental social sectors such as education, health and gender equality, which are essential for promoting the cause of women.     Knowing the situation in my country, Cameroon, which was already affected by conflicts with neighboring countries, I felt a moral obligation to ensure that Cameroonian women became more involved in this global quest for social justice. This is how WILPF Cameroon came into being in January 2014.   What justifies your commitment to the emancipation of Cameroonian women?       My commitment and determination to work in civil society, and more specifically for the emancipation of women, were motivated by a number of major events that very early on marked my professional life and my life as a woman. These were a number of observations that brought home to me, through personal experience, social problems such as maternal and infant mortality, the precariousness of the healthcare system, poor working conditions for teachers and learning conditions for learners, neglect of hospital training, the absence of social security, etc.     In 1994, when I was admitted to a hospital in the capital because I had fainted, I had to help my bedmate, who was bleeding profusely and without assistance, and finally gave up the ghost in the early hours of the morning, during the rounds of the medical staff, having listened as her last words to the reprimands of the medical staff, who reproached her for not making it easier for them to take the blood sample they were trying to take.    Following this incident, I in turn lost my baby and only daughter in 1994 (born by Caesarean section) as a result of gross negligence and medical errors in the same hospital, errors that led to numerous other health problems, resulting in 3 further operations. All in all, at my young age, I underwent a total of 07 operations with general anaesthesia, the after-effects of which are still perceptible today. The third major fact was that as a young teacher, my salary did not allow me to pay for my medical care beyond 48 hours, a salary which in 1994 was 66,000FCA for an A2 category civil servant.       Outraged by these three events, I decided to get involved in civil society, vowing to devote my life to fighting so that no other woman goes through what I was traumatized by.     In addition, the experience of the 2008 food riots in Cameroon, with their attendant destruction and damage and their impact on Cameroonian women, as well as my participation in the 2008 training in Burundi, enabled me to measure the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and girls. It was with this in mind that I decided to mobilize Cameroonian women who shared the vision of a violence-free Cameroon, so that we could create the Women’s Peace Initiatives association (2009). What sacrifices have been made? Many institutional and personal obstacles The family pays a high price for our commitment, with repeated absences for activities and the extra sacrifices made to replace us (child-rearing, household chores). Family members and friends develop a fear of the threats they face. Investing in safety and well-being for a minimum of protection and well-being A lot of physical, intellectual and financial investment Many sleepless nights to develop projects or meet project submission deadlines Taking many risks Numerous attacks, including repeated burglaries, threats and physical assaults, cause us to lose not only important data, but also personal and work equipment, and create a situation of stress and fear, leading to health problems. The obligation, despite sabotage, defamation and persecution, to maintain calm and restraint in order to reflect the values of non-violence advocated and taught by our attitude. We’ve generally been the victims of targeted attacks, which take the form of burglaries of our offices and homes, and threats by telephone call. During these various burglaries, it’s always our work tools such as laptops and USB sticks that are taken, and nothing else. It’s always been impossible to separate activism from my private life. At home, for example, my space was used as the association’s office for many years; equipment and funds of my own helped keep the association running, and at the time in Bafoussam, my vehicle was called the ” union car.” How do you feel today? An accomplished woman?   I’m a happy initiator !!!!     Because she has been able to contribute to the advancement of human rights and women’s emancipation through concrete actions over the years, against all odds.      I’m proud to have held the hands of thousands of