Buea Chiefs laud UNDP-CEFORA Early Recovery Project for IDPs

Buea Chiefs signing MoU with CEFORA  for execution of a UNDP-Japan sponsored IDP project

By Christopher Ambe

Three chiefs  in Buea subdivision have commended the  joint efforts of  the United Nations Development Program(UNDP),the Japanese government and the Center for Rural Action (CEFORA), a Buea-based civil society organization, for their joint efforts  to ensure early recovery of IDPs living in Buea rural.

Chief John Ndive Mbella of Bova I Village ,Chief Esume Nyoki of Bova II  Village and Chief Emmanuel Ndongo of Bonakanda village ( all in Buea Rural), made the commendation  recently while signing a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with CEFORA,an implementing partner of a  UNDP/Japanese government credit grant scheme.

CEFORA  ,which focuses on the  empowering of rural communities and improving on their livelihoods, is one of 18 beneficiary Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), with the support of Japanese government recently granted about 180 million FCFA to help effect “Early Recovery and Social Cohesion” in the crisis-stricken English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

By signing the MOU with CEFORA,the three chiefs  embraced the project by providing hectares of land on lease  in the villages for the IDPS to use in the cultivation of crops. 

Already CEFORA has  assisted  one hundred (100) IDPs  in Buea rural with farm inputs and seedlings.

CEFORA  coordinator, Hansel Ekwa Itue, said  the project in the three villages is aimed at “ensuring food and nutrition security for IDPs/host communities through on-farm training, transformation and consumption of improved varieties of selected short cycle crops.”

 IDPs receiving farm inputs/seedlings

He told the chiefs, who signed the MoU in the Palace of the Chief of Bova I that, CEFORA ,for now, “is working with IDPs in Upper Buea villages such as Bova, Bonakanda, and also IDPs in IRA-Ekona”

The 100 IDPs who received  farm tools and seedlings are  expected to carry out sustainable agricultural practices and to cultivate short-cycle crops such as maize, beans and vegetables

“By so doing these IDPs can recover within a short period to become independent somehow; they will harvest crops from their farms for home consumption and sell some to meet their other needs. We shall follow-up to ensure we cultivate with them through our technical expertise.” Mr. Itue pointed out. “Through this initiative, we are promoting social cohesion, which will lead to peace-building”

CEFORA workers at vegetable nursery

Chief Esume Nyoki of Bova II described the IDP project as a good initiative while Chief John Ndive Mbella of Bova I  said it would keep the IDPs in their villages usefully busy and taken care of significantly.

“We are very grateful for your partners-the UNDP and the Japanese Government", Chief Mbella told CEFORA coordinator.

Also reacting after signing the MoU,Chief Ndongo of Bonkanda,noted,“In these villages, it is farming that gives food, gives our livelihoods ;we send our children to school thanks to farming.”

He disclosed that their villages have been welcoming to the IDPs there, and urged CEFORA to design other projects which can funded by donors  to enhance development in the villages.