Co-operating Out Of Poverty in Ndu Sub Division

Project start date: December 5, 2006

Project Director: Rene K. Njamnshi

This project took off on December 5, 2006 following a meeting and training session with representatives of 7 pilot groups -Torches (Torchbearer Christian Community Development Prayer Cells). The semi-pilot ran from December 5 to January 5 when the project was scaled up. The project has demonstrated its demand-driven power through pre-coop member registration which stands today ( May 31, 2007) at 57 groups (Torches). The inhabitants of Ndu Sub Division are continuously realizing the TEAM (Together Each Achieves More) power in seeking solutions to the problems of poverty and famine.  Preparations are underway for replication in other communities.

           Pioneers of the Torchbearer CO-OP (Dec. 5, 2006) 

Project Goals

Goal 1: To tap the potential of co-operatives for poverty reduction and to join in the Global Co-operative Campaign Against Poverty, initiated by the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) in February 2004, to encourage communities in Ndu Sub-Division to Co-operate Out Of Poverty and hunger.

  Objectives

1.      To raise awareness in Ndu Sub-Division on the potential of the co-operative form of business in eradicating poverty and hunger.

2.      To establish a co-operative promoting and development programme, the Torchbearer CO-OP within the Torchbearer Foundation by October 31, 2006, that will promote the development of sustainable co-operative enterprises in all 17 villages of Ndu Sub-Division.

3.      To create between November 2006 and May 2007, at least 40 pre-cooperatives which are meeting members’ needs but with a strong concern for community (each pre-cooperative to identify a particular problem in the community to be directly involved in finding a solution e.g. lack of portable water, suffering widows, suffering orphans, broken bridge, etc.).

4.      To create a CO-OP Store in Ndu town to supply pre- cooperatives with needed good quality goods (basic household needs and farm inputs) at affordable prices; buy/assist in selling members’ farm output (beans and corn in particular) for organized marketing.

5.      To train all Torchbearer CO-OP pre-cooperatives’ management teams on co-operative management and principles.

 Goal 2: To reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other health problems in Ndu Sub-Division through awareness creating, health and sanitation programmes

 Objectives

1.      To increase awareness on the HIV/AIDS pandemic in all 17 villages in Ndu Sub-Division.

2.      To train at least 60 HIV/AIDS peer-educators (at least 2 for each of the 17 villages in Ndu Sub-Division) by December 2007.

3.      To allocate a special fund in the Torchbearer CO-OP for HIV/AIDS prevention and care programmes.

4.      To identify and support at least 12 orphans/year, who lost their parents to HIV/AIDS.

5.      Administer intestinal worm medicines to at least 1500 children per year.

6.      To distribute at least 1000 treated mosquito bed nets in Mbaw plain per year to reduce the prevalence of malaria.

 Goal 3: To increase output of food crops; encourage diversification of production by rural farmers in Ndu Sub-Division in order to reduce poverty and hunger

 Objectives

1.      To increase awareness on the importance of agro-forestry in boasting long-run farm out put.

2.      To increase the supply of good quality seeds to rural farmers at affordable prices.

3.      To teach rural women simple business skills to get them involved in income-generating activities to supplement farm incomes.

The CO-OP's current product line includes basic home needs such as laundry soap, Iodized salt, Kerosene, palm oil, rice and gari; and farm tools and inputs including hoes, Machetes and fertilizer.

The project has received funding from the Manchester Rotary Club -250,000 FCFA ($500, Dec. 2006) and a local donor in Missouri ,USA  -2,500,000 FCFA ($5000, March 2007). Current funding needs are at least 5,000,000 FCFA ($10,000) to open a physical CO-OP Store. This store is expected to buy its supplies from major towns thereby enjoy economies of bulk buying, increase in profitability. Another benefit will be lower prices for members.

Fertilizer programme -Torchbearer CO-OP & Food Security

Farmer in Ndu Sub Division are very hard working but hunger is recurrent as a result of poor harvest and post-harvest loss. With growing population and farm land scarcity, and limited quantities of organic manures, chemical fertilizers application in farms is not a choice but the only option , at least in the short-run. What would one expect from a piece of land that has been farmed unsustainably for over two decades? Typically, a farmer in Ndu Sub Division would not like to apply chemical fertilizers in their farm but they have now reached a situation of trading off between use of chemical fertilizers to survive or resist and die. In response to the need for fertilizer supplies, especially expressed by women, the Torchbearer CO-OP has distributed more than 600 bags of fertilizer to pre-coops. This programme was launched in Njimnkang village (21/03/07), a few km away from Ndu town.