By Bakah Derick
The Bamenda III Council has recognized some peace ambassadors in the municipality. The recognition event took place on Friday 4 August 2023 at the council premises in Nkwen. On behalf of the council, Koti Joseph, deputy mayor described the event as a remarkable and happy moment for the council considering the advocacy the peace ambassadors have done to achieve some relative peace in the municipality in a completely restive region.
“This recognition today is because of the eloquent, consistent, peace building programs that the peace ambassadors from CAGEAD have been promoting within the municipality. Today we have come out as a municipality to recognize their work and to award theme certificates of action because it is not certificate of participation. We talk of certificates of action because the action still has to continue.” Koti Joseph said
Trained by the Center for Advocacy in Gender Equality and Action for Development (CAGEAD) within the She Builds Peace Project launched in 2020, the peace ambassadors have been leading peace advocacy initiatives in the municipality including conversations with as many as possible at individual and group level particularly through the creation of community peace clubs.. CAGEAD Executive Director, Waah Clotilda Andiensa, has described the recognition as a motivation for her and her team to do more
“When you engage partners and stakeholders and work with people in the community and you get this kind of results, I feel like I should go on working every day. Two years ago we started this project. We embarked on building the capacities of women and some men in the community to promote the WPS agenda in Cameroon. We decided to localize the United Nation Security Council Resolution 1325 and we brought together 30 participants. For two years, we have been working with them. Their community engagement has been wonderful and they have been able to take this project to their kitchens, living rooms to their immediate communities through the council.” Waah Clotilda Andiensa noted adding “For a stakeholder and partner like the Bamenda III Council to actually buy into our advocacy of integrating these women into the council peace building plan is something we should be celebrating every moment.”
“Our main challenge has been insecurity. We are operating within the framework of the current sociopolitical crisis and so many times you really have to be very courageous to call meeting because everybody suspects you, each side wants to look at you like a blackleg. This makes it very difficult for us bringing community peace members together. Another challenge was that of culture which does not really allow women to take up certain roles so many of them shy away with some saying that their husbands stopped them or simply just stayed away.” Santum Esther Epse Choves, supervisor of the community peace clubs told www.hilltopvoices,com
The community peace ambassadors have expressed joy with the recognition with some indicating that the work they no do in peace advocacy has not only impacted their communities but also their personal lives. They have committed to working more to ensure that many more people adhere to the peace agenda. The 10 peace ambassadors received certificates and chest pins as testament to the work they have done so far.
Conceived with the intention to strengthen capacities of grassroots actors for effective community engagement in peace building, the localization of the UNSCR1325 and the She Builds Peace project aims at integrating community peace ambassadors and peace club activities in local and traditional councils action plan.
By recognizing the peace ambassadors, the Bamenda III council expects more work in the days ahead.
“Our expectation is not to get awards to go and boast about them without action. They are receiving these awards today because they proved to the Bamenda III Council that they could be useful, that they could preach peace and therefore it is a continuous moment for them to go preaching peace so as to assist the Bamenda III-CAGEAD partnership in enhance peace in a resilient community like this.” Koti Joseph concluded.
About CAGEAD
Founded in 2007, CAGEAD works to empower young women and youths with the skills they need to make informed decisions, thereby creating a better society where they are healthy, economically strong, responsible and actively involved in the development process in their communities