Once accepted as members of the EFA youth network, associations are eligible to receive a number of benefits, including seed money to start their own income generation activity (IGA). In June 2008, EFA worked with the three newest associations in the network (ABEPSA, AWALLA and ASSYSGOD) to launch their IGAs.

ABEPSA members with charcoal for sale.

Each association was responsible for proposing an activity relevant to their community. Once the proposal was reviewed by the EFA regional staff, the Executive Office was given a small amount of money to launch the project. The associations will spend the next few months working with the EFA staff and their Technical Assistant to establish an operational budget and management plan for the IGA. Once fully functional, the IGA is intended to be a self-sustaining economic enterprise for the members of the association.

Each new association proposed a slightly different project, depending on the local needs identified by the group members.

ABEPSA is located in the Domayo neighborhood of Maroua, the capital of the Extreme North province in Cameroon. As Maroua has a lively market culture, the ABEPSA members opted to start an industry selling maize, millet, peanuts and rice.

ASSYSGOD is located in Godola, a small village 15 km outside of Maroua. Potable water is a permanent need in the villages of the extreme north, so the ASSYSGOD members opted to sell potable water to community members in Godola and its neighboring villages. In addition to generating income for the association, the potable water project assists the members to promote public health in their community, as water-borne diseases, such as cholera and typhoid are constant problems in the region.

The members of AWALLA chose to use their seed money to start a community garden, where they are cultivating beans, soy and other grains. As AWALLA is located on the Nigerian border, the members benefit from a strategic geographic location when attempting to sell their crops. The community garden also provides the members of AWALLA with crops rich in protein, which they can use to supplement their own diets.

The regional EFA staff will continue to monitor the success of the IGAs in the coming months and will provide the technical assistance necessary for the association members to create a sound budgeting and management system for their projects.

Tags: ABEPSA, ASSYSGOD, AWALLA, community garden, income generation, market, potable water, self-sustaining