The Self Reliance Promoters’ (SeReP) NGO is a non-profit, faith based organisation situated in Kumbo, Nso, Cameroon. The organisation strives to make a valuable contribution to its local community through fighting poverty. This is achieved by promoting self reliance through local community initiatives. Its key values are:

• Education
• Advocacy
• Development

WHY?

Within the community there are various social and economical factors that can affect an individual’s prospects. We aim to achieve change, inspiring value, knowledge and skills. To help facilitate this change within the culture, we have created several programmes to empower young women and help them fulfil their full potential.

EDUCATION

We provide both academic and vocational training and support for young people, especially orphans and vulnerable children;

• To enable young people to at least receive a basic education after primary school.
• To re-integrate school drop outs either into society or back into the school system.
• To enable them to be economically self-sufficient in the future.
• To introduce young people into information technology, improving computer literacy and their access to the world via the internet.

ADVOCACY / WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

• To educate people, especially women, on the importance of educating young girls.
• To create awareness on various gender issues by supporting and empowering our women’s groups.
• To identify women’s groups and help with the planning and implementation of their projects.
• To distribute information on sexually transmittable diseases and the dangers of HIV / AIDS by working collaboratively with specialised organisations.
• To educate the masses on various self-reliant activities i.e. general promotion of local initiatives that can alleviate poverty.
• To recommend workshops or seminars for capacity building within our women’s groups.

DEVELOPMENT

• Involvement in grass root development projects, e.g. water projects, women’s corn mill projects, community school projects.
• Promoting networking activities within the different common initiative groups and women’s groups.

SeReP also coordinates programmes and projects such as:

• Advocating economic self-sufficiency for the masses, through the teaching of a range of vocational skills to our CIG’s (Common Initiative Groups).
• We run a Cyber café to offer IT access to the surrounding community.
• Facilitating access to community health care.
• Running CIG projects to promote self sufficiency e.g. corn mill and palm oil projects.
• Enabling access to clean water through water projects.
• Educating youths and groups for personal development.
• Working with CIG’s to promote empowerment and the setting up of unions.
• Education the local community about HIV/AIDS to reduce stigma.