2008/2009 Challenge Fund (period ending March 2009)

Project

Budget

Project title

Implementing organisation

Democracy and Human Rights

£10,802

Prisoners’ Legal Support (Littoral Region)

Project involves clarifying the status of prisoners in the Central Prison at New Bell, Douala. Some inmates have served their terms but have not been released, others do not know why they are incarcerated, others have not been charged, etc.  The ultimate aim is to decongest the prison and improve its hygiene as a consequence. It also involves an element of training for staff who offer care to prisoners to improve their skills.

ICCPPC

£12,600

Raising Awareness on the Criminal Procedure Code (National)

Project will work to raise awareness of civil and human rights that are guaranteed by Cameroon's new criminal procedure code through a 16 part television drama and to encourage Cameroonians to take advantage of the laws.

British High Commission

£1,158

Sensitising Decision Makers to Eradicating Torture  and Ratifying OPCAT (Centre Region/National)

Project is a conference to highlight the plight of victims of torture in Cameroon. It brought together top level decision makers in government, prison administrators, CSO, forces of law and order, the judiciary and journalists among others. It is hoped to be a useful step in getting Cameroon ratify OPCAT (Optional Protocol to the Convention for the Abolition of Torture).

UN Regional Centre for Human Rights in Central Africa

£14,906

Research on the prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), (Far North/National)

To carry out a research: collect information and data on the exact extent of the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Cameroon so that the results can be used to propose and adopt a law to punish FGM in Cameroon.

CYJULERC (Cameroon Young Jurists Legal Resource Centre)

£11,349

School Elections Guide (National)

Project aims to produce a guide book for the conduct of elections in mission schools, which could then be copied by other schools (public & lay private). Schools run elections for prefects which are usually plagued with malpractices. The bulk of these malpractices are later carried on in public (state) elections. This project will start electoral good practice from the base and students and school officials can translate this experience into public life.

United Africa Association/ISTP

£15,854

Management and Leadership Training for NGO Leaders (Littoral, Far North, North West, South West & Centre Regions)

Many Cameroonian NGOs and CSOs are led and managed by very enthusiastic and talented individuals but many of such organisations are institutionally and organisationally weak and ineffective. This project aims to build capacity in the core areas of management and leadership for NGO leaders in order to enhance the effectiveness of donor funding and NGO activities on the ground.

British Council

£16,804

Municipal Participatory Good Governance (South West Region)

Project aims at enhancing accountability, transparency and communication in the management of public affairs by bringing together in a participatory platform of elected public officials and the populations of their respective constituencies to plan and evaluate their techniques. Government appointed administrators, councillors from 3 newly created councils and civil society were involved.

CAJAD (Centre d'Animation des Jeunes pour l'Appui au Développement)

£5,862

Anti-Corruption through Legal Action (Centre Region)

Empowering citizens to actively fight against corruption, creating a tool for the victims of corruption, to open court cases against corrupt officials and set precedence creating deterrence.

Anti Corruption Cameroon

£11,226

Widows' Rights (North West Region)

Project aims at stopping discriminatory practices against women especially when widows are coerced to participate in harmful mourning practices and rights of inheritance. Widows, CSO and elders were trained and village elders’ committees set up to ensure the protection of widows’ rights. Implementer is providing 15% of the total funds.

National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms

£7,264

Birth Certificates for Vulnerable Children (Far North Region)

Project has two main parts. The first helped establish birth certificates for 300 vulnerable children while the second aspect sensitised women in remote areas of the Far North Province on the need to establish basic identification for their children. Children have a right to identification (Articles 7 & 8 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Children). They do not have birth certificates due to their parents’ ignorance and difficulty to reach civil status offices.

Association Rayons de Soleil

£10,000

Child Protection Unit (North West Region)

The project tackled child trafficking in the North West Province by training senior police officers and magistrates on new laws regarding the rights of children, counselling and protecting 50 trafficked children, training 30 women grassroots organisations (about 1500 women) on identifying and tackling child trafficking.

Justice and Peace Commission, Bamenda Archdiocese

£15,361

Promoting Non-Inflammatory Media Coverage (Centre Region)

Promotion of non-inflammatory media coverage of social unrest in the run-up to the Cameroonian presidential elections of 2011 by improving journalistic standards and practices.

Thomson Foundation

£20,995

Torture Scoping Study (National)

To produce a full proposal for a multi-year project that will work to combat torture and improve Cameroon’s compliance with international human rights standards. The subsidiary purpose is to raise awareness of international prohibitions on torture throughout Cameroon.

International Bar Association

Climate Change

£16,786

Promoting Public Participation in Climate Change: A communication guide For MPs and Councillors (National)

The purpose of the project is to develop a comprehensive guide for communicating climate change issues by MP's and Councillors. Project is worthwhile as parliamentarians would be able to understand climate change questions and make an effective contribution to tackle climate change at the grassroots.

Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme-Cameroon

£6,220

Climate Change: Capacity Building for Action and Livelihood Promotion in the Bamenda Highlands (North West Region)

This project is designed to create awareness and build synergies for action on climate change amongst leaders of producer groups that depend on the environment. It will also define actions and strategies needed to cope with issues of climate change at municipal and village levels.

COMINSUD (Community Initiative for Sustainable Development)

£12,200

Improved Stoves for North Cameroon (Far North Region)

Project will build 3,000 improved stoves in the North Province and by working through associations train 3,000 persons on its use and benefits. These stoves reduce wood consumed by 30-40% and thus the impact will be a significant drop in the number of trees felled for firewood.

Ministry of Environment and Protection of Nature

£12,147

Climate Friendly Waste Management (South West Region)

This is a climate change mitigation and environmental safety project that will train communities and dispose of industrial wastes from the CDC’s oil production in a climate-friendly way. Wastes will be recycled for income-generating use by communities in the camps and so discourage open-air burning. Data will be collected on agricultural waste in the area, wastes will be analysed and recycled products will be developed.

University of Buea/Waste Management Research Group

£5,229

Community Bridge Project (West Region)

Built a bridge across River Menouet linking 3 villages to important market outlets of Dschang and Santchou.

Litieu-Foreke Development Committee

£201,534