An enterprise for a better tomorrow

This is the essence of the project to empower 24 young graduates of Yaoundé’s Centres de Promotion de la Femme et la Famille (CPFF) in unemployed or underemployed situation. Initiated by Cuso International’s local partner the Ministry for the Promotion of Women and the Family (MINPROFF) in collaboration with UNWOMEN, and with technical support from Cuso.

Earlier this year, MINPROFF requested Cuso International’s expertise to handle the project’s entrepreneurship training component.

To meet this challenge, a team of six SHARE volunteers: Laurence Kangne (Gender Expert), Bertholeen Ngo Penda (Entrepreneurship Advisor), Yann Yann (Communication Advisor), Naomi Mpana (Business Management Advisor), Sonia Kamche (Project Management Advisor), Sandra Ngondji (IT Advisor).

Developing training modules, participants were trained on themes such as self-determination, communication, teamwork, conflict management, storytelling, sales pitches, and marketing strategy.

The 24 young women, divided into four companies (Catering, Couture, ICT and Aesthetics), were able to develop not only their business management skills, but also their soft skills, thereby boosting their self-confidence.

At the end of the program, participants took part in the Pitch competition organized by MINPROFF to mark International Women’s Day. Of the 15 companies taking part in the competition, the independent jury awarded prizes to the 4 companies that had benefited from mentoring by our SHARE volunteers, in the form of grants awarded by MINPROFF to help them launch their businesses.

We would like to underline the significant contribution of our volunteers to the success of this project and extend our enthusiasm to the entire Cuso International team and partners.