Education and Community Support Programs

Upgrading and improving the environment, health, educational, social, and cultural and infrastructure aspects. Education on women and girls sexual and reproductive health through seminars, workshops & conferences and capacity building for women

Training in London

We conduct specialized training programs such as training for refugees and asylum seeking women, women’s participation in community development, health sensitization and promotion, Training of Trainers (TOT), Attitude and Behaviors change, Participatory and specialized workshops for NGO leaders and capacity building for organizations and members. Workshops for experience sharing, advocacy and policy influencing on cross cutting issues such as HIV/AIDS.

Micro-Enterprising for small businesses

The main goal of this program is to provide technical help, training, business mentoring and other types of support to developing social enterprise, Income generation for youth and women, micro-enterprise business owners and farm women on how to grow and market their crops. To date, only a few projects have been financed. With the generous support of individuals and businesses, we are hoping to increase the number of projects we support in Cameroon and assist women to market their produce their produces in the UK and to develop sustainable social enterprise for women in Ealing.

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PROGRAMMES AND ACTIVITIES

Prevention of Gender Based Violence

Our strategic plan focuses on three strategic directions: community systems strengthening, improving policies for protecting women and girls from violence and institutional systems strengthening. The adoption of the new strategic plan represented a transition of our strategic thinking and focus guided by fresh evidence and aligned to the UK gender policies 2011 also saw increased networking and partnerships and the scaling up of activities towards training, education and counselling for women and girls affected by FGM.

Through our community programme, we have initiated a process of change from within targeted communities, where a cadre of dedicated women volunteers are helping, persuading and empowering other women.

We are continuing to raise the issue of Breast Ironing and FGM, and in our future plans we will continue to promote women and girl’s sexual and reproductive health through education, advocacy and capacity building especially on matters related to GBV; breast ironing, FGM, Forced marriage, teenage pregnancy, STIs and HIV/AIDS

Our Achievements

CAWOGIDO’s information and resources form a key component of our education and awareness strategy. These resources were provided directly to women and girls experiencing breast ironing, FGM and child marriage.

Trainings and 23 public education sessions have been conducted and that forms a key part of CAWOGIDO’s work and aims to help provide the relevant skills to build the capacity of women in tackling poverty and be self employed.

Advocacy and campaign action is central to the work of CAWOGIDO due to the need to strengthen visibility of the issues that CAWOGIDO tackles. While unemployment has been an issue of concern in the UK for the past years, because it affects primarily ethnic minority groups and refugees and asylum seekers, We strive to work through partnerships and networks to undertake our advocacy and campaign activities to put people back to work.

Our community programmes is geared at engaging with women and young people and strengthening partnerships and capacity of African and minority ethnic migrant and refugee community based organizations. We have worked through advisory group made up of representatives from community agencies that provided guidance and support monitoring of the project.

For elders

Social activities for the elderly, sports and exercise classes

 

Network Support

The media reports from Women’s radio in Acton West London on CAWOGIDO’s work have also risen. The promotion of CAWOGIDO’s work has not only increased communities understanding CAWOGIDO, but build organisations working with local organisations, Ealing council and Ealing

Confidently we would say that through Ealing CVS support and Ealing Women’s forum, CAWOGIDO engagement with women populations and high risk groups such as prostitutes in Southall Broadway have become more energised.

Members and volunteers contributions are now more responsive to key population needs and interactions during other CAWOGIDO and other stakeholders’ forums have been more visible. The groups working within these populations are now more visible and willing to share out their information with others.

After the October conference in 2012, there has been increased engagement in programming in breast ironing among Cameroonians which made CAWOGIDO a referral point for capacity building, information and advocacy work for breast ironing. As a result, awareness of the issue and open discussions of strategies to stop it has remarkably increased both within and outside the Cameroonian communities in London

We have achieved new and innovative ideas of empowering young people and women, empowering families and empowering communities. We have experience gained through our various projects empowering young people economically and socially as they were empowered to take centre stage in their education, welfare and job hunt by working with young people in Greenford, Northolt and Perivale where there is high rate of unemployment in the London borough of Ealing

Since we received the NLDC grant, it has enabled us to continue on a growth and organisational development path, including an expansion of our volunteer work force and capacity building for our members and knowledge upgrade on HIV/AIDS and sexual health and FGM.

CAWOGIDO has updated her website to better meet members and user needs. The website has been used locally and internationally as a source of information on Women’s reproductive health. CAWOGIDO’s website is quickly becoming a sharing and communication tool, not only among member organizations, but also to other interested parties worldwide

CAWOGIDO takes pride in having dedicated members and volunteers some serving as Board members providing a wide range of voluntary services. Their contribution is a strength of our organisation. They are the stewards and leaders of the services valued by our diversed communities both in London and in Cameroon. Through their collective acts and deeds, we are building women into a caring and dedicated diaspora group

CAWOGIDO key strengths is attributed to its solid policies, commitment and dedication to service, volunteerism to contributing to international development, and visionary leadership. We have established good credibility that has built trust and confidence – which not only strengthens members moral, but enables CAWOGIDO to gain resources and to be more effective in its programmes and projects

Women and Poverty

A social enterprise programme which will give people tailored support to get back into work and fight poverty is now in place. The programme is different to previous schemes as it assesses people to discover the different types of social enterprise and what barriers are preventing them from engaging. Skill Building for Farm women in Cameroon – Through our work with various local women’s groups in Limbe and Bui, we offer a number of capacity building trainings to farm women. For example, through the use of volunteers and members women have been train to cultivate vegetables and food and sell to generate income.

Youth Programmes

Our work with young people in the Uk is more of promoting volunteering, education, sports, apprenticeship, training and employment by a practical means of development of information and skills including counseling and mentorship. We aim to reduce poverty and to bring together a variety of young people from disadvantaged communities, Black and Minority Ethnic groups, develop their potential and mobilise them to engage effectively in community development, education and regeneration activities and build their capacities through education and trainings while addressing cross cutting issues such as sexual health and sexual expliotation, drugs, alcohol and crime .

Health Programmes

We aim to strengthen access to education for women and girls affected by breast ironing, FGM, HIV/AIDS and to strengthen the capacity of local organisations and communities to respond to the impact of breast ironing, FGM and HIV/AIDS among women and girls Training and education to raise awareness about sexual and reproductive health issues among women and girls Provision of legal aid and advice to victims of sexual and reproductive health problems and violence interpersonal counselling Health service information and orientation, Advocacy and Lobbying of policy makers on the prevention of gender based violence.