Wum, Cameroon - August 04, 2024

A community enterprise in northwestern Cameroon is offering people unable to flee the conflict-hit region a means to survive, stay safe and sustain their livelihoods.

As intense clashes between the army and separatists from the country's English-speaking regions have displaced many people, Fungom Farms, a community-driven initiative aimed at reducing poverty and promoting self-sufficiency, offers employment opportunities to those trapped in the turmoil, and Doline is one of those benefiting from this support.

The enterprise specializes in producing flour known locally as tapioca or garri, made from cassava. The process involves peeling, washing, crushing and roasting the cassava to create the final product.

However, the business faces significant challenges, notably from herds of hungry oxen that graze on the plants and severely impact production. To tackle these issues, the women working on the farms have formed a Commodity Interest Group (CIG) to better manage the business.

In addition to tapioca, Fungom Farms also produces maize, palm oil, beans and honey, not only aiding families with income during the ongoing conflict but also serving as a training ground for young people, keeping them engaged during school holidays.

Shotlist:
Wum, Cameroon - Aug 4, 2024:
1. Various of abandoned school;
2. Various of villagers, working in fields;
3. SOUNDBITE (Pidgin English, dubbed in English) Doline, Mekaf Village resident (starting with shot 2/partially overlaid with shot 4):
"I've been working in these fields for 3 years now and it's how I manage to live. With what I earn here, I send my children to school and that enables me to pay for hospital treatment.";
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4. Villager working in fields;
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5. Various of villagers peeling, washing cassava;
6. SOUNDBITE (Pidgin English, dubbed in English) Kah Winifred, coordinator, Mekaf Village Women Initiative Group CIG (partially overlaid with shots 7-8):
"There isn't enough cassava any more because when we plant the herds of oxen come and destroy everything and eat the plants. That's why production has gone down, and customers have been asking for a lot of it recently, so it's becoming scarce.";
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7. Cassava being processed;
8. Machine in operation;
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9. Various of villagers making flour with cassava;
10. SOUNDBITE (Pidgin English, dubbed in English) Kah Winifred, coordinator, Mekaf Village Women Initiative Group CIG:
"We were even the first to pay our children's school fees, unlike the others. Apart from that, he also provides us with school supplies for our children. We're so happy that he introduced us to this group work, because before we did things individually and we could not manage, now we produce Garri like this, they just come pick and go to their clients.";
11. Garri;
12. Sign reading "Fungom Farms";
13. Various of villagers.

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