Reach Out Cameroon Launches “SHE BUILDS PEACE” Campaign in South West

By Nadesh E.

Despite the several outings by the womenfolk in the crisis-hit English-speaking Regions to denounce the killings, threats, kidnapping of civilians, uniform men, and administrators; vision 1325 which fosters women’s peace and security seems to be far-fetched in Cameroon.

According to the Executive Director of Reach Out Cameron, Mme Omam Esther, women were the first civilian population to come out, march, cry and denounce the socio-political unrest in Cameroon. Despite outings like the National Women’s Peace Convention in Yaounde, the peaceful protest by women, social media campaigns, and other strategies to call for peace, the security of women and children and other vulnerable populations is still threatened by the warring parties.

It was on this note that on February 9, 2021, Reach Out Cameroon together with other Women empowerment and peace Building organizations, launched the “SHE BUILDS PEACE” campaign at the Pan- African Institute for Development in West Africa (PAID-WA).

This campaign launched in March 2020 by the International Civic Society Action Network (CAN) aims at increasing Women’s voice and participation in peacebuilding and mediation processes.

The initiative which is being carried out in over 25 other countries in the world is also supported by the UN Department of Political and Peace Building affairs.

In the presence of traditional authorities, administrators, other Civil Society Organizations officials working towards defending the rights of women and children, the Reach Out Cameroon peace crusader, Mme Esther called on them and the entire population to get engaged in the “She Build Peace” campaign because peacebuilding is a collective effort.

                                   

“The campaign has been launched in the South West Region to engage every stakeholder in Peacebuilding and invite women to decision-making avenues concerning peace building processes,” she added.

As a commitment, Reach Out Cameroon has promised to carry out the sensitization on She Builds Peace Campaign on a monthly basis in all media spaces.

While addressing the peace advocates at PAID-WA, the South West Regional Delegate of Women Empowerment and the Family Mme Sona Nee Ediage Lucia Dipita said the launching of the “She Builds Peace” Campaign is timely because, for five years, persons have been killed, wounded, abducted and imprisoned, women have always borne the pain. “A woman has always witnessed the pain for the past five years because when something happens pained…she is the mother of the good, the bad and the ugly…when a bad child dies, women cry and when a good child dies, women cry…”She bemoaned. 

She used the event as an opportunity to call for unity among women and among all civil society Organizations involved in peacebuilding. In her words “You cannot give what you don’t have…If you are not at peace with yourself, you cannot give peace to another person, and so if peacebuilders do not have peace among themselves, they cannot give peace to others in the crisis-hit Regions…”

She added that peacebuilders should learn to accommodate and support each other in the fight to end the crisis.

To end discussions for the day, the Director of PAID-WA, Dr. Daniel Ekongwe asked the peacebuilders and advocates some thought-provoking questions during his keynote address.

• How can the She Builds Peace campaign be launched in Buea and other countries be useful to their organizations?
• Of what significance is the campaign to organizations and their families?

 He then called on the Organizations and individuals present to understand the nature, methods, and processes involved in Peacebuilding and conflict resolution before getting into it otherwise, they may be fanning the flames for more unrest.

Participants appreciated the efforts of Reach Out Cameroon to launch the global Campaign and pledged their commitment to contributing to it by appending their signatures to the peace pledge.

According to the International Crisis Group, over 4,000 people have died and 765.000 displaced due to the Anglophone Crisis. Reach Out Cameroon calls on everyone to join in the campaign to advocate for peace while hoping for an end to the crisis.