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Current Projects
February 21, 2008
Women's
Entrepreneurial Program
History and Overview:
 In
September 2007, Sarah Oxford began working as Breaking Ground’s first
official Ground Coordinator. Once in Cameroon she met with college
friend and current Peace Corps Volunteer, Lee Allen. Lee gave Sarah the
curriculum for a business class he had developed and was teaching in
Bafoussam.
Sarah reviewed the course with Dr. Gilbert L. Taguem Fah, a University
professor and founder of the N'Gaoundéré Research Center.
Together, they organized the Women's
Entrepreneurial Program through the
Delegation of Women and Family in N'Gaoundéré Cameroon.
N'Gaoundéré is the provincial capital of the Adamaoua
region which is the cross roads between Southern and Northern Cameroon,
and often noted as the junction between Central and West Africa. The
majority of the population practice Islam but there is a notable
Christian population. Fulfulde and French are the two major languages,
though many other languages are spoken.
Women in the Adamaoua region are denied many basic rights. Large
numbers of girls do not attend school, leaving women illiterate and
without the knowledge to support themselves. It is not uncommon for
girls to be married by arrangement as young as 15. Once married, women
are often not allowed out of their homes without their husbands’
permission and have to ask him for any money they might need. The
average family size is 8, and boys are preferred over girls.
Women take on incredible responsibilities without appreciation or
monetary benefit. Spousal abuse, polygamy, divorce, and death of their
husband frequently leave women with no options and in extreme
poverty.
For these reasons Sarah Oxford and Dr. Taguem Fah chose
N’Gaoundéré as the starting point to launch the Women's
Entrepreneurial Program. The first session was divided into two groups,
illiterate and literate. The bi-weekly, six-week course lasted two
hours per course and was available in French, English, and Fulfulde.
The class enrollment averaged 34. The course fee was 2 500 Fcfa
(roughly $ 5). The fee covered teacher payments and photocopies. It
also ensured the commitment of the students. Course subjects
included: Who is an Entrepreneur? Feasibility Studies, Goals and Action
Plans, Cashbook, Inventory, Budgeting, Marketing I, Marketing II,
Leadership, Analyzing Costs, Financial Services, Bank Accounts and
Loans, Business Plans and Evaluation.
The course ended in December 2007. Through Breaking Ground and the
Research Center, students were given the opportunity to take the skills
learned through the business course and write a final report asking for
start up funds for their own personal enterprise.
With great difficulty, seven projects were selected to receive funding.
These projects include:
 Glory bilingual
primary school - A
private elementary school started by a single mother of four children
in Ngaoundal, a town where only 35% of school aged children attend
school. Madame Becham currently has 43 students that she solicited by
going door-to-door and speaking with parents about the importance of an
education. We hope to build a two-classroom facility, enabling her to
stop paying rent. With these savings she will expand the school
by one classroom each year and improve the teachers’ salaries.
Selling Fish -
An illiterate widow with 9 children, aged 2 to 18, Soubataye has
dedicated herself to the fish selling business. This very profitable
business consists of traveling at least four hours by bus to purchase
freshly caught fish and then returning to sell the fish for a large
profit at market. Her goal is to save enough money to send all of her
children to school and to move out of her one bedroom, one living room
house without running water.
 Fresh Juice - For three years
Madame Pauline, married mother of two children and responsible for six
children, has sold fresh juices, including lemon, ginger, orange, and
mango out of a cooler from her office in town. She wants to take her
extremely successful juice business to the next level by preparing it
at home and selling it around town in boutiques as well as on a
pushcart.
 Sewing - Madame Aissatou Bintou,
single mother of one and grandmother of four children, is a well-known
tailor who wants to extend her sewing boutique. In Cameroon people buy
fabric at market and take it to a seamstress who then cuts, designs,
and makes the clothing. She is asking Breaking Ground for a new sewing
machine, 5 button presses, an embroidery machine, and a finishing
machine to aid with the extension of her business.
 Fabric Selling - For the past five
years, Madame Guidjera Elisabeth has sold fabric door to door
throughout N'Gaoundéré before festivals and holidays. Her
goal is to travel to Nigeria where fabric is less expensive and buy a
bulk quantity of fabrics, returning to Cameroon where profiting is
inevitable. With the profits she makes, she will then open a small
store in the local market where she can sell fabric year round.
 Fabric
dying - Our artistic project, Madame Zenabou, married mother of
seven children, buys white fabric and uses different dyes creating
patterns and designs. The exceptionally popular fabric is used for
clothing, table clothes, and draperies. For the past year, wears of
this kind have been scarce, as she has not had the capital to increase
her business.
Agriculture -
Madame Edwidge Tashi has grown corn, manioc, ginger, and other crops on
her three fields since 2000. She wants to upgrade her farming methods
in order to sell more at market and make a larger profit. She is also
the future teacher of the business course.
The women selected have certain obligations they must fulfill in order
to receive funding. Selected entrepreneurs sign a contract stating that
the money they receive will be used as budgeted in their proposals.
They must have a personal file at the research center with a copy of
their Identification and official bank statement. They must give
a brief history of their life as well as provide pictures of their
family. They must accept that random visits from Breaking Ground and
the Research Center will take place making sure that the business is
running properly, of which reports will be written for donors in the
United States. If asked, they must speak in front of current business
class students about their experience as an entrepreneur. Finally, they
must give back 20% of the money given to them so that those funds can
be used to support a future woman entrepreneur. Once the 20% has been
returned, they are free from reporting to Breaking Ground and the
Research Center.
The Women's
Entrepreneurial Program teaches women about business practices
and builds their confidence. It empowers women to overcome
poverty through their ideas and personal motivation.
Enter an amount below to donate directly
to the
Women's Entrepreneurial Program
November 2007
Our first Ground Coordinator, Sarah Oxford, is off
to a fantastic start. In the two months since her arrival in the city
of Ngaoundéré in early September, Sarah has founded a
youth girls’ soccer program and begun teaching business and English
classes to adult women. Sarah’s soccer program gives girls, many of
whom are married or do not attend school, the rare opportunity to build
self-confidence and independence. Her challenging and demanding
business and English classes give women the expertise and tools to
support their families by running their own business. Breaking Ground
is currently reviewing project proposals from various communities.
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