Boyo women embrace another significant fight

By Innocent Chia
 
A grassroots inspired Credit Union by women of the Boyo Women Development Network (BOWODEN) will see the light of day at an inaugural event scheduled at its Belo headquarters in Kom, North West Region of Cameroon. The Saturday October 3rd, 2015 trailblazing event not only promises to put Boyo women in charge and in control of her purse and purse strings, the initiative concretely moves in the direction of putting her in the driver's seat by enabling  a known fact of Kom society - the Kom woman is the backbone of her family and the epicenter of community development. Above all, the October 3rd launching will officially mark an end to its ongoing capital solicitation phase in which Kom women and their husbands, sons and daughters are encouraged to buy shares.

At CFA 100,000 frs ($172.00) per share, an inside source confided to the The Chia Report that it has been "fascinating to watch how fast investors, both local and in the Diaspora, have been buying the shares". The rush to purchase comes less than 5 days to the BOWODEN Credit Union maiden General Assembly meeting at which a Board of Directors will be elected, and just a little over four (4) months since the seeding of the idea at the Boyo Women's Development Network session in Bamenda last May.

Several women that were present at the said BOWODEN General Assembly in Bamenda also confirm that the idea came upon the women like an epiphany. "Someone at the meeting asked what purpose it has served us since 2012 - when BOWODEN was founded - that we have been saving all the money", said a source on condition of anonymity.  After a lot of brainstorming at that session, the women said, the idea of a Credit Union by and for Boyo Women was conceived and a team was immediately tasked with researching and putting together the documents for the creation of BOWODEN Credit Union.

While there has been amazement at how fast things have moved, there is no denying how pressing the need is for the poor and needy women of Boyo Division. The female population accounts for roughly 53 percent of the estimated 300,000 people that populate the land of the famed Afoakom statute, yet she is at the bottom of the financial ladder in large part because of obtuse and outdated customs and traditions that make it anathema, for instance, for the Kom girl or woman to be an heir or inherit any landed property.

There is no denying, meantime, that the current Fon of Kom - Vincent Yuh II - has passed new and improved edicts that will go a long way towards protecting widows and orphans who are perennial victims at the hands of vicious successors. By the very least, cash loans for business development from BOWODEN Credit Union will strengthen the hand of the women in respective start-up initiatives, or even help to pay school fees for her child. It is the mission of BOWODEN Credit Union to be a guaranteed place of first and last resort for any Kom woman that desires to build and grow her business.

At the time of this writing, CAMCULL, the famed grand Bamenda Credit Union and mother of all Credit Unions in the region, is rounding-up with phase one training on the running of a Credit Union in Belo. According to unimpeachable sources, multiple phases are scheduled and the Board of Directors, once voted into office on Saturday October 3rd, 2015 are also expected to undergo crash training on Credit Union Management.

Another area of excitement, the source says, is the fact of having all these women from all works of life come together. According to the source, Boyo women of all ages, of all social stripes and from across all regions in Cameroon have come together under the umbrella of BOWODEN and they are beginning to see the meaning of strength in unity. These women,  including Nawain Bruhilda komtaghi, Dr. Rose Jua, Prof Therese Akenji, Nawain Maureen Jam , Nawain Monica Sondengam, Nawain Tilda Ndichia , Nawain Vicky Chop , Priscilla Song and Dr Linda Yang, have been championing the objectives of BOWODEN Credit Union that will prioritize on - serving widows; supporting in education through scholarships; lobbying for the best interests of Kom and; vocational training in determined areas of need.

Kom has a long and even fabled history where the Kom mother (Nawain), has often played more than a passive role. Legend holds that Kom people were led to its current settlement under the leadership of Na-Ndong (mother of Ndong?), who was pursuing the tracks of a mysterious python. But another highlight in the history of Kom and Cameroon, is the revolution that Kom women led - known as Anlu - when government ordered that they farm their ridges in a certain way. They prevailed and are considered the precursors of the Takeubeng women who undressed to protect Cameroon's famous opposition leader, John Fru Ndi in the mid 90's. Finally, Kom voters in Belo Sub-Division recently showed fervor to a woman by electing her as a one of a handful of female parliamentarians in the country.

The question that some cynics ask is "where are the Kom men" while their women are getting the job done?"

Wherever we are, Kom and Bum, the call is for you and me to support Boyo wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, aunties and nieces - to join the Boyo Women Development Network  Credit Union - and be a part of a vision that leaves no one behind and pulls everyone of us up. Shares can be purchased and a receipt issued to you by some of the women listed above, and certainly all of them are glad to provide more details.