The non-reimbursable grant is for the construction of seven boreholes in Adamawa Region.
The Japanese Embassy in Cameroon on Friday, January 25, 2013 in Yaounde signed an agreement with the African Indigenous Women’s Organisation Central African Network, AIWO-CAN, for funding the construction of seven boreholes in Ngaoundal and Dir Subdivisions of Adamawa Region.
The project, which got a non-reimbursable grant of FCFA 42 million and will benefit over 40,000 people in the two localities, is expected to be completed in six months, explained Mrs. Hawe Bouba, Coordinator of AIWO-CAN for Central Africa. Speaking at the event that held in the Japanese Embassy at Bastos, Yaounde, Ambassador Tsutomu Arai said the project will help in reducing the long distances hitherto covered by young girls in search of potable water and thus enable children to focus on their studies.
According to Ambassador Arai, the provision of potable water will help in sensitising local people on the need for personal hygiene and sanitation. The success of the borehole construction project will largely depend on the efficient and sustainable manner in which it is carried out, the Japanese envoy pointed out. While expressing hope that the boreholes will contribute in improving the health and hygiene of the largely Mbororo communities of Ngaoundal and Dir, Ambassador Tsutomu Arai stressed the need for the people to ensure their sustainability.
Responding after receiving the cheque for the grant, Hawe Bouba said the project was timely as it will help in curbing the incidence of cholera in Adamawa Region. She recalled how her organisation founded in 2000, has in the last 10 years helped in improving the lot of indigenous women by offering them training in various trades and micro loans to take off. Women from Mbororo and pygmy communities whose voices had hitherto been silent in national and international forums were given the opportunity to attend United Nations General Assembly sessions and other international conferences to present their case, she pointed out.
