The United Democratic Party’s Family Support Programme is one of the party’s major activities besides politicking.

Recent end-of-year feasts were well spent in a multitude of poor rural families in Boyo Division of the North West Region. Coming from areas such as Njinikom, Belo and neighbouring localities, they gathered in the vicinity of Kikfuini on December 23, 2014 to receive gifts such as foodstuffs, medication, farm inputs and equipment from the National Chairman of the United Democratic Party (UDP), El Hadj Lawan Bako who was flanked by senior officials of the party.

Speaking to Cameroon Tribune after the event, El Hadj Lawan Bako said the activity fell within the framework of the party’s Family Support Programme which for the past 15 years has been implemented to assist poor rural families with basic commodities. “To give politics a human face, UDP has been sustaining the Family Support Programme, even though it is not yet in the National Assembly,” he said, adding that people with disabilities also benefitted regularly from various forms of assistance from the party.

Reaching out to the six divisions of the North West Region, UDP’s Family Support Programme uses no criteria in the selection of beneficiaries. “We donate to families which are unable to help themselves,” El Hadj Lawan Bako said. The programme is funded by the sale of party membership cards as well as members’ contributions and generous donations.