Development and International Cooperation

Yvonne Bekeny Ends Development Cooperation Internship At Cameroon Link
By Alice Ndeloh
Cameroon Link
The second phase of development cooperation internship of Yvonne Bekeny was packed full of activities out of Cameroon Link office. Yvonne moved from the community into the school environment to collect data for her thesis. The capital city of Yaoundé was the venue to meet the youth target population for her study. It was a very challenging exercise because it was the first time she was collecting data for analysis later. It was less strenuous because securing research permit was not as difficult as her research assistant had anticipated. On the other hand the schools were so big, with large numbers on roll that distributing the questionnaires was a bit difficult and even more so because students could not work individually as she had expected given the large numbers on roll. Despite these hindrances, she was able to administer the number of questionnaires required for her study.
After working with students for on week she returned to the office in Douala to continue administrative work and reviewing some reports and also assembling material that was to be used at an up coming workshop organized by the Cameroon Ministry of Public health on infant and young child feeding counselling in Obala, 100 kms from Yaounde on the road to Bafoussam. The preparations led to Yvonne Bekeny attending the week-long workshop as representative if the Chief Executive Office of Cameroon Link. The workshop was attended by representatives of some fourteen Non-Governmental Organizations, Faith Based Organizations and Community Based Organizations involved in the promotion and protection of breastfeeding and infant and young feeding rights in Cameroon. It was facilitated by professional medical staff from the ministry of public health, social workers and nutrition counselling consultants.
It was during the interactive exchanges at the workshop that they were taught the advantages and the benefits of breastfeeding to the baby and the mother. The discussed the health benefits, the economic benefits to the entire family and the community. It was repeated echoed that if the mothers breastfed exclusively for six months, their babies’ health was guaranteed, therefore the family saved money that would otherwise have been used for artificial feeding. Breastfeeding has no cost and helped reduce spending and was seen as a poverty alleviation ingredient that also safe guarded the family income.
● Yvonne and her colleagues at the workshop were equipped with negotiation skills on how to approach women and convince them to practice exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months after birth and how they could also encourage women to begin introducing complimentary feeding from the age of six months while continuing breastfeeding up to 24 months.. They were informed that it was easy to meet women in their community groups, in the community health facilities and also in the district hospitals to address these issues. With the creation of WABA Men’s initiative, it was decided that the men or fathers and youths be involved in the breastfeeding campaign movement because the mothers would need their support if breastfeeding practices are to be successful.
The issue of breastfeeding in the context of HIV/AIDS was also discussed lengthily. The facilitators told the participants about the advantages and disadvantages of breastfeeding when a woman is HIV positive. Statistics were quite revealing and Yvonne was equipped with the facts about breastfeeding in the context of HIV/AIDS. Every woman who is HIV positive should know the facts, be well educated and be able to make an informed choice of feeding for her baby.
Considering the advantages of breastfeeding and the fact that only about 22.5% of mothers in Cameroon breastfeed exclusively during the first six months of birth, this among other strategies are implemented by the Cameroon Ministry of Public Health to improve on infant and young child feeding, so as to mitigate malnutrition and therefore reduce infant mortality. At the end of the workshop, Yvonne and her colleagues drew up a feasible project for a period of six months, and this was used to evaluate the participating organization’s level of understanding the subject. This was yet another opportunity for Yvonne to apply her knowledge of project planning and management. She was able to come up with a short doable project from January to August 2009. Within this project, the two persons who represented Cameroon Link could also train other members of staff attached to the six Women Gender and AIDS Councils (COGESID) mentioned in her first report. As at the moment of writing this report the newly trained infant and young child feeding counsellors had started social mobilisation and sensitization activities within the communities and on the media on the importance of breastfeeding.
Upon their return from the seminar they immediately got into activities and celebration marking the 20th edition of the World AIDS Day. Yvonne and others attended the ceremony launched by the Governor of the Littoral region of Cameroon and they were involved in the organization of educative talks in secondary schools. The activities were focused on the animation of college health clubs. Other Health NGOs and women’s groups were also involved in these activities. During this celebration, the regional coordinator of the National AIDS Control Committee presented the most recent statistics on the situation of HIV/AIDS in Cameroon.
Yvonne seized the opportunity to interview the coordinators of health clubs and students in the littoral region about the activities within their respective schools. This constituted vital information for her thesis since she was researching on HIV/AIDS prevention and education in secondary schools. It was observed that all secondary schools are involved in AIDS Communication. AIDS communication embodies advocacy, behaviour change, social mobilization and social change. This strategy addresses issues that immediately impact on HIV and AIDS, the lack of knowledge on the practice of safer sex, and the driving causes of the epidemic, such as gender relations hindering safer sex practice.
A key factor in effective AIDS communication is the understanding of audiences’ needs and circumstances. It is even made easier by the training of peer educators with whom the youths and other sub populations can identify. It was very amazing that most schools pay attention to the importance of the social context of communication, including religious, economic and cultural factors. These factors determine the nature of AIDS communication in and out of schools and within communities. Consequently, practitioners are increasingly focusing on the creation of enabling AIDS communication environments through work with institutions such as the media and civil society organizations. Cameroon link was an ordinary participant during the event because Yvonne and others had just returned from a training workshop in the Capital City of Yaoundé ahead of World AIDS Day and the memory was still very fresh on Mother to Child HIV Prevention. They did not participate in demonstrations but planned some counselling and educative campaigns with women groups during the week that preceded the World AIDS Day as part of the National AIDS Week declared by the Minister of Public Health. She also conducted interviews with the Littoral Regional Coordinator for AIDS Control Committee. The World AIDS Day activities were very significant to her because she was able to get recent statistics on the situation in Cameroon and other issues concerning prevention, care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and the rehabilitation of HIV orphans.. This would have been a bit difficult during ordinary times because getting information in Cameroon is quite complex. Officials are usually very reluctant to give statistics and other vital information on their work.
LOCATION OF RESEARCH SITES
The first phase of the research study was carried out in Douala in the Littoral region, while the second phase in November 2008 was in Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon situated in the centre region. The choice was based on the resources available to Yvonne Bekeny. This means that the choice of research site was based strictly for convenience reasons, especially as other schools running the new HIV education programme are situated in the far south and distant northern regions. Yaoundé’s location makes access a lot easier as it is situated at the centre of Cameroon and it is the administrative capital of the nation. Considering the bilingual nature of Cameroon, Yaoundé has many public and private bilingual secondary schools. The choice of Government Bilingual High School Yaoundé and Government Bilingual Practicing High School Yaoundé was based on the similarities in characteristics of both schools. Similarities in terms of enrolled students. These are very thickly populated government education institution. Most of the students attending these colleges live in the out skirts of Yaounde City. Since one of the secondary schools undertook the new HIV/AIDS education programme and the other did not, this formed the basis of Yvonne Bekeny’s comparison.
RESEARCH APPROACH
To achieve the objectives of the study, a quantitative research approach was employed. This was important because it provided statistical data on the actual number of students involved in the research survey, their basic characteristics, level of education, gender differentiation, and religious inclinations among other variables. Secondary data from the National AIDS Control Committee was also consulted, to know the actual national statistics and to find answers to some of the research questions.
COLLEGE SELECTION
The choice of the colleges for the research survey was based on the following criteria:
1. Geographical location of colleges putting into consideration proximity and access to all.
2. Similarity in characteristics of both collegs. Both are bilingual educational institutions with English and French speaking students undertaking English and French systems of education respectively. They are similar also in terms of enrolment of large number of students each year.
3. Most of the students live at the heart of the city, while a few live in the out-skirts and neighbourhoods of Yaoundé..
4. One school does the new HIV/AIDS education programme and the other does not. This constituted the basis for a comparative analysis.
Due to the researcher’s English speaking background, only the English speaking students in each school where involved for the survey and research study.
SURVEY SAMPLING
The study utilized a random sampling frame. The two schools formed appropriate basis for comparison as the age group required for the study where easily identified. The main guiding criteria for choice were:
1. The age of the students. The age was considered as a major criterion for sampling and this lead to the next level of sampling.
2. The class of the students strictly followed the age. It was realized that the classes had different age ranges. But then, each level for example like form 3 classes had the same age range between 14-16 years. It is for this reason that random sampling of classes was done for each level. This gave the students equal chances to be drawn from the population.
The two colleges have different populations. GBHS Yaoundé has a total population of 6000 with 3000 English speaking students and 3000 French speaking students. The sample size for this school was 320 (10.6 percent) and it consisted of students with ages between 12-21 years. While GBPHS Yaoundé had a total population of 4800 students with 2300 English speaking students and 2500 French speaking students. The sample size in this school was 322 (12.8 percent). The sample also consisted of students with ages between 12 -21 years. The research expected to have a larger sample, but due to resource constraints on the part of the researcher, only the above sample could be considered. The sample strictly took into account the age, sex and gender of the respondents.
DATA COLLECTION METHODOLOGY
The research used two methods to collect the relevant data to measure the students’ knowledge, attitudes and reported behaviour on HIV/AIDS and to see the impact of the new HIV/AIDS education programme on the students. Secondary data was used to review the relevant literature on HIV/AIDS related issues within schools in Cameroon and within the youth population in general. Primary data was used for the most part and the instrument used was a questionnaire.
Some 642 questionnaires were administered to students in English. The questionnaire took into account the target age group for the study. From the college environment, Yvonne Bekeny returned to Cameroon, where she was initiated on information, education and communication strategies, networking and report writing.
Information, Education and Communication
A press conference was organized at the headquarters of Cameroon Link in the third week of December 2008 to highlight advocacy strategies by NGOs using the Sickle Cell Society UK approach. The conference speaker was the Director of Sickle Cell Society UK, Dr. Asaah Nkohkwo, who paired the relationship of sickle cell disorder and other diseases and how they affect African and Asian communities most.
Yvonne Bekeny was involved in the organisation of the conference logistics and report writing. The use of media for advocacy was also an aspect valorised by her participation in a live programme presentation at the Catholic Community Radio Station « Radio Véritas ». The live show was on highlights of the 5th Anniversary celebrations of the radio station. Yvonne and James were invited as guests speakers to the programme audience on what they considered to be the truth and how it is employed within the Cameroon communities and elsewhere. The live show was recorded and rebroadcast twice on the same channel at different peak listening hours.
Networking Linkages
Yvonne Bekeny had the opportunity to learn from Cameroon Link the importance of networking at national and international levels. Cameroon Link leads the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations, FECABPA, and is also affiliated to two international health networks, while acting as focal point for the networks in Cameroon.
Cameroon Link is affiliated to the International Baby Food Action Network, (IBFAN) Africa, and the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, (WABA). In the latest development, the Executive Director of Cameroon Link was appointed to the position of International Coordinator of WABA’s Men Initiative, which calls for the mainstreaming of gender promotion within infant and young child feeding promotion and the encouragemen of youths to get involved in health development issues.
Yvonne Bekeny ended her field research studies at Cameroon Link with designing of a project for the initiation of fundraising in Finland to support the execution of humanitarian activities planned within the next four years. This aspect is found to be vital for the survival of any organisation, especially as all projects aim at durability of impact social change and behaviour change communication, BCC. This is how Yvonne Bekeny was given the opportunity to test all her skills. A project for Sickle Cell Awareness in Cameroon was designed as a team for fundraising lobby by her in Finland.
The strategies of Cameroon Link transferred to Yvonne will serve her at any time when she would have completed her studies in development and international cooperation..
Conclusion
Cameroon Link was very appreciative of the devotion, interest and willingness to cooperate with all staff of the organisation and to serve as a volunteer. There is no doubt that the internship of Yvonne Bekeny at Cameroon Link valorizes her as an excellent international development and cooperation agent in the making, considering the high level skills she achieved before returning to Finland..