Mrs. Fomujong Florence Mah Fon

Work

As a mother of five and a lifelong farmer in the ‘breadbasket’ region of rural Cameroon, Mrs. Fon is not afraid of working hard. Trained in agriculture through both personal experience and formal education, Mrs. Fon teaches men and women, including school dropouts and widows how to produce food for themselves and their families. She is especially keen to show her people how to make use of the many natural resources available in their region, rather than depending on farming with costly chemicals fertilizers. Illiteracy and a lack of education are two large setbacks in her work, but Mrs. Fon has great faith in the capabilities of her people.  They are motivated learners, eager to work hard for the betterment of their families and villages.  Mrs. Fon also provides classes on how to properly care for the forests in her region. Planting trees in connection with crops offers a variety of soil benefits, while fruit or medicinal trees provide additional food. She is interested in learning more about livestock, especially raising cows, goats, and poultry. Many farmers, especially women, lack access to livestock for breeding. Mrs. Fon hopes to expand CEADEV to include a livestock micro-credit system which would allow farmers to take out small loans to buy livestock. Working in cooperation with each other in cross breeding, they can increase their stock for marketing purposes as well as bring food into their own households.

Sending

Organization

The Centre for Environmental and Agricultural Development (CEADEV) is dedicated to empowering rural women through promoting environmental stewardship, food security, health and nutrition, while eliminating poverty and illiteracy. The agricultural nature of the region demands a special focus on farming so CEADEV offers workshops and classes designed to help improve farming techniques. In addition, the agricultural section of CEADEV provides training in forestry, bee keeping, and snail farming. The organization also provides health and sanitation classes as well as HIV/AIDS prevention awareness.