Basic infrastructures
Activities carried out
• Briefing with communities,
• Drafting of neighbourhood development plans,
• Create and install development committees (if none existent),
• Selection of the initiative which has priority for the year with communities,
• Feasibility study,
• Support and capacity building of CBOs through training sessions on various topics (development and project management, monitoring and evaluation, infrastructure management, advocacy, etc...) community advisory support;
• Promote and support community participation in the management of the City
• Project design support,
• Community mobilization (20% of the total cost of the micro project is expected from the population and the Council),
• Creating and installing the Project Steering Committee and organizing capacity building session s for the members (if ¾ of the contribution expected from the population is mobilized),
• Signing of contract,
• Realization of project
• Project management: monitoring by ASSEJA and writing of progress reports by the CBO (Community-Based Organization)
• Final report and project evaluation,
• Sustainability of the project: creating and installing the Management Committee and local fund,
• Handing over of the project.
Action Framework
• NGO ASSEJA carries out various activities under the programme to support community initiatives in favour of vulnerable groups and participatory urban management (ICOGESPUR Programme). This programme is not only aimed at improving sustainably the living conditions and activities of urban populations by supporting the implementation of micro projects and the appropriate building management and mobilization organizations, neighborhoods, but is also specially aimed at promoting a genuine partnership between the Local Government (Council and state), civil society and the private sector. This program supports basic dynamic neighborhoods, that is to say, the activities of populations who are committed to their economic and social development.
• Participatory Local Development and Sustainable Access to Drinking Water and Sanitation Project (Delpea)
• Multifaceted and sustainable access to water and sanitation (AMDEA)
• Water for the poor project (Eau P3)
Results
PROMOTION OF PARTICIPATORY LOCAL DEVELOPMENT
Thanks to community micro projects support; ASSEJA has developed strategies to promote participatory local development through:
1. Capacity building of CBOs,
2. Promoting the participatory management of the city,
3. Networking strategies ,
4. Information / Awareness
1 –The capacity building of CBOs
Many community-based organizations that initiate actions to improve their living environment and who are ignorant of what it takes for these actions to materialize and as well as lead to the involvement of all beneficiaries.
To fill this gap, NGO ASSEJA organizes many capacity building sessions on various topics in favour of the communities depending on their different needs:
Community Organization and Structuring
- Training on the structuring and internal management groups
- Training on the reporting of activities and group management
- Technical training on advocacy and lobbying
- Structuring support
Community participation
- Training on advocacy techniques
- Training on community mobilization techniques
- Training on techniques for assembling micro community projects
- Assistance in setting up a steering committee
-Management training for community micro-projects for each community organization supported basic
- Training on the management of community infrastructure
Sanitation
- Seminars on rubbish pre collection, pest and rodent control techniques,
- Training on the sorting and composting of household waste
To this day, the assisted communities are better organized and structured and have improved their awareness and community mobilization techniques. This has resulted in a massive involvement of the population and they have mobilized their personal contributions both in cash and in kind.
NGO ASSEJA also equally helped populations concerned to open bank accounts in which to secure their financial contributions.
They thus ensured a sound administrative, technical and financial support of their micro-projects and are concerned about the sustainability of completed works. These capacity building sessions have led to a proliferation of development initiatives in some communities and some CBOs have understood the need to come together to solve their problems.
2 - Promotion of participatory urban management
Initially, we had communities, which were trying to find solutions to problems in their neighborhoods, often through a small group of persons. More so, the councils responsible for the well-being of the populations were not actively involved in community initiatives. Similarly, the grassroot organizations were not always consulted during identification and planning of the development activities of their neighbourhoods.
Due to these observations, several actions were undertaken by NGO ASSEJA in order to create development conditions involving all stakeholders.
With communities, it has acted to establish relationships with traditional authorities (3rd class chiefs), block heads, opinion leaders and associations. Through:
- Meetings held in neighborhoods with quarter heads and association leaders on participatory development.
- Seminars organized on the concept of partnership.
- Workshops and seminars on advocacy and lobbying techniques.
Concerning regional and local authorities, collaboration was established between ASSEJA and the Yaounde local Councils. This led to the following results:
- 07 partnership agreements signed with the Yaounde local Councils: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7
- 06 neighborhood development plans drafted
- ASSEJA’s participation in 02 local council meetings of the Yaounde 3 and 6 councils
- CBOs sponsored by ASSEJA took part in consultative meetings on contract implementation by the Yaounde City Council
- CBOs participation in the meetings of the public budget implementation monitoring departmental committee for the Mfoundi, held in 2008 and 2009
With the private and public sector actors, actions are aimed at encouraging CBOs to look for partners for the realization of their micro projects. Several public sector companies were contacted and informed and this led CAMWATER, AES SONEL, CDE, HYSACAM’s contribution to community actions.
Today, several actors are involved in neighbourhood participatory development actions. The Councils are involved in the implementation of community initiatives; support which was initially institutional has now become financial hence the tripartite funding by ASSEJA / Municipal Council/ Community for the realization of micro projects. In addition, representatives of local councils took part in the community micro project selection committee. This concerned micro projects that were to be realized in neighborhoods, participatory diagnostics and they even contributed in the realization of these projects through their technical expertise. Local councils are now more imbued with the needs of their populations and adhere to the initiatives they undertake. Thanks to this initiative, in 2009, the Yaounde 3 Council included community initiatives to be financially supported by ASSEJA, in its 2010 budget.
Local stakeholders have been sufficiently prepared to play their full role as leaders and motivating force in the development activities in of their neighborhoods.
Communities are now able to negotiate partnerships agreements with local councils and companies. They have thus experienced the concept of service or community network of community while making profits.
3 - The networking strategy
For sustainable development, very often isolated actions have a small scale and short-lived impact on the concerted actions. For this reason ASSEJA has developed a networking strategy at several levels:
- Network of CBOs within each Council
- Network of civil society actors
Network of CBOs
The ASSEJA encouraged CBOs to constitute themselves into networks and carry out actions in synergy. This is to get them to combine their efforts not only to carry out activities but also for advocacy to get local authorities and other development actors to get involved in development actions. Thus, 4 networks of grassroots community-based organizations have been created in the Yaounde 1, 3, 5 and 7 Councils. These networks have received support in developing their action plans and 8 capacity building training sessions were organized for them on:
- Advocacy / lobbying techniques
- Education, health, urbanization
- Importance of networking
- Group structuring
- Monitoring and evaluation of the lobbying - Participation and community mobilization for the better involvement of communities in the actions of Council and state.
Network of civil society actors
NGO ASSEJA encourages exchanges between civil society actors working for participatory development. This explains its involvement in several networks either as a member or coordinator. We have inter alia:
- The Network of Legal NGOs in Cameroon with ASSEJA as Board Chair. Its mission is to improve the credibility and visibility of civil society organizations in Cameroon. To do this, it has set a target to defend members' interests, strengthen institutional and organizational capacities of its members, and help in the designing and implementation of development policies in Cameroon.
The existence of these networks allows for experience sharing, the definition and implementation of development activities in a concerted manner thereby increasing the accountability of different actors.
They encouraged communities to work together through information exchange and sensitization. Also, a technician can contribute through his technical expertise in the realization of the various micro projects. The implementation of action plans of the networks first of all involves resource persons identified within the network before resorting to external expertise. Networks and CBOs are therefore ASSEJA and the Councils’ relays for awareness and communication matters.
4 - Information / Awareness
Information and awareness is the prerequisite for the population’s participation in the fight against poverty. Very often they are not sufficiently informed on the actions undertaken by development actors. As such, ASSEJA has developed several ways to inform and educate population on the fight against urban poverty:
Public Awareness Campaign
4 campaigns have been organized in Yaounde as well as Bertoua. This awareness touched on many themes among which are: education, land tenure, the youth council, crime, water promotion, childcare and community initiatives.
02 participations in the exhibitions on the occasion of the national water week in 2008 and 2009 in Yaounde
04 awareness done in state structures
Production and dissemination of pedagogic and awareness materials
400 brochures and 90 ICOGESPUR Programme procedure manuals distributed
100 pamphlets and 50 ICOGESPUR Programme procedure manuals produced
28 Jeun'Action Development bulletins produced.
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Organization of information and awareness seminars
12 seminars, workshops and awareness sessions organized on the land tenure in partnership with the Yaounde 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 Councils, the Yaounde City Council structures in charge of land management.
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Radio programmes
11 interventions in radio broadcasts in Bertoua
12 radio programmes on land tenure
05 radio programmes on the themes: participatory monitoring, PRSP, HIV / AIDS, juvenile delinquency, support for vulnerable groups.
All these activities have led to a better understanding of ASSEJA actions within the framework of the fight against poverty. Communities, local elects, state structures, companies, in short, all development actors were informed and sensitized. Through these activities, communities were able to submit and resolve their problems through the implementation of micro community projects.
They were able to carry out advocacy and lobbying actions at the level of councils and other development actors, hence the co financing of community micro projects.
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Domain |
Title of project |
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Sanitation and ecological viability |
- Rehabilitation of public toilets at the Etoudi Bus station, Etoudi neighbourhood, bus Station -Construction of gutters at Oyom-Abang I - Removal of household wastes and construction of a staircase with a circulatory lane in the Mfandena neighbourhood. - The clearing out of the Abiergue River in the Nkolso’o neighbourhood. The Re- stimulation of household waste sorting at Nkol-Bikok II - Household waste pre-collection in the Yaounde 6 municipality, Biyem-Assi neighbourhood. - Household waste pre-collection at Nsimeyong II, blocks 1 to 12 -Household waste pre-collection, pest control and the extermination of rats at Oyom-Abang Centre - Household waste pre collection at Ngoa Ekelle - Household waste pre collection at OBOBOGO -Capacity building on material, organizational and structural management for the AFESODYMAB, at the Biyem-assi neighbourhood, Maison Blanche. - Rehabilitation of some gutter portions in concrete, in the Emana neighbourhood - Rehabilitation of a 30m long staircase alongside an 80m long gutter, at Nkoleton, Medjinli. - Construction of a footbridge and the clearing out of the Mfoundi River bed in the Nlongkak neighbourhood - Construction of gutters and access stairs in the Etoudi neighbourhood. -Construction of 04 public toilet blocks at the in the Cite Verte Parish, in the Cite Verte neighbourhood. - Removal of household wastes and the construction of a staircase with a circulatory track in the Mfandena neighbourhood. |
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Access track and accessibility |
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Crossing Infrastructures |
-Reinforcing some portions of the gutter in the Emana neighbourhood with concrete Servicing a portion of the road leading into the Oyom-Abang neighbourhood, Abobo. |
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Social cohesion |
Fight against social security through the construction of street lighting network at Mfandena II, Ntem Sud block. Fight against insecurity through the extension of street lighting network in Mfandena -Street lighting in Mfandena I, Safca, Edzoa block. -Extension of a street lighting network in the Cite Verte neighbourhood. - Extension of a street lighting network in the Ntem Assi, Mfandena II neighbourhood. |
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Access to drinking water |
Extension of water network on a distance of 500m with the construction of community drinking fountain at Bilono -Extension of a SNEC drinking water network on a distance of 250m and construction of a community drinking fountain at Ntem Sud. - Extension of a SNEC water network in block IV of the Minkoameyos neighbourhood. -Extension of the SNEC water network on a distance of 600m in the Awae Maison Rouge neighbourhood. -Extension of a SNEC network and construction off 03 community drinking fountains at Emana Okolo. -Extension of a drinking water network on a distance of 300m with the construction of a drinking fountain at Mvog Betsi. -Construction of a community drinking fountain at Mfandena. -Construction of a drilling water-well equipped with a manual pump at Oyom-Abang -Construction of drilling water-well with a maunual pump at Nkolbisson -Construction of a water-well with a manual pump at Oyom-Abang -Construction of a community drinking fountain in the Mvog-Betsi neighbourhood. -Construction of a community drinking fountain in the Etoudi neighbourhood. -Construction of a drilling water-well with a manual pump in Ngoulekong. - Construction of 02 community drinking fountains in the Briqueterie neighbourhood. - Construction of a community drinking fountain in the Mimboman neighbourhood. -Construction of mini network and a community drinking fountain at Ezala. -Construction of a mini network with a community drinking fountain at Ahala II -Construction of a community drinking fountain at Kondengui. - Construction of a well equipped with a manual pump - Construction of a well equipped with a manual pump at Oyom-Abang. - Construction of a community drinking fountain at Nkolndongo. - Construction of 02 wells equipped with a manual pump at Nkolka, Melen IV - Construction of a community drinking fountain at Ekounou II sud |
