Strong civil society for sustainable development in Cameroon

Project Number: 134.1070

Our partner organizations in Cameroon, which are active in various projects, are helping to improve the living and working conditions of the population, particularly in English-speaking Cameroon, where a conflict with the Francophone central government has been escalating since 2016. Mission 21 is making an important contribution through its local coordination. The local coordinator, Lumumba Mukong, supports the project managers and partner organizations and coordinates emergency aid with churches, international and local NGOs. The coordination helps with networking and connects the local players and Mission 21 in Basel.

Background information

To ensure that the commitment of Mission 21's partner organizations and churches in Cameroon has the desired impact, the organizational and personnel development of the partner organizations plays a central role. There is a need for training and further education in the area of project and program management (planning, reporting and accounting). Our employee Lumumba Mukong and his office coordinate the country programme in Cameroon and regularly conduct further training for the project managers of the partner organizations. These are the Presbyterian Church of Cameroon (PCC), the Protestant University of Central Africa (PUCA) and the "Alliance 2023", an umbrella organization for the small partner organizations and the mandate partners in humanitarian aid. "Aid International Christian Women of Vision (AIChrisWoV), the Emmanuel Sisters and the projects of the former Stucki Foundation are part of this.

In addition, training is provided on civil society issues such as human rights, gender equality, the fight against climate change and the like. Maintaining and expanding the network, exploiting synergy effects and learning from each other are important components of this project.

Project goals

The aim of the project is to increase the impact of the projects in Cameroon. It also develops capacities in the partner organizations and strengthens networking between different actors. The coordinator Lumumba Mukong forms a bridge between the partner organizations in Cameroon and Mission 21 in Basel. This improves the flow of communication and program management. Mission 21 can thus respond more specifically to the needs of the people on the ground, especially in the current political crisis, which has led to a large number of internally displaced persons since 2016.

Target group

The coordination office works together with the partner organizations of Mission 21:

Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC)
PUCA
"The Alliance 2023", which includes AI-ChrisWoV, the Emmanuel Sisters and the former Stucki Foundation as well as mandate partners of Humanitarian Aid, including the CBC (Cameroon Baptist Convention) and local non-governmental organizations.

Activities

The scope of the coordination office primarily includes the following activities:

Program management (planning, monitoring and evaluation)
Relationship management with and support for partner organizations, especially in capacity building
Network and public relations work, including guest services
Training on topics relevant to civil society such as climate change, human rights and gender equality
Ensuring the flow of communication between Cameroon and Switzerland

Project progress

The local coordinator Lumumba Mukong took up his duties in April 2016. Since then, numerous processes have been initiated that increase the impact of Mission 21's work in Cameroon. Thanks to the coordinator, the projects in the major areas of health, education, theological training and emergency aid are better coordinated and synergies are made possible. Thanks to these activities, donations can be used even more efficiently and sustainably. In addition, there is participation in international committees and organizations, for example in the regional forum of ACT Alliance. The official registration of Mission 21 as an international organization with the Cameroonian government has strengthened our networking activities.

Donations