 January 31, 2012: Women in Leadership, Our Continued Partnership in Cameroon
An Introduction:
Imagine that you are a robber. In front of you are two identical houses. The one on the left has a tall concrete fence, security cameras, an alarm system and a vicious sounding dog. The one of the right has a small picket fence, a tiny poodle and a pie cooling in an open window. This is not a trick question – which house would you try to break into?
When we presented this introduction of the SafeTeen program
to leaders of Femmes Pour Christ groups in Ngaoundéré the first day we arrived, they responded enthusiastically, “the second house, the one on the right!” This allowed us to dive into discussion about how we can partner in the coming months to help young women learn skills to become “hard houses” to break into. It is our shared reality that as girls and women in Canada and Cameroon, we are socialized to behave in ways that make us vulnerable to acts of violence – that make us more like “easy houses” to break into. The good news is - we can learn skills that will make us more confident, less vulnerable - and we can practice them and teach them to our sisters and brothers.
It was a mere hours after our 15 hour train ride to Ngaoundéré that Katharine, Kelly and I had our first meeting with the Femmes Pour Christ, and by our second day we had scheduled a 3 evening journey to nearby Touboro to visit the Young Women’s Centre that does work in the area of violence prevention. All three of us will travel there this coming Monday to gain insight on how the SafeTeen program will best translate to Cameroonian culture. By Wednesday we hope to facilitate a workshop (en français!) with the girls who attend the centre daily. When we return, Kelly and I will begin the development of “SafeTeen Cameroon” based on what we learned in Touboro and previous visits to Cameroon. Katharine will have the opportunity to meet with women who are currently in their internships with l’Église Évangelique Lutheriène au Cameroun (EELC), some of whom are preparing for their possible ordination this coming May
Since arriving we have benefitted from the gracious hospitality of our ELCA partners in World Mission – Anne and Willie Langdji, and have been welcomed and well taken care of by our own Jack and Val Frederick who are nearing the end of their 4 month stay here.
Coming here we were unsure how two young, independent, white women from Canada would be received offering violence prevention skills to women. We’re happy to report that we have experienced acceptance and excitement from women and men who are quick to offer support to help this project succeed.
We are excited for the upcoming weeks and ever thankful for your support and prayers.
Lisa Janke, Kelly Speak, and Rev. Katharine Bergbusch |
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