Why Men Die Early

Why Men die earlier than Women
James Achanyi-Fontem
Coordinator WABA MWG
According to statistics, it is observed that women outlive men in the world today, and scientists have traditionally pointed to riskier behaviour on the part of men as the reason why. Another reason for the earlier demise of men may be that they are more prone to parasitic infections. In a study report, Ian P. F. Owens, from Imperial College London, writes, that "In those species where males die younger than females, the males suffer a disproportionately high rate of parasitism. This is most extreme in those species where male-male competition for mates is most severe. From the above thought, it is believed that male-biased mortality occurs not only as a result of death through risky behaviour, but also because males are more susceptible to parasitic diseases.
Owens believes testosterone may play a key role to make men more prone to infections. The male hormone is well-recognized as an immunosuppressant, and studies have shown men who are castrated (and thus no longer produce testosterone) live about 15 years longer than men who are not castrated. Testosterone may suppress the immune system, he continues, by changing the way men's bodies allocate important resources, such as taking energy away from the immune system and using it for other purposes.
Another explanation for the increased risk for parasitic infections among males, suggested is the simple fact that men are bigger than women and thus provide a larger target for parasites
• As of 2005, the average life expectancy in the U.S. was 80.4 for women and 75.2 for men. That means men, on average, die 5.2 years earlier than women.1
• Statistics show that being male is now the single largest risk factor for early mortality in developed countries.2
• A number of genetic-biological and socio-cultural factors contribute to the longevity gap between men and women. They include differences in sex hormones, sex chromosomes, immune response, iron in the blood, natural selection, cultural conditioning and how the sexes deal with their standing in society.
• How much of the longevity gap is due to biology and how much to environment or behaviour is a matter of debate among scientists but the best data we have today suggests that only about one-third of longevity is due to genes.
• Boys in the U.S are reported to have a 29 percent higher prenatal death rate3 and are 20 percent more vulnerable to infant mortality up to age one.4
• According to a study done in 2003 by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, men have higher age-adjusted death rates than women for the 15 leading causes of death in the U.S., with the exception of Alzheimer's disease.5
• Because men usually develop heart disease 10 to 15 years earlier than women do, they are more likely to die of it in the prime of life. About one-fourth of all heart-disease-related deaths occur in men aged between 35 to 65.6
• More American men than women are reported stricken with cancer. The age-adjusted invasive cancer incidence rate per 100,000 people in 2004 was 537.6 for men and 402.1 for women.7
• Men are 30% more likely to suffer a stroke than are women, making it the third-leading cause of death in men.8
• More than twice as many men die each year because of accidents as do women.9
• Men have a 30 percent higher risk of death from pneumonia than women.10
• Men's death rates are at least twice as high as women's for suicide, homicide and cirrhosis of the liver.11
• If men attempt suicide, they are more likely to succeed than women. Suicide was the eighth leading cause of death for males and the sixteenth leading cause of death for females in 2004.12
• Scientists believe that if everybody adopted a healthy lifestyle and medical advances in prevention, early detection and treatment of disease continue at their present pace, we could achieve an average life expectancy of 85 or 90.
• As obesity becomes more pervasive in the U.S., some predict that life expectancy may actually decrease.13
• Men are more prone to taking risks than women.14 There's also evidence that they are quicker to aggression15 and more likely than females to express their aggression physically.16
• Male drivers have a 77 percent higher risk of dying in a car accident than women, based on miles driven.17
• Men are much more likely to be incarcerated than women18 and are far more likely than women to be victims of violent crime.19
• If men attempt suicide, they are more likely to succeed than women.20
• About one-quarter of adult men currently smoke at least occasionally compared with one in five women21 which can lead to higher death rates from diseases like arteriosclerotic heart disease, lung cancer and emphysema.
• Men drink more and indulge in recreational drugs more often than women, both risk factors for long-term health problems and accidental death.
A study published in the July 2000 issue of Psychological Review reported that US females are more likely to deal with stress by seeking support than men. Statistically men in Cameroon die at a younger age than women for several reasons, including genetic and biologic factors. This relates to the fact that being male is now the single largest risk factor for early mortality in developing countries on the whole.
How much of the longevity gap is due to biology and how much to environment or behaviour remains a matter of debate among scientists. According to Thomas Perls, MD, women have been outliving men for centuries though the gap has changed over time, primarily due to the hazards of childbirth. Though medical science has become more successful in providing better outcomes for women delivering babies in the developed countries to increase the longevity gap, research needs to be carried in the developing countries to learn about the current real situation estimated at 5 years of outliving men.
The longevity gap varies by age, scientists have revealed. While boys die more frequently than girls in infancy, during childhood, and during each subsequent year of life, male mortality accelerates considerably during certain stages of life. Between ages 15 and 24 years, when testosterone is at its highest levels in men, they are four to five times more likely to die than women. The gap then narrows until late middle age when the death rate for men increases mainly due to heart disease, suicide, car accidents and illnesses related to smoking and alcohol use.
In 2005, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention listed the 15 leading causes of death as the following:
• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Stroke
• Chronic lower respiratory diseases
• Accidents
• Diabetes
• Alzheimer's disease
• Influenza and pneumonia
• Kidney disease
• Septicaemia
• Suicide
• Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
• Hypertension
• Parkinson's disease
• Homicide
Consider the following:
• Because men usually develop heart disease 10 to 15 years earlier than women do, they are more likely to die of it in the prime of life. About one-fourth of all heart-disease-related deaths occur in men ages 35 to 65.5
• More men than women are stricken with cancer. The age-adjusted invasive cancer incidence rate per 100,000 people in 2004 was 537.6 for men and 402.1 for women.6
• Men are 30% more likely to suffer a stroke than are women, making it the third-leading cause of death in men.7
• More than twice as many men die each year because of accidents as do women.8
• Men have a 30 percent higher risk of death from pneumonia than women.9
• Men's death rates are at least twice as high as women's for suicide, homicide and cirrhosis of the liver.10
• If men attempt suicide, they are more likely to succeed than women. Suicide was the eighth leading cause of death for males and the sixteenth leading cause of death for females in 2004.11
Sources:
1. Sexual selection and the Male: Female Mortality Ratio; Daniel Kruger, PhD; Randolph Nesse, MD; Human Nature, 2004. 2: 66-85
2. Just Like a Woman: How Gender Science is Redefining What Makes Us Female Dianne Hales, Random House, Inc.
3. Thomas Perls, MD, Harvard Medical School, New England Centenarian Study (NECS).
4. David R. Williams, the Institute for Social Research, American Journal of Public Health, May 2003.
5. American Heart Association.
6. U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999-2004 Incidence and Mortality Web-based Report Version. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute.
7. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
8. Centres for Disease Prevention and Control.
9. University of Pittsburgh School of the Health Sciences.
10. Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan.
11. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, National Centre for Injury Prevention and Control. Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System.

Men's Health & Gender

Why men die and suffer more than women
By James Achanyi-Fontem,
Coordinator, WABA MWG
Women’s health has always an important part of national priority in most countries of the world, but unfortunately no counselling centres or offices for men’s health exist in most countries. It is within this frame work that one can rightly say that men are silently suffering through what can be described as a serious health crisis. Lifestyle is used to explain the differences in longevity between men and women.
One begins to question whether the mere suggestion that men need their own health counselling centres or health clinics or that men must advocate for their rights like a victimized minority would not rankle women’s health advocates, especially as some politicians are reluctant to take men’s health on as a cause, for fear of alienating women.
Apart from the exception of Alzheimer’s disease, takes the lives of more women than men, men die of just about every one of the leading causes of death at younger ages than women, from lung cancer to influenza and pneumonia, chronic liver disease, diabetes, sickle cell disorder and AIDS. Topping the list for both sexes is heart disease.
Cancer also strikes men disproportionately: one in three women at some point in life; one in two men. In part, that is a result of the fact that more men than women smoke, and possibly of occupational exposures.
On the other hand, men’s vulnerability appears to start quite early. More male foetuses are conceived, but they are at greater risk of stillbirth and miscarriage, scientists find. Even as infants, mortality is higher among newborn boys and premature baby boys.
Behaviour plays a role in some of the extra deaths and illnesses among men: they tend to be more aggressive than women and to take more risks. Men smoke at higher rates than women, drink more alcohol and are less likely to wear seat belts or use sunscreen. Men also suffer more accidental deaths and serious injuries and are more likely to die of injuries and car accidents. They are three times as likely to be victims of murder, four times as likely to commit suicide and, as teenagers, 11 times as likely to drown.
Some experts think that depression contributes to these reckless and self-destructive behaviours, but that just as heart disease was initially defined by men’s experiences and therefore ignored or missed in women, depression may have been framed by women’s experiences and therefore may be missed and go untreated in men.
As a result, even though more baby boys are born, among people in their mid-30s, women outnumber men. Among people age 100, women outnumber men by 8 to one. During a research study carried out by Dr. Legato, he tried asked a number questions, which tried to clarify analysis of male vulnerability like: “Why are there more miscarriages of boy foetuses? What is it about the sexing of the foetus that makes a male more vulnerable? What makes a boy less mature in terms of lung function after he’s born? And what is this propensity for risk-taking?”
One theory is that males are vulnerable because of their chromosomal makeup: where women have two X chromosomes, men have an X chromosome and a Y chromosome. “It is said that even before implantation in the wall of the uterus, the newly fertilized XX entity has a leg up,” Dr. Legato said, “because it can use that extra X to combat mutations in the chromosome that might be lethal or detrimental. And that might be a reason why females have a more sturdy constitution.”
Scientists and advocates who are concerned about men’s health are encouraging men themselves to take the first steps by accepting responsibility for their health status, seeking preventive care and making changes in habits, if necessary. New drugs for erectile dysfunction have helped bring men into doctors’ offices in recent years, experts say, but that is not enough.
Dr. Ken Goldberg, a urologist and the author of “How Men Can Live as Long as Women,” says in his work that “Men need to take as good care of their bodies as they do of their cars and trucks”. Men should stop thinking that they are bulletproof and invincible.
Research based on a 2000 survey by the Commonwealth Fund found that almost a quarter of all men had not seen a doctor during the previous year, compared with only 8 percent of women, and that one in three men had no regular doctor, compared with one in five women. More than half of men had not gone in for a routine check-up or cholesterol test during the previous year. Even if something was bothering them, the survey found, men often expressed reluctance to seek medical help. Nearly 40 percent said they would delay care for a few days, and 17 percent said they would wait at least a week.
Other studies have found that because poor women with children may qualify for Medical aid, poor men are more likely to lack health insurance. Advocates say that research must be directed at how specific diseases develop in men, but that studies should also be done to explore the underlying reasons that men do not take better care of themselves.
Dr. William Pollack, director of the Centre for Men at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., USA affiliated with Harvard Medical School thinks that the problems are rooted in how boys are raised. Very often, “we’ve socialized men from the time they are boys that ‘You have to stand on your own two feet,’ ‘If you have a problem, handle it by yourself,’ ‘Be a man, take one for the team. “All of these mean, men do not have to complain, don’t have to ask for help and they have to solve their problems by themselves.’ ”

WABA Birthing The World In Quebec, Canada 2010

WABA Birthing The World in Quebec,Canada from 12 - 17 June,2010
James Achanyi-Fontem, Cameroon Link
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, WABA, has issued an invitation to all protectors, promoters and supporters of breastfeeding worldwide to join the Global Forum III slated in Quebec City, Canada from the 12th - 17th June 2010. The message went around the world on the 14th February 2009 when WABA clocked 18. In an information sheet published during the anniversary, it narrated 18 great things that happened since the creation of the global breastfeeding promotion movement.
It would be recalled that,one of the resolutions taken during the Global Breastfeeding Partners Meeting, GBPM VII 2008 in Penang was the hosting of WABA Forum 2010 in Quebec, Canada and the exact date was awaited. During the deliberations, representatives of Quebec Public Health Association ,QPHA, made a presentation on the level of preparations. QPHA invited all Core Partners of WABA to join Quebec in Summer 2010 to rebirth the world in Canada’s historic city. Presenting templates under the theme “Birthing the World”, the association said it is going to be at the first sunrise and each birth is going to be unique, mystical and historic.
Canadians see the event as an event that belongs to the community on a long path of human evolution and participants will not only talk to themselves but to the world as a whole. The preparation of this project started in 2001 with the adoption of Quebec’s Breastfeeding Guidelines ahead of the participation in the 2nd WABA Forum in Monik St.Pierre in 2002.
In 2004 - 2005, the association presented the project to a joint session of WABA and the International Lactation Consultants Association, ILCA, before the organization was approached in 2006 to host the event by WABA's Co-Directors.
The Co-Directors of WABA, Susan Siew and Sarah Amin visited Canada in 2007 for a feasibility study with ASPQ and this led to the take off of preparations proper presented at the GBPM VII 2008 in Penang, Malaysia. At the heart of the mission of ASPQ is health and members keep questioning themselves about the way forward by mobilizing people and influencing decision makers.
In Canada, ASPQ contributes to prevention, promotion and improving the health and well being of people.
A major activity of the organization in the past 30 years has been centred on “Perinatality”, which is the period from conception to when the child is 24 months of age. The continuum of perinatality includes pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding.
At this time, consideration is given to the mother and child with a lot of question, analysis as a critical eye is developed towards the dominant culture linked to perinatal issues. ASPQ has organized four international conferences on different themes which include, to give birth or be delivered in 1980, annual perinatal isssues in 1990, obstetrics and public health in 2004, becoming a parent in 2008. The last conference looked into the wants and needs of parents. The international conference of 2010 within the WABA Forum will focus on the theme of "Birthing the World".
It should be noted that in Canada, health is under provincial jurisdiction. At the Federal Government level, Health Canada and the Canadian Public Health Agency supervize activities and take decisions. At the provincial levels are implanted the ministry of health and social services, which serve populations of up to 7.5 million inhabitants directly as the public health link.
The public health mandate in Canada is to protect culture, under which are community life styles, the medical care system and human made environment issues interact. These services check personal behaviour, psycho-social environment, physical environment and human biology, which all affect families and biosphere.
Canada has 23 certified Baby Friendly Hospitals, birthing centres and community health services. Out of the 23, 17 are found in Quebec. This could be the good reason that opened the doors for Quebec hosting the WABA Forum which is usually a fertile ground for learning and exchange of experiences. The breastfeeding history of Quebec, however, tells us that two generations of mothers have not breastfed their babies and breastfeeding initiation rates have remained as low as 20%.
Breastfeeding objectives were integrated into public health national priorities in Canada only in 1997. According to the decision of the WABA GBPM last October, 2010 would also be a good venue and opportunity to hold the first-ever men's initiative forum as men get more and more involved in breastfeeding promotion and protection.
For more on the men's initiative, click on http://camlinknews.blogspot.com/ and http://uk.youtube.com/camlink99 for events in video format.

Benefits of Breastfeeding
According to the US Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, ABM, breastfeeding offers irrefutable and long-lasting health benefits for both mother and baby, who are supported by a comprehensive body of scientific research, including original articles and reviews such as those in Breastfeeding Medicine, the peer-reviewed journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.
According to leaders of the Academy, despite a sound scientific basis for the advantages of breastfeeding, dissenting opinions that aim to discredit breastfeeding, and question its relevance for women, receive exposure in the mass media such as the recent article in The Atlantic. Critics of breastfeeding do a disservice to new mothers around the world who seek the facts about the proven health benefits of breastfeeding as they often misrepresent the scientific findings and wrongly base global recommendations on the experiences and views of select groups of women.
Clinical and basic science research supports the role of breastfeeding in the development of a baby’s immune system and the presence of maternal antibodies protects infants against infection. Artificial feeding is also associated with increased risk of common disorders of early childhood such as ear infections, asthma, skin disorders, digestive problems, and respiratory tract infections. Studies have also linked artificial feeding to increased risk for obesity, type 1 and 2 diabetes, childhood leukemia, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and necrotizing enterocolitis. Mothers benefit as well, and a history of breastfeeding has been associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and of breast and ovarian cancer.
With this growing body of evidence, and increasing support among health and medical professionals, breastfeeding rates in the U.S. are in fact on the rise. “But we are reminded as articles like this arise that misinformation abounds. Our goal is to continue to educate healthcare professionals to support mothers who understand the singular importance of breastfeeding and choose to do so,” remarks Caroline J. Chantry, MD, President of the Academy.
“The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine encourages all women to make an informed choice when faced with the question of how to feed their infants based on strong, well-referenced scientific information. The data are compelling, scientific, and reinforced constantly. Breastfeeding for the new mother may not always be easy, but it is important and rewarding for both mother and infant,” says Ruth A. Lawrence, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Breastfeeding Medicine, from the Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.
The Academy is a global organization of physicians dedicated to the promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding through education, research, and advocacy ( www.bfmed.org).
The Academy promotes the development and dissemination of clinical practice guidelines, and offers clinical protocols for the care of breastfeeding mothers and infants which are available on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) National Guideline Clearinghouse website. The education of physicians and other healthcare professionals is the continuing goal of its Annual International Meeting; the 2009 Meeting will be held November 5-8 in Williamsburg, VA.
Breastfeeding Medicine is an authoritative, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal published quarterly. The journal publishes original scientific articles, reviews, and case studies on a broad spectrum of topics in lactation medicine. It presents evidence-based research advances and explores the immediate and long-term outcomes of breastfeeding, including the epidemiologic, physiologic, and psychological benefits of breastfeeding. The Academy's complete position statement appears on the Academy website ( www.bfmed.org).
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, 140 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215(800) 990.4ABM (914) 740.2115 Fax: (914) 740.2101 Email: abm@bfmed.org Web site: www.bfmed.org
“Breastfeeding is going natural”

Commonwealth Professional Fellowship Quality Management Training

FFF Cameroon Training Evaluation Report

Award Holder: James Achanyi-Fontem
Address: Cameroon Link, P.O, Box 1460 Douala, Littoral Province, Cameroon
Telephone: (237) 77758840 Fax: (237) 33391356
Email: camlink99@gmail.com or jafontem@yahoo.com
COURSE CONTENT COVERED
INDUCTION ON OVERALL AIM OF COURSE
The Director of the Sickle Cell Society, Dr. Asa’ah Nkohkwo, organized the induction which consisted of what the society is all about and is doing. He explained in details the content of the training programme which was basically, on the transfer through on-the-job “Best Practice” exposure to Fine Forest Foundation – Cameroon managers, the ropes of value-for-money sustainability and responsive community-led NGO management skills.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
These covered value for money system accountability appraisal in relation to:
 CORPORATE PLANNING: CP>IP>FRS>DELIVERY
 OBJECTIVES SETTING & ACTION TRANSLATION
 METROLOGY REPORTING & PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY
 STAKEHOLDER IMPACT ASSESSMENT
 MARKETING, PR & STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
SPECIFIC AREAS COVERED
 EXPOSURE TO A TYPICAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM SET-UP USING THE SICKLE CELL SOCIETY AS AN EXAMPLE
 BUSINESS PLANNING & PROJECT MANAGEMENT
 BUDGETING FOR GROWTH
 DIRECT / INDIRECT INCOME GENERATION TO DELIVER OBJECTIVE
 BOOK KEEPING (TRACEABLE INCOME DEPLOYMENT)
 KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION SYSTEM (ICT, WEBSITE, FILING ETC)
 QUALITY ASSURANCE & CONTROL
 STAKEHOLDER SATISFACTION
 FUNDRAISING & MICRO-FINANCE
 EVENTS MANAGEMENT BY BTP
 HEALTH PROMOTION

DELIVERY METHODS

 INDUCTION & MODULE LECTURES
 LEARNING SET & TUTORIAL WITH PRACTICE
 MODELS APPRAISAL: SICKLE CELL SOCIETY- PQASSO = practical quality assurance for small (& medium)- sized organizations)
 LEARNING VISITS TO COMPANIES, ORGANISATIONS & COLLEGES
 OUTREACH PLACEMENTS
 SELF DIRECTED ENQUIRY AND JOINING IN
 PLACEMENTS: OCTOBER & NOVEMBER 2008
 MONITORING, EVALUATIONS & REPORTS : 1-12 DECEMBER

DELIVERY PARTNERS

 SICKLE CELL SOCIETY
 BRITISH COUNCIL – (COMMONWEALTH COMMISSION)
 NSTECHNOMED LTD
 TMG FOUNDATION
 OUTREACH MANAGEMENT SERVICES LTD

TUTORS
Dr. ASA’AH NKOHKWO, PROJECT LEAD
Dr. JANE WAI-OGOSU, SICKLE CELL SOCIETY & LFGSCA
MIRIAM WILLIAMS, SICKLE CELL SOCIETY
KALPNA PATEL, SICKLE CELL SOCIETY
IYAMIDE THOMAS, SICKLE CELL SOCIETY & LFGSCA
COMFORT NDIVE, SICKLE CELL SOCIETY & LFGSCA
EDMOND ASONGANYI, FINE FOREST FOUNDATION
Dr. STELLA NANA-FABU, FINE FOREST FOUNDATION
Dr. ROSEMARY BURNLEY, TMG FOUNDATION
Prof. SAMA NWANA, NSTECHNOMED & TMG FOUNDATION
Mrs. ELIZABETH EMMANUEL, NSTECHNOMED
JULIUS NKENGANYI, NSTECHNOMED
YVONNE NDIFOR, NSTECHNOMED
JOHN MENSAH, OUTREACH MANAGEMENT SERVICES Ltd
LFGSCA= London Focus Group on Sickle Cell in Africa

BUSINESS PLANNING & PROJECT MANAGEMENT
John Mensah of Outreach Management Services addressed the issues of business planning, project design and management in theory and practice. The following were treated step by step:
 Fundraising and resource mobilisation
 Diversity and Equal Opportunities
 Presentation & Communication Skills
 Networking
 Management Development
 Business Plan
 Project Management Advocacy and Campaigns
 Public Relations
 Roles and Responsibilities of boards and trustees
Outreach Management Services specializes in providing solutions to charities, community and voluntary groups by equipping them with relevant skills. It assists groups of all sizes to maximize their potential through cost effective training and capacity building. Outreach delivery was highly participative and enabled the trainees to achieve insight and clarity.

BUDGETING FOR GROWTH AND BOOK KEEPING WITH TRACEABLE INCOME DEPLOYMENT
Ms Yvonne Ndifor, Assistant Company Secretary, NSTechnoMed UK lectured on budgeting for growth and book keeping with traceable income deployment. The content delivered included the following objectives:
 Examine and analyze the basic concept and principles of budgeting.
 Examine and analyze the basic concept and principles of bookkeeping in particular regards to traceable income deployment.
 At the end of the training, participants should be able to prepare and set up a budget and carry out basic bookkeeping within an organisation.
Explaining what budgeting for growth is all about, Ms. Ngechop Yvonne Claire NDI described the nature of a budget under:
 What is a budget?
 The importance of budgeting within an organization
 Different types of budgets
 The distinction between a budget and a cash flow
 Steps involve in preparing a budget
 A practical example involving the preparation of a budget
On BOOK KEEPING, the award holders were taught the basic, main areas of book keeping within an organization, Key rules, guidelines and basic principles of book keeping for traceable audit.
Practical training on book keeping principles with particular emphasis to small and medium size organisations and charitable organization was offered.

FUNDRAISING & MICRO-FINANCE
Public health and food security-The impact of Micro-finance on Households’ Food Security in rural communities of West Cameroon
Edmond Asonganyi of Fine Forest Foundation-UK specialized in development issues guided the fellows from Cameroon on how micro-finance could be deployed for poverty alleviation through the promotion of house-hold food security in rural communities.
In his lecture , he examined rural poor households Micro-finance activities and explored the strength and the limitations of micro-finance as a means to reduce households’ Food insecurity
Edmond Asonganyi described Micro-finance as a financial service targeting and catering for clients who are excluded from the conventional financial system on account of their lower economic status. Microfinance can include Micro credit, Micro-savings, Micro-insurance and payment (www.Micro-financealliance, 2007)On food security, he said, it is access by all people at all times to the food needed for a healthy life (Braun, et al. 1992)
He emphasized on the fact that Food Security has been an international development issue since the 1960s (Gala, 2002).
This is justified by the fact that about 820 million people suffer from food insecurity worldwide and the first millennium goal is to half the proportion of people suffering from hunger by 2015.
Malnutrition is seen as the leading cause of death in developing countries, while Poverty is the underlying cause of malnutrition (Young, et al. 2001). In the developing countries, the poor do not have collaterals to borrow money from traditional bankers to enhance their well being

ROLE OF INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY IN NGO MANAGEMENT
It was within the context of the above title that MICROSOFT application programs were taught to the Commonwealth fellows from Cameroon by Julius Nkenganyi, NSTechnoMed Marketing Service
Apart from learning about Microsoft Applications, the trainees were drilled on general basic computer functions, parts and usage. Emphasis was laid on electrostatic discharge, electricity and general health and safety when using a computer.

Microsoft Word
Being one of the most commonly used, Microsoft Soft application, Microsoft Word was taught to the trainees who learnt the basics of word processing within the environment of Microsoft Word. This will help us to be self reliant in their daily operations in terms creating and editing word document. Otherwise we might have to hire somebody to do it for us. Our being knowledgeable will save money.
Topics learnt included the following, though not limited to:
Introduction into Microsoft Word
Starting and working with Microsoft Word
viewing the toolbars
creating A New word Document
Formatting and Editing Text
Inserting a Table
Inserting a Picture
Inserting Page Numbers and Date/Time
Spell Checking Your Document

Microsoft Excel
With Microsoft Excel, as an award holders l learnt the basics of creating spreadsheets, recording and analyzing data for viewing and collaboration. I also learnt how to create customized formulas for data and analyze it with the easy to construct charts. Topics taught on excel include:
Introduction into Excel
Spreadsheet Basics
Creating Spread sheets
Modifying a Worksheet
Formatting Cells
Formulas and Functions
Sorting and Filing
Graphics
Charts
Page Properties and Printing

Microsoft Access
Sometimes a charity could be overwhelmed by the large quantities of data that need to be tracked in the organization. The Fine Forest Foundation Cameroon Management team is now not left behind in this capability age. Therefore, it becomes imperative were taught Access; because Access provides FFF Cameroon with the software tools they need to organize data in a flexible and easy to retrieve manner within their organisation.
The Commonwealth trainees working as a team learnt basic Access, which touched on the following:
Introduction into Access
Creating and Inputting Data into a new database
Creating and entering records into a table
Editing databases
Queries
Reports

Microsoft Publisher
Publisher was used to teach how to easily create and customize materials such as newsletters, brochures, flyers and catalogs. The FFF Cameroon will save much money and time by using this soft ware to produce its newsletters. Topics taught included:
Introduction into Microsoft Publisher
Starting up Publisher
Creating Publications based on template
Create a Publication with a Wizard.
Creation of Brochures, Flyers, Catalogs and Newsletters

PowerPoint
The Application of powerpoint is used during presentations.

Internet
Set-up & use of email facility
basics of website design, registration & updating
e-marketing
e-dialogue interactivity: discussion forums
ICT Policy: safety & security & regulations

Commonwealth NGO Mentors Drilled on Quality Assurance & Control
The chance of Business Sustainability can ONLY ever be maximized through endeavoring to incubate and live Quality Assurance (QA) and Control.. This observation was made by Prof. Sama Nwana of TMG Foundation UK during a lecture for Fine Forest Foundation Cameroon NGO Mentorship on sustainable management.
Speaking on Quality Assurance, Prof. Sama Nwana, said this refers to planned and systematic production processes that provide confidence in a product’s suitability for its intended purpose. Quality Assurance is a set of activities intended to ensure that products satisfy customer requirements in a systematic, reliable fashion. He added, however, that QA cannot absolutely guarantee the production of quality products, but makes this more likely.
Prof. Sama Nwana went on to say, that two key principles characterise QA, which are “fit for purpose” and “right first time”. Fit for purpose simply means that the product should be suitable for the intended purpose, while right first time means, mistakes should be eliminated from the start. QA includes regulation of the quality of raw materials, assemblies, products and components, services related to production, and management, production and inspection processes.

FFF Cameroon Joins Commonwealth Fellows Network
Three managers from the Fine Forest Foundation, FFF, Cameroon on Monday, 17th November, 2008 joined their counterparts from other parts of the world in a welcome Forum Event organized by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, CSC in London.. The three, who represented the FFF were Ursula Fontem, Anastasia Atabong and James Achanyi from Cameroon. The three were engaged in a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship training hosted by the Sickle Cell Society UK, aimed at capacitating them on how to operate a charity effectively for the empowerment of local communities in Cameroon.
At the welcome event for new award holders, Professor Trudy Harpham, Chair of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom announced that the organization’s fellowship programme will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2009.
It is important to recall that the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission is responsible for managing Britain’s contribution to the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, CSFP. The CSFP is an international programme under which members governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries. The plan was established at the first conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Oxford, UK in 1959 and is reviewed by ministers during their triennial meetings.
It is the only scholarship scheme in the world to receive such high-level recognition and it has become one of the most prestigious international scholarship schemes The scholarships and fellowships are funded by host country governments, though the United Kingdom has been the leading contributor to the CSFP, followed by Canada
Awards have also been held at some stage in over twenty commonwealth countries, and recipients have come from virtually all Commonwealth countries. Presenting the key note speech during the welcome 2008 event, David Lammy, MP, Minister of State for Higher Education and intellectual Property invited the the new award holders to play an important role in the CSC community from the time they take up their awards.
Over 26.000 individuals have received awards since 1959 and have had exceptional records in rising to positions of prominence in their chosen professions. Most of them have gone on to become academics, writers, scientists and leaders of government, major NGO and the business world. Being part of the CSC community, gives fellows a unique opportunity to network with a diverse range of talented people around the Commonwealth.
The existing networks send out quarterly newsletters that provide information on then latest research developments, conference news and funding opportunities relevant to those around the Commonwealth. Issued tackled in the newsletter surround agriculture and rural development, education, environment, gender, governance, civil society and community development, science and technology, health, faith and civil society. It is within this frame work that David Lammy called on the 2008 fellows to share their news and research activities when they return to their different countries.
Meanwhile at the Sickle Cell Society, Dr. Asa’ah Nkohkwo and his team coached the FFF Cameroon managers on the value-for-money systems accountability appraisal through the on-the-job best practice exposure. The trainees received lectures on the ropes of responsive community-led NGO management. Issues treated at the Sickle Cell Society ranged from corporate planning, objective setting and action translation, metrology reporting and public accountability, stakeholders impact assessment, marketing, public relations and strategic planning..
To impact the Fine Forest Foundation trainees, the team of SCS consultants introduced them to specific areas of typical management system set-up, business planning and project management, budgeting for growth, resourcing by direct and indirect income generation book keeping, traceable income development, knowledge acquisition system like website and filing, quality assurance and control, stakeholder satisfaction, fundraising and micro-finance, events management and health promotion.
Contributions were made by John Mensah of Outreach Management Services, that is specialized in providing solutions to charities, community and voluntary groups. He equipped the FFF trustees with relevant skill for arriving at community project ownership.
Ms. Yvonne Ndifor , the Assistant Company Secretary of NSTechnoMed UK, guided the Cameroon managers on budgeting for growth and book keeping, while emphasizing on traceability of income deployed in a project.
The role of information, communication management and technology in NGO management was handled by Julius Nkenganyi, a specialist in social marketing. He taught Microsoft application programmes which are applicable to project management for good governance and accountability.
There is no doubt that if the FFF Cameroon manager deploy the knowledge gather during their stay in the United Kingdom, everybody will turn out as winner including the local community populations.
For more on this report, click on the following link: http://cameroonlink.blogspot.com/ or the YouTube at http://uk.youtube.com/camlink99&view=videos
Significance of training
1.. We gained knowledge based skills which are significant to enhancing organizational capacities of our staff and the earned knowledge will be transferred to other NGOs in Cameroon through the planning and execution of simulation workshops and seminars on issues treated during our course.
2. TOT Communication, management and teamwork skills treated by specialists in the field in theory and practice. Team building and networking was taught in relation to planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation. This is found to be critical for peer learning, especially as we shall be organizing training for leaders of other NGOs, CBOs and FBOs in Cameroon on what we acquired during our Commonwealth Professional Fellowship Course in the UK.
3. Information Technology skills acquired were tested practically, as we created info blog where bits of the pertinent information collected are placed on Google for sharing at http://cameroonlink.blogspot.com/ There is also a YouTube in operation as a result of the training at http://uk.youtube.com/camlink99&view=videos
The same skills on Information Technology for communication will be applied for improving our management capacities, sharing information and producing reports on our work for partners and donors.
4. We were taught management analytical skills in decision making and report writing. This is going to be vital for exchanging basic, accurate and timely information amongst all stakeholders involved in the promotion of FFF Cameroon activities.

Back In Cameroon
Immediate Objectives
 Develop a social mobilization for information and education of community leaders from NGO, CBO, FBO managers and government partner institutions on the outcome of our training/.
 Develop vital national networking and strategic management capacity building training to share experiences earned in UK with other NGO managers throughout Cameroon
 Organise advocacy campaigns on Sickle Cell Disorder awareness and support for sickle cell bearers. Regular Information, Education and Information planned activities will be undertaken.
Mid Term Objectives Expand greater awareness and prevention campaigns on Sickle Cell Disorder in Cameroon at the level of colleges. Pro-actively work with other health associations and NGOs to develop their managerial skills.
 Empowerment women on micro-credit development systems for the alleviation of poverty.
Objectives in the long term
*Ensure that the views of those affected by Sickle Cell Disorder are represented at national and international levels.
*Engage stakeholders meaningfully in order to address health inequalities and promote the improvement of the quality of treatment of the less advantaged populations.

Quality Management Training For FFF Cameroon In London

Quality Management Training For FFF Cameroon In London
By James Achanyi-Fontem, Cameroon Link
Three top level manager of Fine Forest Foundation have just ended quality assurance and control management training under the supervision of consultants of Sickle Cell Society in London, UK. The overall aim of the training was to provide the trainees with on-the-job best practice exposure that could build and enhance their capacity in terms of the provision of value-for-money sustainability and responsive community-led NGO management.
Introducing the course, Chief Executive Officer of Suckle Cell Society UK, Dr. Mbi. Asaah Nkohkwo said, the value-for-money systems accountability appraisal taught the Cameroonian FFF Cameroon team, is going to serve for better corporate planning and delivery, while set objectives will be easily translated into action.
Metrology reporting and public accountability, stakeholder impact assessment, marketing, public relations and partnership strategies were issues treated during the three-month long training.
The trainees were introduced to a typical management system set-up, business planning and project management, budgeting for growth, direct and indirect income generation to deliver objectives, book keeping with traceable income deployment, information technology web site, filing knowledge acquisition, quality assurance and control, stake holder satisfaction, fund raising and micro finance, events management and health promotion.
Ursula Fontem, Anastasia Atabong and James Achanyi were introduce to the several delivery methods including the use of a learning set and tutorial, models appraisal adopted by the Sickle Cell Society and PQASSO. Learning visits, out reach placements, self-directed enquiry and joining-in were other methods deployed to hand over known to the Cameroon managers.
Apart from the Sickle Cell Society UK, the other delivery partners included the British Council and the Commonwealth Commission, North-South TechnoMed, The Millennium Goals Foundation, TMG, United Kingdom and Outreach Management Services UK.
Outreach Management Services is specialized in providing solutions to charities, community and voluntary groups by equipping them with relevant skills. It helps groups of all sizes to maximize their potentials and become leaders in their fields. The training model of Outreach is high participative to enable the trainees to achieve insight and clarity, especially as the courses are design for people with different levels of experience.
Sickle Cell Society UK was formed in 1979, raises awareness and provides support to those suffering from the most common genetic blood disorder in the world. By the end of 1990s, members of the board recognized that in order for the organization to continue to have impact on the communities, a new approach of management was required.
In July 2002, Dr. Asa’ah Nkohkwo, a NHS-trained manager and the then Company Secretary of the Society, with some ideas about what changes wee needed, was appointed the new Director. He has undertaken a change management programme towards introducing efficiencies to all areas of the organization, saving costs as well as improving service and scope.
That ia just part of what the Scikle Cell Society UK tried sharing with the managers of Fine Forest Foundation Cameroon for three months. This story is continued in other blogs under different news titles. Click on this connection and return to http://cameroonlink.blogspot.com/

Cameroon NGO Joins Commonwealth Fellows Network 2008

FFF Cameroon Joins Commonwealth Fellows Network
By James Achanyi-Fontem, Cameroon Link
Three top level managers from the Fine Forest Foundation, FFF, Cameroon on the 17th November, 2008 joined their counterparts from other parts of the world in a welcome day event organized by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, CSC, in the United Kingdom. The three, Ursula Fontem, Anastasia Atabong and James Achanyi-Fontem from Cameroon represented the FFF in what was described by many as a crowd pulling and enriching exchange annual event. James Achanyi-Fontem seen on this blog,is also the Chief Executive Officer of Cameroon Link and triples as the International Coordinator of the WABA Men's Working Group. The managers were engaged in a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship training hosted at the Sickle Cell Society UK, which aimed at capacitating them on how to operate a charity effectively for the empowerment of local communities in Cameroon.
At the welcome event for the new award holders, Professor Trudy Harpham, Chair of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom announced that the organization’s fellowship programme will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2009.
It is recalled that the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission is responsible for managing Britain’s contribution to the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, CSFP. The CSFP is an international programme under which member governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries. The plan was established at the first conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Oxford, United Kingdom in 1959 and is reviewed by ministers during their triennial meetings.
It is the only scholarship scheme in the world to receive such high-level recognition and it has become one of the most prestigious international scholarship schemes. The scholarships and fellowships are funded by host country governments, though the United Kingdom has been the leading contributor to the CSFP, followed by Canada.
Awards have also been held at some stage in over twenty commonwealth countries, and recipients have come from virtually all Commonwealth countries. Presenting the key note speech during the CSFP welcome 2008 event, David Lammy, MP, Minister of State for Higher Education and intellectual Property invited new award holders to play an important role in the CSC community from the time they take up their awards.
Over 26.000 individuals have received awards since 1959 and have had exceptional records in rising to positions of prominence in their chosen professions. Most of them have gone on to become academics, writers, scientists and leaders of government, major NGO and the business world. Being part of the CSC community, gives fellows a unique opportunity to network with a diverse range of talented people around the Commonwealth.
The existing networks send out quarterly newsletters that provide information on the latest research developments, conference news and funding opportunities relevant to those around the Commonwealth. Issues tackled in the newsletter surround agriculture and rural development, education, environment, gender, governance, civil society and community development, science and technology, health, faith and civil society. It is within this frame work that David Lammy called on the 2008 fellows to share their news and research activities when they return to their different countries.
Meanwhile at the CEO of Sickle Cell Society, Dr. Asa’ah Nkohkwo and his team engaged in a very dense coaching programme for three months of the FFF Cameroon managers on the value-for-money systems accountability appraisal through the on-the-job best practice exposure. The trainees received lectures on the ropes of responsive community-led NGO management. Issues treated at the Sickle Cell Society ranged from corporate planning, objective setting and action translation, metrology reporting and public accountability, stakeholders impact assessment, marketing, public relations and strategic planning..
To impact the Fine Forest Foundation trainees valuable and durable management strategies, the team of SCS consultants introduced them to specific areas of typical management system set-up, business planning and project management, budgeting for growth, resourcing by direct and indirect income generation book keeping, traceable income development, knowledge acquisition system like website and filing, quality assurance and control, stakeholder satisfaction, fundraising and micro-finance, events management and health promotion.
Contributions were made by John Mensah of Outreach Management Services, specialized in providing solutions to charities, community and voluntary groups. He equipped the FFF trustees with relevant skills for arriving at community project ownership.
Mrs. Ngechop Yvonne Claire Ndifor , the Assistant Company Secretary of NSTechnoMed UK, guided the Cameroon managers on budgeting for growth and book keeping, while emphasizing on traceability of income deployed in a project.
The role of information, communication management and technology in NGO management was handled by Julius Nkenganyi, a specialist in IT Social Marketing. He expanded on Microsoft application programmes applicable to project management for good governance and accountability in small and medium size organisations.
There is no doubt that if the FFF Cameroon managers deploy the knowledge and experiences gather during their stay in London, United Kingdom, Cameroon will turn out as winner including the government and local community populations.

S.O.S for Mercy, Twins and Triplets

The story of Mercy’s twins and triplets
By James Achanyi-Fontem, Cameroon Link
Cameroon Link received Atabong Mercy, 26 years and mother of eight children at its counselling centre in Bonabéri-Douala. Mercy was born on the 3rd December 1982 and she started her marital life at 16 and in eleven years gave birth to eight children, amongst them twins and triplets out of five pregnancies. The first child in the family ZANFACK Gaston and Atabong Mercy was born in 1997 and at 11, DEMEFFO Joshua Stollone is already in college. The second, DEMEFFO Carine was born in 1999 before the twins : DEMEFFO Reine and DEMEFFO Bétanie in 2001. In 2003 DEMEFFO Blessing was delivered before the arrival of the triplets: Demeffo Dani Chama, Demeffo Daniella Chékina and Demeffo Asonganyi Daniel on the 25 August 2007.
We discovered Atabong Mercy and her triplets during an educative talk organized to the documentation centre of Cameroon Link on the 6th August 2008 during open door celebrations of the World Breastfeeding Week. On that sunny day, the triplets were 11 months 19 days old and Mercy brought them to participate at the educative talk organized on the open door occasion. This gave the opportunity for others to listen to Mercy’s testimony on how she successfully breastfed all her children exclusively for six months and above for some of her children.
Atabong Mercy is an exceptional mother because in Cameroon it is often believed that when a woman gives birth to twins and if amongst the babies, there is a boy and a girl, she will no longer give birth to twins during other deliveries. Atabong Mercy crushed this rule by making the exception by deliverin,g triplets. Atabong Mercy is today called "Magni", the traditional title to honour a mother of twins or triplets. Magni needs to be encouraged for her to bring up her children well and give the children equal opportunities like all others. We conducted the interview that follows for Not For Fathers Only, as Atabong Mercy tells the story of her motherhood and the type of assistance she receives from her husband, ZANFACK Gaston.
Question : Hello, Mercy ! You are welcome to the WABA Mother Support Taskforce Newsletter. Can you tell us the story about how you discovered Gaston, your dear husband. How did your relationship start?
Mercy: I met my husband when I was aged of 16 years. I had just obtained my Primary and Elementary School Education Certificate, CEPE. When I discovered Gaston, my going to school stopped because we were in love.
Q: What was your husband at that time?
M: He was a palm wine tapper (vigneur) and he also broke pebbles to sell to those building houses.He also travelled a lot to Nigeria for trading. Gaston had a lot difficulties and problems in his life before bankruptcy when in Nigeria. He finally decided to return to live in the village. This was still not easy for him because people mocked at him lot.
Q: When did you begin to give birth to your children?
M: We had two children when we were in the village : DEMEFFO Joshua Stallone and DEMEFFO Carine. The first was in 1997. We moved to Douala when my husband found a job at the sea port in the economic capital of Cameroon. As a lorry driver, he travelled to the Republic of Congo to distribute products manufactured in Cameroon by their company. It is in Douala that we got our twins: DEMEFFO Reine and DEMEFFO Bétanie. The twins were followed by a girl, DEMEFFO Blessing before the triplets: Demeffo Dani Chama, Demeffo Daniella Chékina and Demeffo Asonganyi Daniel on the 25th August 2007. At that time, my husband had got a new job with PASTA food company.
Q: How did it happen that at your young age of 16 years you decided to get married to Gaston who had no job?
M : He had no job, but we loved ourselves and agreed to stay together as a couple. At the time I knew him, he was a typhoid patient and was very often sick. Looking at his situation, from time to time, I went to tap the palm wine in his place for use to make some money. I also broke pebbles in his place and gathered them to sell. My family in Lebialem opposed my relationship with Gaston. My parents propsed several postulants to me for marriage, but I repelled the proposals though these persons were richer than Gaston. I believed that marry ing someone who is rich does not replace love and happiness. I preferred to remain in the home where God had first chosen for me. With a lot of pressure of my parents, I escaped from our home and left to join Gaston where he was staying in the village.
Q : So, you escaped from your family to join Gaston’s home ?
M : Yes ! I escaped to join him, and it when he got a job that Gaston visited my parents to pay the dowry to my family to legalize our marriage by Cameroon tradition. So, we are married legally.
Q: In what year did you start your dating relationship?
M: We started our love affair in 1996 and I became pregnant, though still very small. Luckily I got my first child in 1997 without a problem and the second in 1999. That is how we continued to create our own family with deliveries between two and three years intervals. The twins were born in 2001 followed by the fourth pregnancy in 2004 before the fifth which brought the triplets in 2007.
Q : When we look at the gaps between your baby deliveries, it is imaged that you had wanted to opt for a good planning family scheme. But your five deliveries that have given eight children. What is your impression after having delivered twins and then triplets ?
M: As mother, I believe that children come from God and I have accepted all my children. They do not get sick very often and I believe that it is God who protects them.
Q : You participated in the educative talk on the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding during first six months of the life of babies. With your multiple deliveries, how did you organize breastfeeding of your children ?
M : All my children have had the privilege to be breastfed exclusively for six month and above for some. During my stay in the village, there was no conflict between the breastmilk and artificial milk because the poor peasant mothers do not have the means to invest on formulae products. We count on our gardens and farms to feed our children and families. I breastfed my first son for seven month exclusively and I gave him all the food we ate at home from the eighth month. He was breastfed for twenty four months even when we complimented with household meals. The others were also breastfed exclusively for six months.
Q:What is your observation when you successfull breastfeed your children ?M: First, they do not cry and I have observed that my children do not fall sick regularly. The first was admitted in college at 11 years and while in primary school he was always amongst the first ten in their class. We have no money, and our children support us by doing well in school. It is when I listened to two programmes on the activities of Cameroon Link on Radio and Television announcing the open door educative talk that i decided to come and participate with a testimony of how i breastfed my twins and triplets. Other mothers in the hall were anxious to carry my babies to feel their weight. Many were very surprised, though happy with what they witnessed about the triplets. My triplets began to move at 11 months. The others moved a little bit earlier at 10 months. But I have to testify that I had a lot problems breastfeeding three children, one after the other. It was necessary for me to eat regular balanced diets and drink a lot water. As the children aged in weeks and months, my breast produced milk, but it was not always enough for the three children if breastfed at the same moment. As I began lossing weight myself, I had to plannify the breastfeeding hours in way to spread the periods with a difference of one hour for each child. This permitted two children to be sleeping when one of them was suckled. It was not easy, but I managed it.
I believed that my breast did not produce enough milk at one point because I worked a lot at home and in the farm. I did not get enough assistance from my family relatives or the community. This is explained by the fact that everyone was engaged in their own farm work and care for their own children and families. This pushed me to wean them at ten months when they started getting up and standing. Another problem is that when children start moving they eat a lot. I need help and assistance for their feeding. Certainly in three years, it would be the problem of sending them to school. This necessitates money. It is for these reasons that I decided to participate at Cameroon Link open door educative talk. In other countries, mothers like us are assisted by the government, but since I started getting my children, the twins and later the triplets, I have received not aid from the government or public as yet. Persons of will good should know this and come to my aid through Cameroon Link.
Q : How did you organize complementary feeding of your children?
M : In the village, we have gardens that produce vegetables, farms for subsistence crops that produce food and we have also a small poultry farm that produces eggs and chickens for the household and for sale. I associate all these items to feed my children. What I sell assists me to give them clothing. I thank God because they are not sick. What I have also observed is that their growth rate decreased when I stopped to breastfeed the triplets. It is important to continue to breastfeed a baby even when he or she has begun to eat others foods. As a baby grows, he or she spends a lot of energy in playing too.
Q : Why did you remain in the village when your husband worked in Douala?
M: I remained in the village because the accommodation was not enough for ou large family. Accommodation in Douala City is very expensive and our family income is not enough. The cost of life in general is very high, especially if we consider the current food market prices. My husband did not get a job rapidly and even what he has currently is temporary occupation. One could therefore not live in Douala with all these children because others needed to continue to go to school. Schooling costs are less expensive to the village.
Q : Your husband is truck driver and his profession keeps him regularly on the move How do you organize to discuss problems related to the children’s care with him ?
M: Our situation is truly difficult. My husband is constantly in search of a better job because he earns only " Eighty Five Thousand Francs CFA (US$ 210) a month as salary. This is very small for a large family of ten persons. This means that each person in our family of the ten lives on US$ 20 only for a month. This is why the absence of my husband from the house does not disturb me a lot. During his multiple trips, we are constantly on the telephone to discuss family problems, because even when he is around during the weekends on Sunday, he is always tired and his does not remain long with us. We cannot do otherwise.
Q: You do not have a job and your husband’s job is not a permanent one with PASTA. How do you arrange to meet up with the basic needs of yours eight children ?
M: As I told you, my husband’s salary is only CFA 85.000 (US$210) a month and this amount is insufficient for our needs. However, through his job as truck driver, he obtains some small favour with financial out comes. This is against professional norms, but he feels obliged to make ends meet, though the high risks. If his supervisors know about his extra activities, he may be dismissed from job.
Q : If a good Samaritan wanted to come to your aid, what will be your priority?
M : As a mother with many children, I wish to be trained at a home economics center, where I can start apprenticeship to become a seamstress, beauty hairdresser or learn any other trade to generate resources or get a job for myself too. In this way, I could be able to assist my husband. I think also of clothing, health and education of my children as a priority. Our aims is to get permanent housing for the family as whole. Finally, I would like to see my husband have a stable job that could assist us to bring up our children well.
Q : Tell us the story of the pregnancy of your triplets?
M: When I went for pre-natal consultation in the hospiatl, the medical doctor made me to understand that I waited twins. At only five months of pregnancy my belly was very large that I understood we had to wait for a second set of twins in the family. I went constantly to the hopital but at one stage I became very tired and never wanted to move anymore. I no longer wanted to return to the hospital and my sister was afraid that I could deliver at home and not in the hospital. The delivery took place in the hospital when my pregnancy was nine months and I was very weak. It was my elder sister persuaded me to go to the hospital. Immediately I arrived, I was taken to the delivery room and the children started coming out one after the other every three minutes. I delivered normally, but we had prepared only for two children and a third come. Each child came after three minutes. The third was wrapped with a napkin and clothes came only later. I thank God because all the children had good weight. I returned to the house three days after my hospitalization in the maternity for post natal follow up.
Q : How are the triplets today?
M: They are all well. The triplets carry do not fall sick regularly. Since we stay in a marshy area of Bonabéri-Douala, they have malaria once in a while. They eat well and sleep well.
Q : If I understand youl, apart from the small sicknesses, they are growing normally ?

M: Yes. They are growing very fast.
Q : Thank you, Mrs. Atabong Mercy for your time and testimony.
M: It is me to thank you for allowing me to express my views and request for help. …