Our 2019 objectives
- Training of trauma healing seminar facilitators;
- Training of caregivers (mentors) to support traumatized people
- Print and distribute trauma healing manuals to facilitator trainees
- Bring much needed assistance to the needy
Increase access to quality social services for grannies, the handicapped, OVC & their Caregivers
This strategic Objective builds on the work of the last twenty years and it is at the very core of St Albert Charity’s reason for existence. St. Albert Charity will use the model of comprehensive approach to care and support of its target group as it engages the community to be active participants in delivering solutions to the challenges associated with older persons (Grannies), the physically challenged, OVC and their caregivers.
Enhance livelihood opportunities for income and food security of older persons, the physically challenged, OVC and their Caregivers
The current socio-political crisis that started in October 2016 in the English parts of Cameroon where most of our activities are carried out has worsened the status of our target working groups and rendered them helpless and food insecure as many have been internally displaced and others becoming refugees in neighboring countries. Prior to the crisis situation, grannies indicated that harvests were dwindling due to climate change, soil infertility, lack of knowledge on appropriate farming techniques, land shortage and large size of households full of OVC who cannot effectively farm. Amidst the food insecurity challenge, the coping strategies are almost non-existent. Lack of access to financial and credit services is another problem which affects Grannies and OVC households. The level of access to credit services among Grannies is very low.
Four in five Grannies have never accessed credit from financial institutions. Loan applications from older persons are normally rejected by financial institutions. Rejection of loan applications from Grannies is attributed to their advance age, lack of collateral security, stringent conditions and being regarded by financial institutions as a credit risk to them. With Cameroon’s life expectancy at 55.8 years, people over this age are considered as credit risks to lending institutions.
St. Albert Charity works to bring hope to those community members who have refused to relocate to safer havens as a result of the current war situation.
To reduce the incidence of water-borne diseases commonly related to the lack of safe drinking water, particular focus being on having a healthy population which is better empowered for the collective fight to alleviate generalized poverty. Albert Charity carries out through a community participatory approach, the identification and treatment of contaminated water sources in some rural communities of our work districts, as well as harnessing existing springs and water catchments therein, so as to provide safe drinking water to these rural poor communities.
Capacity building
To build the teaching capacity of school teachers through training seminars and workshops on Teach English Prevent HIV/AIDS and other Infectious Diseases as a contribution to the fight against ignorance and to create a sense of commitment to behavior change and responsible living for meaningful self-reliant development.
Albert Charity provides school fees bursaries to HIV/AIDS affected orphans; most of whom live under the care of their grandmothers. An additional category of the ongoing war affected children in our project areas is supported too. St. Albert Charity empowers OVC households economically to be able to meet at least 40% of the OVC school fees and additional requirements not met by the projects.
To sensitize, inform and train volunteers and community leaders on the concept of aging, mental health needs and advocacy for the rights of the elderly. Empowering the elderly woman on issues of gender disparity; developing a model of comprehensive programs for elderly Traditional birth attendants (TBAs), reducing aging stress through community-based support systems and networking and promoting girl-child education, that is, the education of the elderly woman of tomorrow.
Advocate for rights and appropriate policies for older persons OVC. Albert Charity seeks to become an active advocate, point of reference and partner in efforts to contribute, influence, implement rights and monitor policies in the area of older persons, the handicapped and OVC and their Caregivers. We, as St. Albert Charity vow to enhance our capacity in this area within the next five years (2019-2023). To tackle all the issues and concerns of the ordinary people, a strong civil society is vital; a civil society that can push the powers that be to deliver on targets.
Strengthen the capacity of community-based organizations, local structures and systems to respond to the immediate needs of OVC and grannies
In our work with communities over the past 20 years, we realized that communities’ involvement is key to effective community development. Throughout St. Albert Charity’s programs, Community Participation and Involvement (CPI) is a key cross-cutting approach for creating a lasting change by empowering communities to identify their own issues, needs and solutions. The CPI approach engages communities both to use the interventions in a sustained way and to promote participatory development. Community capacity building for CBOs, local structures and systems is central to St. Albert Charity’s programming. Therefore measuring changes in community capacity will also be essential to evaluating success as well as to better understand the link.
