Women are the heartbeat of families and communities- raising children, tending farms, managing households and sustaining livelihoods. Yet they remain among the most nutritionally and medically underserved. In response, the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC) through CEDAR-COM, with the support of the Presbyterian church USA (PCUSA), launched the Women’s “Feed & Keep Fit” (FKF) program – a three year initiative aimed at improving livelihoods of women within some five selected communities in Buea, Fako Division, Southwest Region. Now in it’s first phase, the program is already making visible progress.
Why the Program
Statistics from various health bodies paint a sobering picture validating the common challenges faced by women in relation to nutrition and health. Sub- Saharan Africa constitute of over 50% of women, with a large portion suffering from poverty, nutritional issues and nutrition related diseases. In Cameroon specifically nearly 30% of women of reproductive age are anaemic, raising pregnancy and childbirth risks (WHO, 2022). The Cameroon National NCD policy, 2019 reports shows a rapid increase in non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity, especially with urban and peri-urban women due to a shift towards processed and low-nutrients diets. Also the ongoing crisis has caused food chain disruptions from farming to supply, reducing household food security for thousands of families.
Despite these challenges, women remain powerful agents of change within their families and communities. The FKF program is designed to harness that power, equipping women with knowledge, skills and support networks to take charge of their health, their nutrition and agricultural livelihoods.
Phase one in action
The first phase of the program has covered five communities and selected participants have been empowered in various aspects. Find below a summarized breakdown of what has been done so far:
Needs assessment have been carried out reaching over 350 women to ensure interventions are tailored to meet real needs. A series of trainings and workshops have been carried out to; train health workers on incorporating nutrition and dietetics into patient care; equip 15 Fit Women Volunteers as peer champions in their respective communities, to ensure sustainability and ownership; food management and preservation workshop where women learned practical techniques to reduce post-harvest losses and retain nutritional value in food preservation; community outreaches with free NCDs screenings, removing barriers of costs and distance and increasing access to preventive healthcare; outdoor sporting and fitness activities to enhance health outcomes and overall wellbeing.
Many other activities are still in line for the selected communities, by the end of the three year program the program aims to reach at least 10,000 women in Fako Division, improving nutrition, fitness and livelihoods while uplifting families and communities.
The FKF program demonstrates how community -rooted, church-supported projects initiatives can transform lives. By combining health education, agricultural empowerment and preventive care, it strengthens women as agents of change. This partnership highlights the power of global collaboration in meeting physical needs, restoring dignity and building healthier communities.
