Cameroon

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) says Cameroon has been making progress in combating poverty. National household surveys showed that the population living in poverty declined 11 percent between 1996 and 2001. But the decline mainly benefited people who live in urban areas, 22.1 per cent of whom are poor, compared to 49.9 per cent of poor people in rural areas. In Cameroon, poverty is fundamentally a rural phenomenon.

The profile that emerged from the most recent survey also showed that there is no province in Cameroon that is untouched by poverty, the north-west being one of the most affect. The IFAD report says poverty in the provinces has worsened in the past 10 years, despite the decline overall.

Several studies, including official government surveys, show that women and children are particularly hard-hit: 52 per cent of the people in poor households are women, and half of the members of poor households are under 15 years of age. Among the major causes of poverty, Cameroonians generally cite a lack of job opportunities, declining incomes, inadequate road infrastructure, illiteracy and problems with access to land. Poor rural people believe that better living conditions would come with job creation, better communications and transportation, improved access to infrastructure and information, stable prices for staple foods and better access to health care, water and credit.

Our focus in Cameroon is on:

* Care of orphans and vulnerable children
* Building capacity for women in agriculture
* Improving on basic health and nutrition
* Promoting gender equity
* Protecting the environment