As a result of armed conflict between the government and minority groups, Cameroon has an estimated one million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and half a million refugees and asylum-seekers. The conflict has led to increased instances of IDPs being trafficked for forced labor and domestic servitude. IDPs and refugees are particularly vulnerable to trafficking due to economic instability and limited access to formal justice. A study conducted by Survivors’ Network Cameroon revealed that in Batouri, a city in Cameroon’s Eastern Region, women and girls are most vulnerable to trafficking when they are uneducated, unskilled, and/or dropped out of school. Economic empowerment is essential for preventing at-risk women and girls from being trafficked in the first place.

One Day’s Wages is partnering with Survivor’s Network Cameroon – a women and survivor-led nonprofit – to reduce the vulnerability of women and girls to human trafficking through financial empowerment. This project will come alongside 50 women and girls in Batouri who are at risk of or survivors of trafficking, domestic servitude and/or gender-based violence. Participants will learn what trafficking is, how to prevent it, and where to seek help.  They will also participate in a training on financial literacy and business fundamentals with the goal of starting their own snack stall businesses for income generation. After completing the training, each woman will receive a start-up kit containing the essential equipment and ingredients needed to start her own micro-business!