A new dimension in technology and creative empowerment for survivors of GBV in traditional regalia

I am Benedicta, a woman with disability who is passionate in development and humanitarian intervention for all. I volunteer in numerous civil society organizations in Bamenda, North West Region Cameroon to advocate and promote gender and disability inclusive development.

Though with a high degree physical impairment that cause me to walk with a limp, I am a humanitarian in this crisis period working in Bali (one of the bloodiest communities in the context of the crisis we are facing in Cameroon). I help to support all sort of vulnerable women affected by the crisis to access dignity kits, menstrual hygiene items, Mama Kits and also do sensitization and awareness raising on GBV referring cases and survivors to health services and case management services

Veronica is a fellow sister with disability, my leader and mentor. She usually tells me “Sister, as a humanitarian with this kind of risk you take in your work going to war zones, you need to tell your story on World Pulse. You are a very brave woman with disability and World Pulse will like to hear your story and the support you offer to women and children affected by the crisis. How you brave it through gun shots and come back to your family”

I told Veronica; Sister, thank you but I don’t have a good digital tool to use.  I am one of the women with disabilities who has benefitted from in person World Pulse and digital trainings always organized by Veronica. I can testify she has unstoppable passion to digitally empower her sisters with disabilities. I like it when she usually exclaims “Digitality is working for my favor”

One day I told Veronica I have an invitation to attend a Zoom meeting, she laughed out loudly and asked me “With Which Phone”? that was when I realized how much I was missing due to my inability to afford a better phone. She has always encouraged me to have a new and better phone but I keep complaining I don’t have enough money. She will say its good to have a computer and you can even work from home and; there certain opportunities you must explore only through a computer to have a better understanding. Yet I will still complain of limited finances.

Veronica has trained us on how to tell our story on World Pulse and she always talk about WP. She created a whatsapp group call World Pulse Sisterhood Bamenda to continue to train and sensitize women and girls on digital empowerment, world Pulse and online opportunities. She will tell us “If you have any digital challenges tell me”. She told me Ben my sister this your phone cannot help you achieve anything; you need to sacrifice and get yourself a good phone. Whenever she says that I will say from within me that God bless us. She keeps encouraging me tirelessly to buy a phone and a computer to work from home. She sends me opportunities to apply, but I will call her back and say my phone is too slow, I have network problems and my complains never get finish.

I agreed with her totally because with the challenges I was facing with my phone, I could not LogOn to World Pulse frequently. My participation on World Pulse was very limited and I felt really bad. My phone couldn’t even upload pictures on my profile and I was reluctant to take part in World Pulse activities.

On Saturday 17 September 8:30 am. I received a message from Veronica saying “My sister; please come and see me”. When I arrived her home, we had a brief casual discussion concerning work and she told me a World Pulse sister has supported her with some money to support some sisters with digital tools and took out an itel P37 phone brand new in its cartoon and gave me. She told me it was to help me improve on my work, access opportunities, be consistent on World Pulse and tell my stories. I danced and sang “God, I didn't know you will answer me this way; and I didn't know you will answer me this way ooh.

I am a trainer in traditional embroidery and beads arts with the Mezam Women Empowerment Centre, North West region. I will use this phone to learn new designs and improve on my creativity through YouTube. As a GBV and disability activist, the phone will help me to identify GBV cases, refer and report with ease and teach skills and also tell their story on World Pulse. I will be able to raise my voice more on social media through campaigns for GBV, gender and disability awareness.

I cease this opportunity to say Thank you my sister Veronica Ngum Ndi and Thank you World pulse

Vuche Benedicta

Bamenda, Cameroon