Cameroon
Papaya and Watermelon Plantation
Mister Calvin left Cameroon in 2006 to study in Belgium, wishing to return home one day. That’s why he asked Caritas International Belgium to finance his project in Cameroon so he could invest in his own country.
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He returned in 2010 with a project of container transportation, and it was working quite well, until one year later he decided he wanted to change to an agricultural project, namely a papaya plantation. In the meantime, his wife Miss Beatrice also returned to Cameroon from Belgium and she also benefited from a reintegration budget. That’s how they could both invest with his savings and her reintegration budget in this plantation.
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Caritas International Belgium had the opportunity to visit their plantation in June 2012, more than one year after the set-up of this project and everything was going very well. Beatrice was expecting a little daughter and they had plans of starting a new watermelon plantation soon.
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At present, their little Rosane is born, and they could finally start the watermelon plantation. They are selling their fruits to individuals, but also to market vendors, which means their income is enough to support the whole family.
Hair Extensions Shop
Mister Robert left Cameroon in 2005 to study in Europe. He was able to finish a master in marketing in The Netherlands and went to Belgium afterwards to ask for regularisation. As his request was not accepted, he decided to return to Cameroun and to invest in a new life there.
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He wanted to sell meat as he was doing this before in Cameroon, but unfortunately he had to change his project upon arrival. Talking to the partner, he realized he needed certificates from the public health department and this administrative procedure would take more than six months. He couldn’t wait that long to earn an income, so he decided to start selling hair extensions. He found a place in an indoor market, but quite hidden and not very central. Nevertheless, he was able to collect a small group of regular clients, which made it possible for him to expand his shop. Caritas International Belgium visited him in June 2012 and it was great to see how motivated he still was to keep expanding his shop and maybe find a better and more central place for his shop.
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His daughter needed a lot of medical treatments after his arrival and his project made it possible to finance a big part of it. Still, it is very hard for him to actually save money in this situation. Mister Robert keeps being very motivated, which is the most important trigger to keep expanding his “work in progress”. He now sells hair extensions and basic need products and he’s planning to sell even more things in the near future!
