Korea and Unicef help Cameroon women and children escape child marriage
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The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and Unicef launched a project in eastern Cameroon to support the independence of women and children and protect their rights.
Sadia Halimadu, a 19-year-old woman in the Garoua-Boulaï region, participated in a vocational training program provided by the organizations. After being forced into marriage at age 15 and later divorcing, she lacked the means to support herself.
The program provided her with sewing skills over six months and supplied equipment for her to open a clothing shop. Unicef now works with her as a partner, commissioning her to produce vests for staff to provide a stable income. Sadia now teaches sewing to other women at risk of child marriage to help them achieve economic independence.
The organizations also run the Girls Shine program for girls aged 10 to 17 in the Tihomo village, where refugees from the Central African Republic live. The program teaches girls about women's rights, self-protection, and hygiene. Participants share experiences to prevent peers from facing similar hardships. The project also includes positive parenting education for parents to encourage them to respect their children's rights and reduce exploitation.
In the Manyi region, the project supports the Vindia Primary School, which hosts 1,645 students, including 1,325 refugee children. KOICA and Unicef provide infrastructure and train teachers to understand the backgrounds of students who suffered trauma from conflict. Additionally, the organizations established birth registration offices within health facilities to improve access. Between 2020 and 2024, these efforts helped increase the national birth registration rate in Cameroon from 50.8% to 55.4%.
