Interdisciplinary Seminar:
Overcoming Hunger and Poverty as a Source of Insecurity and Conflict
Convener: Suhad Jarrar-Browne, Great Britain

Poverty and Some Aspects of Culture Detrimental to the Educational Development of the Girl Child: The Case of Some Villages of the Northwest Province of Cameroon
Eyovi Ntongieh Njwe, Non-member, Cameroon

Following the economic crises in Cameroon that started in the early 1980s, various measures have been embraced at different levels by different communities and individuals to combat its effects. The outcome of the crises has given rise to massive impoverishment. These problems are more prominent in the rural situation. In our study of some villages of the Widikum area, in Momo Division of the North-West Province of Cameroon, we discovered that children, especially girls, are pulled out of primary and secondary schools to work with their parents in order to combat the effects of the crises. Cultural demands also require that girls marry early, especially as the bride price is used to solve some major family projects. Also, it is believed that early marriages will enable the women to produce many children. Children are assets, as they constitute a good work force – hence, richer folk take more wives. This leads to more girls dropping out of school.

In the Widikum area, palm oil is a very important food and cash crop and does exceedingly well, hence it constitutes a major source of income. However, due to lack of basic technological appliances and know-how, the traditional methods employed for the extraction of palm oil and kernel require huge human labour. Consequently, children, especially girls, are pulled out of school and engaged in the business. These acts clash with United Nations’ eight millennium development goals, particularly numbers two and three. Our proposals call for the intervention of the relevant authorities to address these victimizing practices.

Eyovi Ntongieh Njwe holds an M. Phil and PhD in Linguistics from the University of Ibadan. She is a Lecturer at the University of Dschang, Cameroon.