Being a Safe Space mentore is more than a supervisory role. It's a responsibility to guide young girls through essential life skills, while promoting gender equality and human rights. These spaces are dedicated to the acquisition of life skills and human rights for girls aged 8 to 19.

Since Monday 23 September 2024, three training workshops have been running simultaneously in Ngaoundéré, Garoua and Maroua, towns located in the Adamaoua, North and Far North regions. The training courses are designed to prepare 90 mentores and 9 supervisors, with the aim of setting up 45 Safe Spaces. These will be located in Centres de Promotion de la Femme et de la Famille (CPFF) and Centres Multiculturels de Promotion de la Jeunesse (CMPJ) in the three regions.

In Cameroon, the trainees speak of their experience as a true vocation. Every day, they will play a crucial role in the development of adolescent girls, not only as counsellors, but also as models of resilience and success, as a mentor based in Kalfou, a commune in the Far North, explains:

"Mentore means engaging and encouraging others to be autonomous, because myself when I'm a mentore, and I'll be in the field more to better talk with young girls."

Introduction to training: preparing mentores for their mission

The training, which will run until 27 September 2024, is based on two main booklets: one for mentors and another for girls, subdivided into two age categories (8-12 and 13-19). The modules focus on fundamental life skills (with an average of 13 2-hour sessions) and on gender and human rights issues (28 1.5-hour sessions).

Becoming a mentor in a Safe Space is a profound commitment, influencing not only the girls themselves but entire communities. For some, like Sadia, a supervisor, the mission goes far beyond simply accompanying young girls. "My motivation is to be able to contribute to the success of the project, which lies in empowering, guiding and reintegrating young girls. I want to continue, at my level, to ensure that these girls are reintegrated into society," she says. "Thanks to this project, these girls will also have the chance to learn literacy and do income-generating activities in safe areas. If a girl has a job, it will be easier for her to reintegrate into the community and not only will she be a good wife but also a good mother."

Supported by an expert team

The workshops are run by qualified trainers, including experts from the World Bank-funded SWEDD project, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry for the Promotion of Women and the Family, and UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund). Their aim is to equip mentors with the tools they need to succeed in their mission in Safe Spaces and to provide a safe environment where girls can flourish.